12.15.2005

REUNION: Rusty the orange cat

Rusty's owner has never given up on him and has been walking in neighborhoods near her home and passed out fliers to anyone she saw.. People began to remember seeing the orange cat. She set a trap for him and caught him yesterday - December 14th. He is at the vet and has been given a clean bill of health. The last time she saw him was August 31st, the day she was forced to evacuate. Connie did everything imaginable to get her pet back and her persistance paid off. Lucky Rusty.


REUNION: Bikini and Vallie found

...all four now reunited!

(Bikini & Muddy reunion photo)

Steve found Vallie last week in an abandoned house not far from where she, Domino, Muddy and Bikini were left with the dog-sitter.
I just learned that Bikini was rescued
by a wonderful woman named Amy, taken away from a homeless man who was trying to use her as pit-bull bait Here is the email from Bikini's guardian: Yes it is true, we got Bikini back today, this morning!! The best possible Christmas gift ever, really. Yesterday Corky received an email from Dog Detective saying there was a possible match, usually these are imperfect and not even the same breed so we don't tend to put much hope into them but yesterday it happen to really be her. Apparently after the storm she got up to Canal street and a bum picked her up to use as bait to antagonize his three pit bulls, I guess to just pass the time after the strom. An angel of a lady, Amy, saw him and took Bikini away as fast as she could. Then she pampered and loved our little dogger, weekly groomings, tons of treats, new collar and all her shots, honestly this was really the kindest woman I have ever encountered- other that all of you guys that would so hard to help us find both Mud and Nini. We are so happy, I can't stop playing with them and the two dogs follow us from room to room now. Muddy goes to work and everywhere else with Corky these days so I am happy to have Bikini as my sidekick from now on. We are so happy, I can't even begin to explain. I feel like we have recovered from the Storm! Thank you, thank you, all of you. Karma must at work here as on Monday I volunteered to get some of the last strayed caught and shipped up to a new facility in Tylertown, Best Friends. Merry Merry Christmas to all of you. Tavi

12.13.2005

Beautiful female brown & white pit bull terrier found near Wingate Dr / Gentilly area (may have been found in same house as male boxer below).
Male Red & White Boxer rescued by Pasado's "Safe" Haven near the Wingate Dr / Gentilly area (may have been in same house as the female brown and white pit above).

Seeking Owners for these Rescued Dogs

The dogs featured in this above posts (which will be updated as often as needed) were rescued and are being sheltered or fostered by people who are not searching for the owners. No Animal Left Behind and Stealth Volunteers are working to reunite these and other Katrina pets with their owners. While there are some pets ( a small percentage) who should not be reunited with their New Orleans owners (documented cases of abuse or neglect), we believe that the great majority of pet owners deserve to have their pets returned to them regardless of whether or not they were heartworm positive or spayed/neutered. Please check back often to offer any help you can. Please also send info and photos of other rescued Katrina pets whose owners are not being searched for to noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com
Check katrinaretrievers.blogspot.com for found goldens and labs seeking owners.

12.09.2005

PET OWNERS: Check here regularly for important information and updates

If your pet seems to be "lost in the system" be sure to check the website for Animal Rescue New Orleans often for info and updates on continuing search and rescue work in New Orleans.

Locate Your Lost Katrina Pet
Event hosted by
Best Friends in New Orleans Dec. 16-18

We know it has been difficult, even impossible, for families who are missing their pets to navigate all of the available resources.

This event will allow you to search in one place for your missing pets. We will set up banks of computers and give families the opportunity to work with reunion specialists to search for their pets – on a first come/first served basis.

We have asked numerous groups, including Mutt Shack, Grassroots Emergency Animal Rescue (at the Winn Dixie), Humane Louisiana, and Pasado’s Safe Haven to participate, bringing their databases and intake records. We have invited Petfinder, Stealth Volunteers and other reunion specialists to participate as well.

Where:
Garden District Hotel
2203 St. Charles Avenue (corner of Jackson and St. Charles Avenues)
New Orleans, LA 70130
University Conference Room

When:
Friday, December 16 - 10am - 6pm
Saturday, December 17 - 10am - 6pm
Sunday, December 18 - 1pm - 6pm

Free parking in the rear of the hotel

SPCA Cincinnati has many cats and dogs at their shelter

Click here to go to their site to search for Katrina pets. They have a link for cats and one for dogs. Lots of dogs. If you see a photo that you think may be your pet, copy and save the photo and all related information on your hard drive. Katrina pet information is disappearing off shelter websites.

PetHarbor now has a complete list of the dogs sent to EDNAH

1. Go to Petharbor
2. Scroll below the Rita links until you see the yellow box labeled Project Barkansas and click on the dog link.
3. The photos are all blurred until you click on a specific one.
There are now 13 pages of dogs listed. Because the current location of those dogs is still a mystery, if you see your dog there, contact us - include the photo of the dog, the PetHarbor name and number and a description - breed, color, gender. I hope to find out the current location of these dogs soon.

St. Bernard Parish Pets
Photo albums of the pets rescued by Camp Lucky can be viewed at the following location:
Government Complex Building
Public Works Office
2nd Floor
Chalmette
Telephone 504.278.4317
Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm (may also be opened on weekends)

This phone number is for Animal Control but will be dispatched to the Government Building where the temporary Control Unit is currently operating. They hope to move from the Public Works Office back to the original Animal Control Site later this week so be sure to call ahead.

