One of the tragic realities of the past seven months is that while the work of coordinating animal rescue, delivery of food and other supplies to shelters and staging areas, and tracking down the rescued animals was being done by a small army of us working from our computers, the people who evacuated without their pets - the people that all this effort has been for - often did not have internet access for many weeks or months.
Many were in shelters for a long time, or with family who did not have a computer.
In the 2002 State New Economy Index, Louisiana ranked #49 and Mississippli ranked #50 in percentage of internet users. Even though the report is based on data from a few years pre-Katrina, and more households had internet access by last summer, that was also true in all the other states, so the overall ranking is probably the same.
This is important information - the two states that were devestated by Katrina have the lowest percentage of people who have and use computers. So when these people finally landed on dry ground and began to deal with the myriad of problems and issues, they did not necessarily run to the nearest computer to look for their pets. Many of them didn't even know that their pet was on the internet (it has never been a requirement of pet ownership to also own a computer).
Therefore, deciding not to return someone's pet because it had heartworms or was not spayed or neutered or because its fur was matted is nothing more than one person's MORALITY. It is not the law. The law is and will be on the side of the pet's legal owner; the person who was forced to evacuate without it.
So, a word of advise/warning to those still refusing to return pets to their rightful owners in New Orleans: several more lawsuits are being filed. The Chopper case in NJ was just the beginning, but a good precedent. If you are one of the many fosters, rescuers or shelters that has been asked to return a pet and you have refused, you may be the next to be sued. Or the one after that. And not only will you be ordered to return the pet (the judge will not care about heartworms or reproductive apparatus) but you will also be required to pay all legal fees and court costs. If you are a small rescue group, this will likely do you in. If you're an individual - one of those who decided to take home a 4-legged Katrina souvenir, court papers will be served at your place of employment. The lawsuit will result in as much local media coverage as possible. In the long run, it will be best for you to make arrangements to get the pet returned and go find yourself another kitty or dog. Preferably one that actually needs a new home.
4.07.2006
Man faces eviction for owning a pitbull
By J.L. MILLER
The News Journal
04/07/2006
Walter Ryan, a
But the Michigan-based company that owns
Ryan, 56, lives in the Little Heaven park with his wife, Paula, and his sister Maryann. Both Walter Ryan and his sister are disabled. Paula Ryan helps care for them both.
Sun Communities Inc., which owns the park and rents the lots to homeowners, claims Dottie, one of the family's two dogs, violates the park's prohibition on "noisy, unruly or dangerous pets." Late last month the company told the Ryans to move.
A story in The News Journal on the Ryans' plight caught the attention of Neilson C. Himelein, an attorney with the Community Legal Aid Society in
Himelein declined to comment Wednesday, saying he did not want "to litigate this in the newspaper."
However, the legal aid society's Web page lists Himelein as the organization's counsel for fair housing, suggesting Ryan could mount a legal defense based on his disability and that of his sister.
Federal law requires that landlords make "reasonable accommodation" for people with disabilities, and companion animals can be covered by that clause.
In addition, Delaware Humane Association official Mary Ann D'Amato said Thursday that she has been in touch with Himelein and that she has "offered to either mediate or speak on the issue of animal-assisted therapy involving both Walter and his sister."
The Ryans moved in seven years ago after the manager OK'd Dottie's presence, and they have lived there since. But on Jan. 31, the park's owner sent Ryan a "notice of rule violation" and followed up with a letter last month notifying him his lease was being terminated immediately.
The notice labeled Dottie a pit bull, which is one of several breeds of dogs prohibited by Ryan's lease.
Ryan countered with a statement from his veterinarian that 10-year-old Dottie is not vicious, and that it is impossible to determine how much pit bull blood the mixed-breed dog may have.
Sun Communities initially did not return calls from The News Journal. After the article appeared, the company said it would answer written questions submitted by fax.
In its faxed response, which came a week after the company received the questions, Sun Communities official Kevin Bennett said the company took the action after "a complaint was received from a neighbor of Mr. Ryan regarding an aggressive incident involving the dog."
Ryan said he suspects that refers to an incident in which Dottie barked at a neighbor's black Labrador retriever.
"A neighbor just passed by with the dog, and that was it," Ryan said.
