14 year old Katina dog shot with a 38 cal. and dumped at a shelter

This is Duchess, a 14 year old Sheltie mix who needs a loving home. Click on the above link to see her Petfinder page at the Pontchartrain Humane Society in Slidell, LA.



Below, Duchess after her mats and
dreadlocks were shaved off.

Bumping old post and new comment about Katrina dogs

Just because GOD is DOG spelled backwards...doesn't give you or anyone the right to play God.

The following is Dave Gourley's response (in red) to an email sent to him by a Stealth Volunteer. His email response to her was forwarded to many of us who were volunteering to reunite Katrina pets with their owners and I posted it on my blog on 1/26/06. Today, Dave posted a comment:

(I have no idea what he means by people in glass houses but I'll be posting a comment soon, when I have some time)

I have not been able to read the orginial (sic) thread -however regarding the dogs of Katrina -We were instrumental in helping with the rescue of over 100 Rotts from Lamar-Dixon, in Gonzales, La I managed to rescue 3 rotts and assisted with the rescue of one Bullmastiff...The American Rottweiler Club mobilized & got out over 100 dogs themselves.

I have never in the 30 + years of being in the dog world ever seen dogs of all breeds go thru the TRAUMA that these dogs have.

Personal opinion -

NO DOG SHOULD BE RE-UNITED WITH PAST FAMILY MEMEBERS!!! (sic)

Now this is a brash statement - why would I make it...these people left their dogs...dogs were left on the side of the road - in crates - covered with clothing or blankets in 100 + degree heat.

They were abandoned by their owners an (sic) put through tremendous fear of the unknown,rescued by strangers,given a fresh look at like (sic) through the eyes of fear.

If the people who are yelling at this dog are trying to make the dog forget - IT WILL NOT HAPPEN - they are only reinforcing the fear and growing mistrust that the dog is going through.

This dog needs to totally resocialized from the get go and that means a NEW FAMILY - foster care - whatever - but should not be returned to it's owners -

Of the dogs that I rescued - the foster/permamnet (sic) families - started from the begining (sic) -I understand that Rottweilers are not Poodles - I am beginning to beleive (sic) that Poodles maybe more intelligent - but they still have memories - Rotties are less likely to accept immediate change...they are more suspect, but they also realize and accept HONEST caring and sense that the people who are working to rehab these dogs in questions are real in their efforts.

Poodles are a hearty breed - but are they as hearty as rotts - I do not know - But what I do know is the dogs who were abandoned and had to fend for themselves - regardless of breed - they are still somewhat distrustfull (sic) of their new areas

Once a dog has been rescued and re-introduced to society they should NOT be re-traumitized (sic) - they should not be returned to those that abandoned them in the their time of need!

Dave Gourley
Sandragon Kennels
Home of 1 Bullmastiff,1 Standard Poodle,2
Rottweilers,1 Chinese Crested & 5 Border Terriers
dragonman19465@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Dave Gourley here - had no idea this blog existed -
Yes - at the time of Katrina - I represented Sandragon Kennels in Pa. Yes - we have been in the dog world for over 30 years. - I had been involved in Rottweiler Rescue
for over 12 years prior to Katrina - NO - we did not come to bring your dogs out and breed to them - After seeing the sheriff department officers shoot those dogs in the school, I canceled my appointments in my real job ( providing homecare for seniors) rented a van and headed for Lamar-Dixon -I understand that those people who were ordered to leave their dogs did so extremely reluntant (sic)- I have no complaint with them -

It is the people who left their dogs on the sides of the road - bitches in whelp - whole litters in vari crates - covered with clothing in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees - it is with people who LEFT their dogs tethered to their houses and left them...
It is these people that I was so upset with.

The 3 dogs that I managed to get out - One was adopted in Staten Island by a rescue group, who spent $35,000 to rehab this dog - the dog had 4 major surgeries on its eyes, it tested positive for heartworm, the dog was 33 pounds under weight, he was neutered and finally place in a loving home.