These photos are of animals rescued by Camp Lucky through October 1st. The original group of animals went to the SPCA in Los Angeles:
http://www.spcala.com/hurricanekatrina_animals1.html

Most of the next rescues went to the Humane Society in Pinellas / Clearwater Florida, or the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas. Some but not all of the photos/reports have begun to appear on Petfinder, so if possible, travel into the Parish to view the actual photos.


New Orleans Library Hours - Internet Access to search Petfinder and Petharbor

Internet, fax and photocopy service available.
The Nix branch at 1401 South Carrollton Avenue, is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Hubbell branch at 725 Pelican Avenue in Algiers Point, is open Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION IF YOU NEED HELP SEARCHING FOR YOUR PET

If you need help searching for your lost or missing pet, please follow these recommendations. We have very little time left to find many pets for many people, so please understand that these recommendations are intended to benefit the most number of people with the limited resources available. The phone number is only for those people without internet access. Everyone else, please use email.

Our volunteers have access to resources and information that may not be available to the public, so if you are already working with someone who is able to help you in that way, please understand that we can't ask another volunteer work with you too. We need to adhere to having just one-volunteer per pet owner. There are thousands of missing pets and only hundreds of volunteers, all with limited time to do this, and we are trying to help as many people as possible. We would like to be able to find every single missing pet so the better allocated our resources, the more likely we are able to do that. Thank you for understanding.

Send an email to noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com with all of the following information:

1) In the subject heading - write Searching for Max, Male German Shepherd mix (or whatever the name, sex and breed of your dog is) or Searching for Fluffy, female orange tabby. Include all of the following information:

2) The address the pet was left at, rescued from or last known to be, even if this is just a neighborhood. Include zip code and name of section, parish, etc. If the pet is known to have been rescued, the date to the best of your knowledge. Mention any writing on the house or notes left by rescue groups. The more specific you can be, the better. If you do not know for sure if your pet was ever rescued, please indicate that.

3) A complete description of the pet - breed(s); color; sex including if spayed or neutered; age; weight; approx. height; markings; color of eyes; condition of teeth including if any are missing; any scars. All unique characteristics such as if one ear is bent in a different way than other ear; docked tail; extra toes; spots on tongue, etc.

If there is a Petfinder LOST report, please include the Petfinder number(s).

4) Collar (type, color), tags, or any other external identification. All known information from tags. If the pet is micro-chipped, include the number if known.

5) Any other pets left at/rescued from this address and whether they are still missing or have been found. If found, where and when. If missing, please list separately.

6) Your name, current phone number and email address. Also, your old phone number in New Orleans if now out-of-service. Your current complete mailing address.

7) Please include a photo of your pet if you have one. If you have one but are not able to send it electronically, we will help you get the photo sent to us.

Thank you very much! Check this specific link often for updates and information.


NEW PHOTOS OF RESCUED PETS
It was just learned that the LaSPCA, who rescued animals from New Orleans in October and took them to their new shelter in Algiers, posted these animals on the wrong section of PetHarbor. These animals do not show up in a normal PetHarbor search for Katrina animals and they are not on Petfinder.

To searh the LaSPCA pets on PetHarbor, visit the Animal Rescue New Orleans website and click on the Find Lost Pets link for easy step-by-step instructions.





REUNION: Pepper the Chi

HUGE thanks to volunteers Sara Ratekin, DVM and Susan Bongiorno. They worked together for weeks, following leads, collaborating information, digging up photos of possible matches, and sending those photos to Pepper'sowner, Tony Licciardi who has been fighting bone cancer. Pepper has been in a wonderful foster home in North Dakota with Darla Yliniemi who brought her back to N.D. with her after helping with rescue efforts in September. Sara first met Tony during one of her three trips to New Orleans and she promised him that she would help find Pepper for him.

In the photo above, Karen Thunshelle, shelter manager for the Souris Valley Humane Society, gets a kiss from Pepper. On Saturday, Thunshelle will fly with Pepper to Mississippi to reunite her with Tony.

December 8, 2005
THE MINOT DAILY NEWS

By Jill Schramm, Staff Writer

Pepper is going home for Christmas.

The 6-year-old Chihuahua has only a few more days of Minot's sweater-weather left before hopping a plane to Mississippi to be reunited with an owner she hasn't seen since they were separated after Hurricane Katrina.

Karen Thunshelle, shelter manager for the Souris Valley Humane Society in Minot, said Pepper will be as glad to be back in warmer temperatures as she'll be to see her owner again. Thunshelle boards a flight to Mississippi with Pepper Saturday.

Darla Yliniemi, who has provided a foster home for Pepper, said Pepper gets along better with her dogs and cat than she does with the weather.

"She likes to wear her sweater," she said. "She doesn't like the cold but she's not afraid of my big dogs."

The Humane Society of the United States is funding the trip to bring Pepper back to her family, Tony and Shirley Licciardi, before Christmas.

"I can't wait to see her," said Tony Licciardi, who has bone cancer that he described as widespread. He said Pepper's return might help his physical health by relieving the distress he's felt since losing her.

"All I do is cry about her, cry for her," he sad. "I sure miss her."