At one point, the company's faxed statement says Dottie's breed is "irrelevant. ... The noted behavior is the important issue at hand and a court should decide if the dog poses a threat and decide its fate."
But in an answer to another question, Bennett wrote: "The reason we acted was the identification of the breed and the behavior it displayed."
Breed-specific measures such as the clause in the Sun lease have been rejected as unfair to owners and the animals by
State law leaves landlords free to put breed-specific bans in leases.
Ryan said he has heard nothing from the company since he received the notice that his lease was terminated.
"They don't call me. They haven't bothered me," Ryan said.
$1000 Reward for Safe Return of Snoop
This photo was taken two years ago when he had just been clipped downHe was taken from his yard at
7634 Mercier St
on or around December 5th
Snoop survived 5 weeks after Hurricane Katrina. When his owners returned they were overjoyed to find him waiting for them at his flooded house. On December 5th, Mr. L was at the house, gutting and cleaning. He left Snoop in the backyard for 20 minutes to go to Home Depot. When he returned Snoop was gone. He was picked up by someone in a white van.
Email noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com with any info.
Copies of this poster are available by request in MicrosoftWord or Adobe PDF
4.06.2006
Video of Mike Minton shooting dogs in SBP
This video shows Sheriff Mike Minton admitting to shooting dogs. It's not as graphic as many of the photographs taken inside the schools but is disturbing psychologically and emotionally.
Noah's Wish Receives Shelter of the Year Award
(New York, NY) February 13, 2006
Noah’s Wish was the proud recipient of the Lambert Kay and Arm and Hammer 2005 Shelter of the Year Award at Dogs in Review 51ST Annual Show Dogs of the Year Awards, presented by Nature’s Recipe. Terri Crisp, Founder and President of Noah’s Wish, accepted the award on behalf of the organization at the gala event held at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel on February 11, 2006. Dogs In Review’s Show Dogs of the Year Awards attendees included owners, breeders, handlers, judges, media and representatives of the American Kennel Club and numerous VIPs of the fancy.
For more than 50 years, the Show Dogs of the Year Awards have paid tribute to the finest competitors in the sport of purebred dogs. Along with the Annual Show Dogs of the Year Awards, special presentations were made to Special Industry Awards winners, honoring those individuals whose dedication to their craft is incomparable. These individuals were honored for heightening public awareness of canine well-being and to elevating respect for the industry at large. Awards include Groomer of the Year, Veterinarian of the Year, Trainer of the Year and Shelter of the Year.
The prestigious sponsors of the Shelter of the Year Award, Lambert Kay and Arm & Hammer, have provided quality pet products for more than 50 years. The sponsors reviewed several nominations for this year’s award and selected Noah’s Wish for its outstanding efforts to rescue animals in disasters. “Noah’s Wish’s exemplary work during Hurricane Katrina made them stand out from the rest of the shelter candidates this year as they rescued and cared for almost 2,000 animals in a temporary shelter in Slidell, LA and worked to reunite pets with their owners or find them loving new homes,” said Arm & Hammer representative Scott Harmon.
“I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the hundreds of volunteers who worked tirelessly to rescue and care for the animals we saved in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,” said Terri Crisp. “And I hope that the one lesson learned from this terrible tragedy is the importance of having a disaster plan.”
For more information, visit www.showdogawards.com, and for year-round news and information, read the current issue of Dogs In Review magazine.
4.03.2006
Recognize these adopted dogs?
Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in Texas has adopted out these Katrina dogs.
ya gotta love the moving caption on their website:
Please come adopt them so we can rescue more.
And if you don't remember seeing any of them listed on Petfinder, guess what?
They weren't!
ya gotta love the moving caption on their website:
Please come adopt them so we can rescue more.
And if you don't remember seeing any of them listed on Petfinder, guess what?
They weren't!
4.01.2006
The Dogs Who Found Me by Ken Foster
From Times Picayune Book Editor Susan Larson:
It's a bright, sunny morning in Bywater, and Ken Foster is taking his dog Sula for a walk. The two of them come bounding up Piety Street, back from Markey Park, and before you can voice any reservation you've ever had about pit bulls, Sula has dispelled them all with her sloppy wet kisses.
Foster's other dogs, Zephyr and Brando, are waiting inside the house. "Two is a good number. Three is trouble," Foster says. But Sula is the cover girl today, as she is for Foster's new book, "The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind" (Lyons Press, $12.95).