One dog was a rottweiler mix - went to a couple of Doctors (husband & wife) who spent a ton of money rehabing the dog - mediacal (sic) bills - animal behavorist (sic)- etc. the 3rd dog - we guessed her age at between 6 to 9 months - she was positive for heartworm, she had tapeworms and a host of other parasites in her body, she was a mess. My wife n I kept her with our family for 7 months - getting her healthy - socializing her - and eventually found a retired nurse who fell in love with her to adopt her.

The Bullmastiff went to Bullmastiff rescue and was properly cared for and placed.

The poodles that Carolina Rescue took out were all properly cared for and placed in loving homes...

We are not bad people - we are dog people - we are horse people and yes I have been in your shoes - more times than I wish to speak of...

People who live in GLASS houses should not throw stones

Court returns Katrina dog to New Orleans owner

By Eric Dexheimer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, June 21, 2008

A cocker spaniel rescued during Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts and adopted by an Austin woman must be returned to a New Orleans woman who says the dog is hers, according to a ruling Friday by the state 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin. The ruling appears to end a bitter fight over the watermelon-sized pet that has been waged by a half-dozen attorneys, taken more than two years to resolve and rung up an estimated $100,000 in legal costs.

Tiffany Madura adopted the black dog and named it Hope in fall 2005. A rescue worker had plucked it from a shelter outside New Orleans in the chaotic days after the hurricane.

Shalanda Augillard contacted Madura several months later after she saw pictures of the dog on an animal rescue Web site. Augillard's then-8-year-old black cocker spanielnamed Jazz had disappeared after the storm.

But Madura maintained that the dog wasn't Augillard's and refused to let her see it. Augillard filed a lawsuit in state District Court in Hays County in May 2006 saying that the dog belonged with her. In July 2007, Judge Bill Henry awarded the dog to Madura.

Friday's ruling reversed that decision. Written by Justice Diane Henson, the opinion found that Henry improperly ignored a DNA comparison of skin flakes taken from Hope and a sample from an old brush that Augillard had used on Jazz. The test indicated that Hope and Jazz were the same dog.

During the trial, Madura suggested that Augillard's brush sample had been secretly taken from Hope. Henry determined that Augillard's witnesses were not credible and disregarded the DNA evidence.

Friday's reversal "absolutely turned on the DNA evidence," said D. Todd Smith, Augillard's appeal attorney. "It's pretty hard to refute scientific evidence like this."

Augillard could not be reached for comment, but according to one of her lawyers, she was eager to be reunited with the dog. "It's been a long time," attorney Susan Philips said.

Madura also could not be reached for comment.

"I'm devastated," said her attorney, Michael Murray. "I can't believe this has happened. This is a travesty."

While Smith said he was paid for his work, both Murray and Philips said they donated most of their legal services, which they estimated would have cost $100,000. Philips said donations from pet advocacy organizations covered some of the costs.

Murray said he was unlikely to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. If he doesn't, the dog, now almost 12, could be returned to New Orleans in a matter of weeks.

As many as 10,000 pets were rescued from New Orleans in the weeks after the 2005 hurricane and subsequent flooding. Many were returned without incident after the owners were found, but several dozen of the rescues resulted in court disputes. The Hope/Jazz case was one of very few instances nationally, if not the only one, in which a disputed pet that had been rescued after Katrina was not returned to a New Orleans claimant.

The Hope/Jazz dispute has been similar to other cases. In lawsuits, adoptive owners have claimed that they were reluctant to return the animals they rescued because the pets had been poorly cared for. Because the original owners were largely inner-city African Americans and the majority of rescuers were white suburbanites, some animals rights advocates say the cases have exposed a cultural divide.

While Augillard, who is black, insisted that her dog was in good health before Katrina, Hope/Jazz had a skin condition and large bladder stones when she was adopted by Madura, who is white. In court, Augillard contended that the dog's condition resulted from wandering around in the flooded city before being rescued.

In her ruling, Henson went out of her way to acknowledge people's passions when it comes to their pets, which by law are considered property.

"Given the parties' considerable expenditure in this case, it goes without saying that Jazz's significance as a cherished member of Augillard's family — as well as her importance to her caretakers of almost three years, Tiffany Madura and [her companion] Richard Toro — far exceeds her market value," she wrote. "We recognize that there are important non-economic interests at stake in this case."

edexheimer@statesman.com; 445-1774

Katrina dog gets reunited yesterday !!