Pepper came to North Dakota after Thunshelle befriended her while assisting with animal rescue in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina in September. The white and pale brown short-hair came to the rescue shelter dirty, hungry, carrying fleas and scared.

"She was a little nippy," Thunshelle said. "She actually just bonded with me. I was about one of the only people who could handle her down there. I just couldn't leave her down there."

Thunshelle arranged to bring Pepper to Minot.

Tony Licciardi said he became separated from Pepper and his two other dogs when police came to rescue him from his home flooded under seven feet of water. When the police went back for the dogs, they couldn't find them.

Licciardi said he spent a couple of days on a Navy boat and it was some time before he could search for his dogs.

"I have been all over looking for them, calling everybody," he said. The two missing dogs are a Chihuahua and Pomeranian.

Licciardi told an animal rescue worker in New Orleans about his dogs after returning to check on damage to his home there. The worker searched the hurricane registry through Pet Finder and located Pepper in Minot. Licciardi said he identified Pepper's Internet picture on the computer in a library.

"I said 'Yes, that's her!'" he said. "I have never seen another one her color with markings like she has."

Pepper, who had been known as Booboo at Souris Valley Humane Society until identified about three weeks ago, is recovering from the trauma of the hurricane.

"The first time the wind picked up, she paced half the night. She just couldn't settle down," Yliniemi said. "She's slowly adjusted to know the wind is not going to hurt her."

Thunshelle said the local humane society will miss Pepper, but they are pleased that Pepper's homecoming means Licciardi's losses to Hurricane Katrina will be one less.

"He doesn't have anything anymore, so we are glad we can make at least something good come out of this," she said.

PLEASE Look At This Photo


Desperate owner looking for Rueben, a very sweet older dog who (along with another dog since found) was released from 726 North Hagan Street in New Orleans by a well-meaning rescue worker or military person. A friend had been providing food and water.

Rueben is part Golden Retriever and part … lab? shepard? His owner says he was often mistaken for a St. Bernard. He is large (about 80 pounds, pre-Katrina) with long silky black hair with a brown undercoat. His legs are brindle and he is missing one of his canine teeth. He has a very sweet disposition. If found please call Jordana Smith at 504-237-8364 or send an email to us here if you have any information about where Rueben might be.


12.06.2005

I found this reunion story on the website of New Leash on Life and wanted to share it here. I think it makes it clear why returning a pet to its family is the right thing to do for all concerned including the pet.

Just wanted to share this with you, it's things like this that make you smile and keep you going. I just got off the phone with Max's owner. To put it mildly, they are overjoyed! They got Max in 1995. They thought they would never see Max again, they were sure he was dead, (he is 11 and a bit overweight). Another pet was found still in the yard on October the 2nd, almost a skeleton and exhaling oil fumes with every breath. He is in a hospital and is very ill. When I spoke with them on Saturday they couldn't believe they might get Max back. They were worried after everything he went through and the time away, he might not remember them. When the crate was brought in at the cargo terminal, they could see him and called his name. He almost broke the crate open with excitement. They had an hour ride home from the airport and called to let me know he arrived safely. They kept repeating, "He is so happy." I know that if we hadn't found them Max would have been adopted and probably had a nice life but now he can spend his remaining years with the only family he's ever known. They are right, he is "so happy."

11.29.2005

Many ways to transport pets back to owners

List compiled by our friends at Best Friends . . . you guys rock

Acme Pet Transport:
http://www.acmepettransport.com
Arizona Animal Rescue Coalition:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/azarc
Basenji Rescue & Transport:
http://www.basenjirescue.org/
Basset Hounds:
http://www.dailydrool.com/raa/home.html
California Rescue Railroad:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CaRescueRR
Canine Underground Railroad:
http://members.aol.com/paladin003/sanctuary/cur.html
Dog Rescue Railroad:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dog_Rescue_RailRoad
DOTS (Dalmatian Overland Transport Service):
http://www.dalrescue.com/dots-signup.html
Heart Bandits - Eskie Railroad:
http://www.heartbandits.com/pages/railroad.html
IMOM Express:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IMOM-xpress
Lab-Links:
http://www.lab-links.com/transport.htm
Meezer Express:
http://www.siameserescue.org/express.html
Operation Roger:
http://truckers4truckers.com/phpBB/index.php
Rescue Angels on Wheels:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RescueAngelsonWheels
Rescue Transport:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RescueTransport
Rolling Rescue:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rollingrescue
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TX-NM-AZ-Rescue-animal-transporters
TRAIN (Transporting & Rescuing Animals In Need):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/train_transport_rescue/
Truck-n-Paws:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TRUCK-N-PAWS

Volunteer air transport:
FlyDogs: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flydogs

Many cities have “pet taxi” businesses that transport pets locally. Try searching on Yahoo.com

Paid moving companies:
Pro-Pet Transports: http://www.pro-pet-transports.com
PetTransporter.com: http://www.pettransporter.com

Paid air transport:
The Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association International, Inc. (IPATA) has a list of companies that assist with air transport on their website, at this link: http://www.ipata.com/page.php?rp=2

Informational sites:
Links: http://www.wonderpuppy.net/rescue.htm#boards
Rescue Assistance: http://www.caryn.com/francis/discussion/rescue.html
Shipping Cats Domestically:
or another search engine for services in your area. http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/4114/shipping.html
IPATA International: http://www.ipata.com/page.php?rp=


11.25.2005

IMPORTANT Updates for SBP pet owners

The Island Business Group has recovered the St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter's data from their flooded computers !!