It's a bright, sunny morning in Bywater, and Ken Foster is taking his dog Sula for a walk. The two of them come bounding up Piety Street, back from Markey Park, and before you can voice any reservation you've ever had about pit bulls, Sula has dispelled them all with her sloppy wet kisses.
Foster's other dogs, Zephyr and Brando, are waiting inside the house. "Two is a good number. Three is trouble," Foster says. But Sula is the cover girl today, as she is for Foster's new book, "The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind" (Lyons Press, $12.95).
It's a memoir that will appeal to dog lovers, for sure, but it's also a human story of considerable dimensions, framed by the national tragedies of Sept. 11 (Foster was living in New York then, playing in a park with his dog when the first plane went overhead) and Hurricane Katrina (he had moved to New Orleans to teach at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, a job now gone with the wind).
Along the way, he lost two close friends, writers Lucy Grealey (to suicide) and Amanda Davis (who died in a plane crash); suffered heart failure (remedied by the installation of a pacemaker); and kept up his work of rescuing dogs, especially pit bulls.
In his introduction to an earlier book, "The KGB Bar Reader," Foster wrote: "There may be just one universal story: Someone loses something."
Despite its title, loss is everywhere in "The Dogs Who Found Me." Yet Foster himself has a light heart; he laughs easily and often as he shows off photographer Cami Johnson's portraits of his dogs and describes her use of a feather to focus a dog's attention.
"It wasn't something that occurred to me until I was done with it -- that the book was about loss and moving forward in some way," Foster said. "I don't know if I would rescue dogs or what I would have done in the hurricane if I hadn't experienced the periphery of Sept. 11. Once something that huge happens in your neighborhood, essentially, it totally changes you."
Now, more than ever, Foster is committed to his adopted home, and his adopted dogs.
"When things happen, you can be the person who does nothing, who retreats, or you can be the person who takes some kind of action," he said. "Once you have enough things happen in your life, you have to become that person. After the storm I was at a community meeting, and there were a lot of people who had lost everything, but the angriest, loudest people were complaining about the fact that their cable wasn't working. Cable! Probably nothing bad had happened to those people before then."
Foster grew up in Pennsylvania, studied writing in Boston, Portland, Ore., and New York (where he took a class taught by Nancy Lemann), and generally lived the life of a student and barista (his stints of residence in New Orleans include working at PJ's, then in the Garden District, 12 years ago). When he was at Columbia University, he founded the popular KGB Bar reading series at an East Village watering hole, which resulted in the anthology "The KGB Bar Reader." He is also the editor of the anthology "Dog Culture: Writers on the Character of Canines," and the author of a collection of short stories, "The Kind I'm Likely to Get."
All along, he was moving toward New Orleans, steadily.
"Even my dogs have an appreciation of this city," he said. "Life goes on outside your door, not inside of it. One of the first things I noticed living and visiting here is that nobody is exclusively what they do. You walk by houses where lawyers live and hear them practicing their musical instruments. Especially after living in New York where people are only what they do and you only know people who do what you do, and you only talk about what you do with other people who have done it. When I first moved there and wanted to learn to be a writer that was great. Then I could find writers, hear their work, and learn how to be a writer. But now. . ."
Now, he is getting ready to go on tour for "The Dogs Who Found Me," hoping to raise funds for the SPCA, and working on his contribution to a new book, "Intersections," which will feature the work of 24 New Orleans writers and artists, all the while teaching an online writing course and freelancing.
And volunteering at the SPCA.
"I don't have the fear response to the idea of pit bulls," he said. "Really, I'm just one of many volunteers, but I keep an eye out for pit bulls. That's the thing I can do and would like to do. Cute fluffy, happy lap dogs get all the attention."
But Ethel, a pit bull mix with a German-shepherd colored coat, "so laid back and so sweet," and Mikey, an enormous pit bull Staffordshire terrier, get Foster's attention.