Thank you Sue G. (i.e. Spiritsmom) and Susan F. (Stealth Volunteer) for your dedication to reuniting Katrina dogs with their families; and continued thanks to Sue G. for all the time and work you've devoted to maintaining your Flickr site.

Sue G. first posted Gracie on her site in 2006 with this Petfinder page, hoping that her owner might see her.

Fast forward two years when Sue then found this on Craigslist - Gracie was returned to the same shelter when the man who had adopted her was killed in Iraq.

Susan F. then worked hard to track down Gracie's original family who were located in New Orleans and Kentucky. When they saw the photo of their dog that Susan emailed them, they drove to the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society, Inc. to reclaim their beloved family pet.

Click on the title link to read the full story and see photos and video of the reunion.

It is no surprise that the word "Grace" translates to: thanks, fortune, luck; the exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another.

Thank you Sue and Susan!!
Thank you Fayetteville Animal Protection Society.
Thank you to the family of the serviceman who returned Gracie to the shelter - I am so very sorry for your incomprehensible loss, and so grateful that in the midst of your grief, to think about his dog and make sure she was returned to the shelter. I hope that this reunion gives you a feeling of peace knowing that your small act of kindness helped to heal a family.

Simba has been REUNITED !!!

It's been over two years since Ben, Dionne, Nicholas and Jordan saw their dog Simba. On December 22 they drove from their temporary home in Virginia (where they've been living and working while awaiting their return to New Orleans) to the shelter in NJ where they were reunited with Simba.

Another pet martyr...oops, I mean pet lover

“I’m just trying to find good families for some very wonderful animals"

Robyn Urman has been a pet lover all her life! In fact she is so enamored with the furry creatures that she spends much of her time rescuing those in need.

She started a pet rescue organization eight years ago called Pet Resq Inc. Hours after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, she was on her way to rescue the homeless pets of New Orleans, one of whom was adopted by a Rye Neck teacher.

Ms. Urman has been working with pets for 20 years. She went down to the Gulf Coast three times to rescue pets that were lost in Hurricane Katrina. In all, she rescued 58 animals and within a few days 38 of those pets found foster homes. Ms. Urman picked up dogs, cats, roosters,and parrots. “I’m just trying to find good families for some very wonderful animals,” she said.

In addition to finding small animals, Ms.Urman fed and watered dozens of horses and found new boarding places for them while in New Orleans. Ms. Urman is clearly someone who believes in doing good in the world. “Every little bit helps,” she explained, “even if it’s not for animals.”

Ms. Urman has seven of her own pets, three dogs and four cats. Her oldest dog is named “Pebbles” and is 10 years old. Her oldest cat, Wookie, is 15. Ms. Urman doesn’t have a favorite pet, she loves all her pets equally, she said.

Ms. Mara Cohen, a Rye Neck School District language teacher who teaches French, Spanish, and Italian at Bellows, adopted a Katrina pet recently, a five year old dog. “He was found under a house in the 9th Ward of New Orleans on September 19, three weeks after the hurricane struck,” Ms. Cohen said. “It is quite a miracle that he is still alive.”

Ms. Cohen was looking for a new pet when she heard about the dozens of homeless animals in the south following Hurricane Katrina. “My sister told me about a group of dogs that had been rescued and brought to her town,” Ms. Cohen said. She contacted Ms. Urman’s organization after that conversation.

Pet Resq Inc. continues to look for places for animals. If you want to adopt a pet or give a generous donation to the organization, visit the website www.petresqinc.petfinders.org. These furry creatures are just waiting to be adopted and loved.


PetResQ Inc.
24 W. Railroad Avenue, Suite 172
Tenafly NJ 07670
Email

Why does this dog look so sad? Maybe because he misses his real owners who had to evacuate to a shelter and believed they would be back home in 2 days. He was found in the 9th Ward in case he looks familiar to anyone.

The male Cairn Terrier below is available for adoption - anyone recognize him?

Just because God is Dog spelled backwards....

This post and comment have been bumped to 7-14-08