Any microchips sold to St. Bernard Parish Government, St. Bernard Parish Animal Control, or St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter are now accessible. Owners may request a "reverse search" to find their microchip numbers while updating their contact information.
License tags for pets that were adopted through the shelter, pets that were impounded, or pets whose owners purchased them directly from the shelter are also listed. Unfortunately, the majority of licenses were not on computer.
To search this database go to:
http://www.islandbusinessgroup.com/stbernard.asp
If a match is found, you can click on the link or email the shelter at sbpanimal@aol.com
We are asking that owners whose pets are microchipped or have other searchable identification (a known license or vet hopital tag number, a tattoo, etc.) and are looking for their pets contact Ceily at sbpanimal@aol.com with their current address and telephone numbers. This will be added to the shelter's database so that anyone looking for the owner will be able to find them.


Other places to look for photos of SBP animals:

The Los Angeles SPCA Link pictures a group of pets rescued by Camp Lucky that were flown to California for distribution throughout the state. Under each rescued pet photo is a contact telephone number. Additional photos of some of the same pets are listed on the Los Angeles SPCA site.
Los Angeles SPCA

Pasadena Humane/SPCA has listed their group separately on their own website.
Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana in Shreveport. When viewing this link be sure to scroll to the bottom of each page and click on previous posts. It will then bring up previous pages of rescued pet photos. Continue to do this until you reach the end.

The Humane Society of North Texas has received several rescued pets that were originally taken to Rebel Field in Chalmette. There are new and better photos pictured on their website of these same rescued animals.

11.24.2005

Miss Kitty's devoted owner, Bill Harris dies at age 63

Goodbye Bill.

The four-legged ones who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge have received a very special new resident.

Rest in peace.

11.23.2005

REUNION: Chedder (Chat) the beagle is back home

Chedder ("Chat") was reunited with his family yesterday in Houston after a long, drawn-out battle with BREW, the beagle rescue group that Chedder had been given to. The Washington Animal Rescue League had taken in Chedder after Katrina and had been told he was owner surrendered, so they gave the young beagle to BREW Beagle Rescue who in turn adopted him out to someone in Richmond, VA (whose identity is unknown at this time). Almost immediately, Renee - Chedder's owner - identified him from photos from a news program and also from the shelter's website. Once the Executive Director of WARL was made aware of the situation and looked at photos, he did everything he could to get Chedder back from BREW. From the outset (over two months ago) BREW claimed that the dog they had was not Chedder even though the photos proved it was. They refused to allow Renee or anyone to see the dog. When asked to send additional photos, they sent the same photos that were on the website. BREW's lawyer added insult to injury when she stepped in and talked to Renee in a degrading and insulting way. WARL asked their lawyer to intervene. On and on.

Then, a few weeks ago it seemed as if BREW was finally ready to cooperate but it soon became obvious that it was another of of their stall tactics, hoping that Renee would give up and go away. You would think that a dog rescue group would have a little better understanding of the unbreakable bond between people and their pets.

Story of Chedder's Katrina experience: Renee and the rest of the family were sent on to Houston and her father stayed behind with Chedder. When the flooding began and he was forced to evacuate, he and Chedder went to the Convention Center. When the busses finally arrived to take the evacuees to the Astrodome in Houston, Renee's father and Chedder boarded a bus. The bus driver said that Chedder had to be removed from the bus. As if he knew what was going on, Chedder crawled up to the luggage area and burrowed in. The bus driver insisted the dog be removed, so Renee's father tried to get off the bus with Chedder but was not allowed. He had no choice and did as the bus driver ordered, and as the bus pulled away he watched his daughter's beloved puppy chase after it.


11.22.2005

EMERGENCY at animal shelter in Mason County, W Va - HELP NEEDED NOW

Update 11/22 9:41 pm

I just got off the phone with Derrick. He counted so far 19 dead cats and 3 dead dogs. 2 of the dogs were burnt so bad that they can't tell who they are.

Can you please put something on the website's that it will take days before we can get back to everyone. I'm sitting here right now with 151 emails and I have no desire to look at them right now. I'm sick to my stomach and none of us are dealing well with this at all. We just need some time.

Please tell everyone to keep the living animals, the staff, and the ones that passed over the rainbow bridge in their prayers tonight. We thank everyone for their support and appreciate all their efforts on our behalf.

Sally

11/22/05 approximately 3:00 pm

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write this post. I can't stop crying. We need help!

There's been a gas explosion at the Mason County shelter in Point Pleasant WV. It happened during the installation of the new heating system.

All of the following information was gathered in the first hour after the explosion. Details may change as things settle down and volunteers get there to help assess the situation.

All of the staff members made it out alive. Danielle, the shelter director, has suffered smoke inhalation from going back in to rescue animals.

Of all the cats/kittens at the shelter, only one made it out alive. It had to be resuscitated. No idea if it will live.

It is believed that all of the puppies died in the fire and smoke...the staff couldn't get to the puppy or cat rooms to pull them out.

They were able to get to the large dog kennels and pull out a lot of the dogs. They basically pushed them out the door and the dogs are running loose. Not all got out. Some died in the initial explosion, others probably of smoke inhalation. Initial estimate is that approximately 50-60 dogs were pushed out the door by the dedicated kennel staff who refused to give up trying to save them.

At the moment, the building appears to be a total loss. All they have is possibly the use of a few outside pens. The remaining dogs are being rounded up now.

It's cold in WV...there's no indoor place to house these animals.

Supplies needed (I'm sure this list will grow)

Dog food

Water & food bowls

Leashes & collars

They need a building...can someone in or near Mason County WV loan them the use of a vacant building until they can move these dogs out to rescues? For location purposes, their zip code is 25550. Shelter is located in Point Pleasant.

The rescues they work with on a regular basis have been contacted and hopefully will be able to take some dogs into foster care.

This is the home of the Mason County Animal Welfare League (MCAWL), a group of volunteers that have been trying to make this a no-kill shelter. If you've seen any posts about them recently, you know how hard they've been working to help these animals. Email contacts are volunteers who are not located at the shelter, so anyone wishing to help can still reach them via the email address on the website: MasonCAWL@yahoo.com

Here is the Petfinder site: http://masoncounty.petfinder.com

As we find out which dogs are alive, we will put the word ALIVE next to their name on the site.

To help or donate: http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/WV39.html

The EDNAH "Sanctuary" Before and After Photos

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of volunteers from all over the country working with the great folks of Mountain Home Pets along with United Animal Nations and HSUS, the former EDNAH "sanctuary" looks like a very different place today.

Baxter County District Judge Van Gearhart ruled yesterday that 327 animals found in filthy conditions at a so-called sanctuary can be relocated and adopted into new homes. Judge Gearhart denied the owners’ request to regain custody of the animals, mostly dogs, and charged William and Tammy Hanson with 27 additional counts of animal cruelty.
Today, the same judge ruled that all the dogs be transferred to HSUS as of Monday, Nov. 28, 2005. Mountain Home Pets is working to get qualified rescue organizations lined up to accept the animals.


Pets Seeking Owners

This adult male is being fostered at Sayzar Co-Operative Rescue Efforts
in Elkton, MD Phone: 800-200-9150 Email: dmacdonald@sayzar.com

Noah's Wish final report from Slidell

    • Press release: November 21, 2005 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time

    Noah’s Wish Departs Slidell, LA After Rescuing over 1,900 Animals Affected by Hurricane Katrina

    (Slidell, LA) November 21, 2005 – After working around-the-clock for 11 weeks in an extraordinary effort to rescue and shelter animals left behind in the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, the Noah’s Wish team bade farewell to Slidell today. Through their efforts approximately 1,900 animals were successfully rescued and cared for, including cats, dogs, birds and exotics. Every animal rescued by Noah’s Wish volunteers was reunited with its owner, placed into foster care, or adopted into a loving new home.

    In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, the non-profit organization that works exclusively to rescue and shelter animals in disasters arrived in Slidell, which had been completely destroyed by the hurricane. Prior to the storm, the Slidell Animal Control facility had been able to evacuate its animals but was unable to return to their flooded building. Noah’s Wish Founder and Director Terri Crisp worked with Slidell Animal Control to set up a temporary shelter in a large warehouse provided by the city. “Noah’s Wish did a fantastic job for the people of Slidell,” said Mayor Ben O. Morris. “There were no animals roaming loose on our streets and no reported dog bites. I am eternally grateful for this great organization and it’s most impressive leadership.”

    “Pet owners in Slidell had the best chance of finding their pets, thanks to the time, manpower and resources invested by Noah’s Wish in our community during this disaster,” remarked Slidell Animal Control Assistant Director Damian Anti. Many residents whose homes were destroyed during the disaster needed to find temporary shelter for their animals. Noah’s Wish placed hundreds of pets in temporary foster care homes—all located no more than one hour away from their owners. “For a lot of folks around here, all they have left are their animals” observed Anti.

    The organization took extensive efforts to track owners and let them know their animals had been saved. “It is our responsibility to make sure that each animal affected by this disaster was given every possible chance to be reunited with their owner” said Crisp.

    When an animal was evacuated from a home in the days immediately following the disaster, a brightly colored flyer was left prominently on the front door along with directions to the temporary shelter where the animal could be found. A second posting would be made if an animal was still in the shelter after three weeks. Flyers were posted in public areas where animals had been found stray.

    “We knew that after a certain point, residents who left Slidell had to get their mail forwarded, and most people came back to Slidell to meet with FEMA or their insurance companies,” said Crisp. With that in mind, Crisp and her team sent certified letters to each home where an animal had been rescued. In addition, flyers were posted at every public location where evacuees were congregating – Red Cross shelters, insurance offices, FEMA offices. Additionally, ads were taken out in several local newspapers to help spread the word among residents that their animals were being cared for in a temporary shelter.

    Hundreds of trained volunteers from across the United States and Canada worked tirelessly for weeks to rescue and care for the animals of Slidell. “Without the help of the volunteers who spent countless hours away from their families, we could not have saved so many animals,” said Ante. “This community is forever indebted to those folks.”

    Noah’s Wish did not leave Slidell until all animals that had been rescued from Slidell after the hurricane were reunited with their owners, placed in foster homes or adopted. A few animals remained in the care of Slidell Animal Control, waiting to be transported to their new homes by the end of the week.

    As a lasting gesture of their support for the community of Slidell, Noah’s Wish has pledged $1 million to the rebuilding effort of the Slidell Animal Control building which suffered extensive structural damage during the hurricane.

e than one hour away from th.

11.20.2005

UPDATE from Noah's Wish (i.e. The Truth)


  • Director's Update: November 20, 2005 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time

There have been rumors circulating on the internet recently that pertain to Noah's Wish which I would like to correct. I apologize for not doing this sooner but we have been extremely busy trying to shut down our operation in Slidell. Also, I would have hoped that people would trust us enough to do our job the right way and not get pulled into the rumor frenzy. In all honesty, taking time to put these rumors to an end definitely distracts from what needs to be done right now for the few remaining animals in our care.

Noah's Wish will be completely closing down our shelter on November 21 which we have had open in Slidell, Louisiana for 84 days. Originally, we thought we would be done by the 15th of November, but we postponed our departure when we realized there was still more work to be done. When we leave, everyone of the 1,986 animals we have cared for will either be reunited with their families, placed in a foster home, adopted, or they will be waiting for an individual or small rescue group to pick them up. We are not turning animals over to Slidell Animal Control for them to be euthanized which is the rumor being circulated on the internet. The rumor that we are doing this is absolutely incorrect. There will be a small number of animals that do stay at the animal control shelter for a few days after we leave as they cannot be picked up before we depart. We will follow through with animal control to make sure this happens. If any of the plans fall through we will come up with another solution.

I must say it is an insult to the organization for people to think we would give up on these animals at this point. It makes me sad at how quickly people jumped to misjudge us when our history in past disasters proves we have always been committed to the animals that we take responsibility for during disasters, no matter how long it takes to get them all where they belong and where they will be well cared for. For those who have sent e-mails saying they will no longer support Noah's Wish, I can only say that we want people to support our work who truly trust us and believe in our commitment to the animals. And, there are hundreds of thousands of people who do and the numbers are continuing to grow rapidly.

All of us on site in Slidell have put in incredibly long hours for the past 2 and a half months taking care of all the needs of the animals that have come through our shelter. We have nursed animals back to health, bathed them when they were covered in oil, held them in our arms when they were scared, gave them blankets to curl up with at night when the weather got colder, and played with them to help them feel they mattered to us. The love and attention that has been shown for these animals is a testament to the compassion everyone on the Noah's Wish team, including Slidell Animal Control, feels towards these animals and also their caregivers. Noah's Wish has invested a great deal in the animals we have been responsible for during this disaster and we will continue to do this, not only during this disaster, but in future ones too.

I want to also come to the defense of Slidell Animal Control. For people to automatically think that turning animals over to this agency means they will die is wrong and unfair. Out of all the agencies and organizations that Noah's Wish has worked with during past disasters they have been by far the best. The level of commitment to the animals, and the obvious concern and compassion that the staff has shown throughout this entire ordeal, is to be commended. They too have invested a great deal in these animals, working right along side of us the entire time. There is no way they could give up on these animals either.

Noah's Wish will be posting a full report on our website once our work in Slidell is complete.

11.19.2005

Have you seen this handsome guy?

This is Clyde, an 8 year old Great Dane. These pictures of Clyde were taken with a camera phone while he was on the roof of the car during the flooding of New Orleans. He was last seen swimming up Central Park Place. He may have been rescued by a firefighter. Please help find him; Clyde is very friendly and is greatly missed by his family.

Attention pit bull owners

Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC) is networking with different organizations that were responsible for rescues in the hurricane affected areas, as well as a number of people in the pit bull community to make every effort possible to
reunite owners and pets.

If your pit bull is still missing from the disaster, please fill out a Lost Dog Report at:
http://pbrc.bullydogs.info/katrinamissingdog.html.

And if you have
photos of your dog, email them to: pbrckatrina@gmail.com.
Owners should include their name and their dogs' name with the email.


Lost Dog Reports are posted on our website: http://www.pbrc.net/katrinalostdogs/katrinalost.htm.
Shelters and rescues
have been notified to check our website for any dogs that match the Lost Dog
Reports, in hopes that we can reunite owners with their pets.

We are also accepting Lost Dog Reports on behalf of the owners. If you are working with an owner who does not have computer access, feel free to complete a Lost Dog Report and email photos to us on behalf of the owner.

We understand that many hurricane victims have to go libraries and utilize other public computers to try to search for their pets and have limited computer time. PBRC has created an owner resource page to facilitate
quicker and easier searches for the owner. We are adding to this page daily, as new information and sources are brought to our attention. Please visit: http://www.pbrc.net/katrinalostdogs/katrinaresource.htm

PBRC also has funding assistance available for hurricane pit bulls. To find out more, please visit: http://www.pbrc.net/fund/katrina.htm#Gethelp. Assistance is available for veterinary care, boarding assistance,
food/crates and spay/neuter.

Please have a look at the dogs here: http://www.pbrc.net/katrinalostdogs/katrinalost.htm
Their owners are desperately searching for them
Direct any inquiries to: PBRC_HurricanePitBulls@yahoogroups.com

11.14.2005

HSUS news release for pet owners

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) announced today that it will continue to accept new requests for reunion assistance for families separated from their pets due to Hurricane Katrina until November 23. To aid in the reunions of as many pets and families as possible, the HSUS will continue working until December16 on any cases received by November 23. To date, our call center has facilitated nearly 600 reunions.

Families looking for their rescued animals may call HSUS reunion helpline at 1-800-HUMANE-1 until November 23

Families should also
http://www.petfinder.com and http://www.petharbor.com on a regular basis.

Financial assistance for pet transport is available to those who register with HSUS by November 23rd.

Please note that volunteers from No Animal Left Behind and Stealth will continue to assist locating and reuniting pets after December 16th.

Photos of rescued SBP animals

The photo albums of the pets rescued by Camp Lucky can be viewed at the following location:

Government Complex Building
Public Works Office
2nd Floor
Chalmette
Telephone 504.278.4317
Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm (may also be opened on weekends)

This phone number is for Animal Control but will be dispatched to the Government Building where the temporary Control Unit is currently operating. They hope to move from the Public Works Office back to the original Animal Control Site later this week so be sure to call ahead.

These photos are of animals rescued by Camp Lucky through October 1st. The original group of animals went to the SPCA in Los Angeles:
http://www.spcala.com/hurricanekatrina_animals1.html

Most of the next rescues went to the Humane Society in Pinellas / Clearwater Florida, or the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas. Some but not all of the photos/reports have begun to appear on Petfinder, so if possible, travel into the Parish to view the actual photos.





11.11.2005

REUNION: Photos of Candy's reunion with Jason

Candy saying goodbye to the vet at Magazine Street Animal Clinic
after being checked over, given her shots and boarded overnight.

Having some water at her new apartment in Dallas.
Checking out her new neighborhood with Jason.
Jason and Candy side-by-side again!

11.10.2005

UPDATE on Blue Dog Rescue

I don't mean to pick on or criticize the person who sent me the following email, but I'm responding to it here because it represents a good example of several of the problems now facing the reunification efforts:

1) Katrina animals are being adopted out before the December 31st deadline that was recommended by the ASPCA and HSUS.

2) Groups like Blue Dog (and many others - a list is being compiled) never posted FOUND reports on Petfinder or Petharbor so there was virtually no chance that the owners of these dogs would ever find their dogs.

3) Many small rescue groups, organizations and individuals went to New Orleans and "rescued" animals that have disappeared for any number of reasons, the main reason being that they removed animals from Louisiana without the jurisdiction to do so and often with no intention of trying to find the owners. One reason often given is that these animals will be better off in a nice, new home with nice, new owners than being returned to their previous owners who no doubt abused and neglected them in all sorts of ways, evident because they were not spayed or neutered and/or were left behind when their owners evacuated.

I can't wait until I have the time to publish the stories of all the abusive and neglectful pet owners with whom I've gotten to know during the last 10 weeks...the man who watched his daughter's dog run after the bus when he was ordered to remove the dog from the bus; everyone who left a few days worth of food and water for their cats because they expected to be back home in a few days; the man who paddled around in a canoe with his dog for five days, rescuing five other dogs and turning those dogs over to animal rescue volunteers only to be forced out of his canoe and ordered on to a bus and separated from his golden retriever companion; people who stayed behind until the water got so high that they had to evacuate and most of the time were not allowed to bring their pets.

There are stories of pets saving their owners lives and pets saving the lives of other pets. I am in no way advocating the return of abused dogs to their owners, but if Blue Dog Rescue was in New Orleans 20 days after Katrina (according to their website) then it would not be possible to determine anything about the dogs' lives prior to Katrina based on the condition they were in then.

I could go on and on and someday, when our work is finished reuniting pets with their people, their stories will be told.

On 11/10/05, xxxxxxxxx@aol.com wrote:
I live in Austin and Blue Dog Rescue is a legitimate dog rescue group that does fantastic work. I am not sure that the dogs you identified on your blog are actual Katrina dogs that they have rescued. I would check my sources before posting such claims.They also rescue many other dogs in the Austin area. Matter of fact..if you are going to post ridiculous comments about thier stories on their site why don't you call them up and get all your facts straight before cutting down a great group.
Lynn
Austin, Texas



Dear Lynn,

Thanks for your note. I have no doubt that Blue Dog is a legitimate rescue group and does fantastic work. I'm also sure that the type of rescue done by Blue Dog, as well as 99.9999% of every other rescue group in the country, is the normal, every day sort of rescue that we used to think of when we thought of animal rescue prior to 8/31/05 - not disaster rescue for which not even the large organizations were prepared. The comments on my blog were taken directly from the Blue Dog website where these dogs are listed as being Katrina rescues, and yes, I was making fun of the sappy, mellow-dramatic accounts of these dogs lives before Katrina.

So, if the dogs from Blue Dog Rescue that I posted on my blog were not really rescued from Katrina, then the website shouldn't state that they were; and if they were, then please explain what the problem is.

I'll go one step further here. If the Blue Dog dogs were truly strays or abused, neglected or unwanted and they are now posted on my blog, then there is no problem. But if these dogs were rescued, whether from a house or from outside, or from the Winn Dixie group that you mentioned, then they may have owners searching for them. Which makes it a good thing that they are on my blog. I don't know what to do with your statement that Blue Dog rescues many other dogs from Austin so I won't comment on that.

I encourage Blue Dog Rescue, a group reported to do an outstanding job in Austin, TX, to post photos of all 15 dogs rescued from Katrina. In fact, if you send the pictures to me, I'd be happy to do all the Petfinder listings for you if you don't have time.

Thanks again for your note.

Note to pet owners reading this: it seems as if some of the dogs they took from New Orleans may have come from the Gentilly area.


Unbelievable Lost dog report on Petfinder

I had to leave this dog (one of 2 large dogs) on the balcony of my house with instructions to a neighbor to shoot him after I left because I could not evacuate by boat with him. However, I've been unable to confirm the act was carried out. Would love to reunite with the dog if he made it!

If you have any information about this dog named Judge, who was hopefully rescued from 425 Manasses Alley, between Tulane and Banks in New Orleans, it seems safe to say that he will not be reunited with his owner. He's an English Springer Spaniel /Saint Bernard Mix, black and white, 7 years old. The Lost report on Petfinder is PF39244.

11.09.2005

REUNION: Candy and Jason

Candy has been living in a warehouse in New Orleans East since Katrina. Seems she was carried off in the flood and washed into the warehouse where she was discovered (luckily) by Mike, an employee of a storage company there. Mike began leaving food out for her every night but wasn't able to get close enough to read the information on her tags. Over time, he gained her trust and on Monday was able to get the phone number on her rabies tag and actually play with her a bit. Mike contacted the clinic and someone there called Jason.

Jane Garrison responded immediately to the call to get Candy from the warehouse. But when she and her rescue team arrived, they found the warehouse surrounded by barbed wire, so they had to return the next morning (yesterday). They got her out of the warehouse and into a crate and took her to her vet's office where she was checked over and declared to be healthy. She was boarded overnight and today Caroline-volunteer extraordinaire- drove her from New Orleans to Dallas. Caroline actually drove from Shreveport to New Orleans then to Dallas and is now on her way back home to Shreveport.

Tonight Candy is at home in Dallas with Jason. Reunion pics will be posted soon.




11.03.2005

Are these black lab sisters yours?

These two beautiful girls are being fostered in Kingwood, TX
Contact is: drp2266@earthlink.net

11.02.2005

Blue Dog Rescue: Is your dog here?






Blue Dog Rescue out of Texas seems to be another “rescue” group that left New Orleans with animals that were not accounted for. Blue Dog Rescue does not appear on any list of groups or organizations that signed contracts to remove animals from Louisiana, yet their website claims that they rescued 15 dogs - apparently from the Winn Dixie shelter. Here are photos of some of them – if you recognize yours, contact them right away at 512- 689-6328 or info@bluedogrescue.com or lisa@bluedogrescue.com. Also let us know so that HSUS can look into it.


The descriptions of the Katrina dogs on their website are worthy of an Emmy Award for daytime drama...this one is the best:

August 25th, 2005. A thin, plain, black and tan dog roams the streets of New Orleans, scavenging for food to feed her nursing puppies. She is not alone. An estimated 40,000 strays scrape out a living in the city. Spay/neuter programs are almost non-existent. Dog fighting, though illegal, flourishes in many neighborhoods. Poverty is rampant; many people are not able to provide for themselves, let alone the animals. It is a difficult place for a dog on her own trying to feed her babies. As the hours pass, the rain starts and the wind picks up. She begins to become worried. Something is not right. She stays with her puppies patiently and waits for what is to come (did the person who wrote this actually drive into New Orleans as everyone else was evacuating on September 25th and if so, why didn't she take this dog with her?)

September 17th, 2005. A Blue Dog volunteer working at a makeshift New Orleans shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina notices a plain black and tan dog, just brought in from the streets, now waiting to be seen in Vet Services. She weighs 32 lbs and her bones seem about to burst through her skin. Her eyes swollen shut from irritation, she is covered in a crust of glue-like, oily black muck. The skin on her legs is ulcerated and raw from the chemicals she’s been swimming in. She’s recently had puppies, but they are nowhere to be found. Too weak to stand, she does not lift her head when people approach—she has gained nothing from them before, after all. She is started on fluids, bathed, wrapped in towels and loaded into the front seat of a truck bound for Austin.


REUNION: Clearview is Home

Clearview has been found and reunited with her family. Unbelievable joy and relief after so many false reports!!!

HUGE thanks to the people all over the country (as well as the woman in Australia) who have continued to look for her. Thanks for spreading the love. Keep it going....there are many more out there that need to get home.




UPDATE: Domino has been found!

Domino was found today. Turns out he wasn't rescued at all, but was being fed by a man in the neighborhood. The man eventually won Domino's trust and was able to get close enough to read Steve's cell phone number on the tag! This means hopefully that Vallie (the one in the Phantom of the Opera mask), Muddy (a black lab) and Bikini (yellow lab) are also somewhere in the neighborhood.

The four dogs were left with a dog sitter at 728 Marigny St
. Vallie is spayed, five years old and weighed around 50 lbs. She has to be the easiest dog to locate in New Orleans or anywhere.


10.30.2005

Attention Shelters: Please Scan ALL Animals For Microchips

...and if for some reason you forgot to do when the animals arrived, please do it now!!


Chelsea's happy ending almost didn't happen because she HAD a microchip that went un-detected at both Lamar Dixon and the Arizona Humane Society.

Her story will be posted here soon.