In "The Dogs Who Found Me," Foster writes with passion and self-deprecating wit about the dogs he's rescued, recounts with sadness one haunting failure, and realizes his own vulnerability. There are chapters about no-kill shelters, bits of advice on how to approach a dog, one chiding list of things dog owners all too often do -- titled "How to Lose Your Best Friend" -- lists of resources, a meditation on "the folk art of lost pet fliers," reminders of the need to plan for pet evacuations. But above all, this is a story of the ways in which animal and human love and loyalty strengthen and sustain us -- and how love requires our best efforts and hard work to succeed and endure over the long haul.
"One of the reasons we rescue things," Foster writes, "is to feel a sense of control that we may not really have in our own lives. If we can save something, maybe then we can do anything. Or maybe saving that one thing really is all we can do, but we will have done it absolutely."
An excerpt from 'The Dogs Who Found Me':
This is what I left with: three dog crates, three dogs, a bag of dog food, a single change of clothes, two bottles of wine. I didn't want to take too much, since it would only be a day or two that I was gone.
This is what I left behind: dog bowls, all of my photographs, all of my books, my iPod, my hard drive, my DVD collection, my pacemaker monitor, my health insurance cards, my bank cards, my checkbook, my clothes, drafts of stories, notebooks, packaged food that I would later want when I was hungry, bottled water, my address, my job, my students, my neighbors, my friends. Almost everything.
You think about whether you'll ever see your things again. You think about whether you'll ever go home. You think about the people you knew but didn't know, like Grong Grong and his family, their baby, and the stray dog we found that they were going to take home.
I had friends. I had people willing to make room for me and my dogs. I had more help than I knew what to do with, partly because it is hard to know what help you need when you don't even know where to begin. "I don't know if I need anything," I said when people offered to help. I didn't know how homeless I was. I didn't know what would help. I knew that there were plenty of other people and animals who needed more than we did. My friend Leslie Pietryk told me in an e-mail: After my husband died, all these people kept wanting to do nice things for me and it was confusing and I couldn't quite trust them or know why they were acting that way. Made me feel odd. Eventually, I decided that they were mostly doing things to make themselves feel better . . . so I let them, which is harder than it sounds.
The dogs knew this already.
-- From Ken Foster's 'The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind'
Pet Evacuation Bill (Senate Bill 607) Extremely Important
SENATE BILL NO. 607 BY SENATOR FONTENOT
http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=375498
Bill Maps a Pet Evacuation Route
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pets26mar26,1,7592180.story
EVERYONE:
You may email ALL LOUISIANA STATE SENATORS by copying the email block below into the Bcc (blind copy) line of your email. Enter your own email address in the To line and hit Send.
ACTIVISTS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES:
To ensure your comments are not blocked, please send your email to someone in the U.S.A. to forward on your behalf.
LOUISIANA RESIDENTS:
In addition to writing and CALLING all Louisiana Senators, please ask your elected Senators who represent the district you live in to support SB 607, The Pet Evacuation Bill.
TO SEND LETTERS BY FAX OR POSTAL MAIL:
Please see complete contact information for every LA State Senator, following sample letter.
==============================================================
SAMPLE LETTER & EMAIL BLOCK
*Personalizing your comments adds impact
FULL CONTACT INFO (street addresses, fax/phone) follows sample letter
==============================================================
Dear Senator,
In a single week last September, rescuers airlifted thousands of New Orleans residents stranded in flooded homes. Among them, Denise Okojo clung to her Labrador retriever in the shadows of their swamped apartment. When a rescue team arrived, Okojo was ordered to leave Molly, her seeing-eye service dog, behind. The blind woman said goodbye to her "eyes" and sole companion.
Laura K. Maloney, executive director of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, claims animal protection volunteers recovered about 16,000 animals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Most ended up in shelters around the U.S. Only 3,000 were reunited with their guardians. Okojo was one of the fortunate evacuees. At Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, she relayed her story to a kindhearted nurse who alerted ASPCA disaster relief workers. After smashing through a window, a rescue squad found Molly trembling in an upstairs bedroom.
A disaster preparedness plan without provisions for animals is a bad plan. In America, animals live in over half of all households. Cats inhabit 3 of every 10 homes, according to Humane Society of the U.S. figures. In New Orleans alone, 50,000 to 70,000 dogs were pre-Katrina family members.
Yet Louisiana disaster victims were forced to choose between survival and their pets. Unforgivable images are etched into our nation's conscience: A white dog is ripped from a boy's arms as he boards a bus. A bewildered yellow Lab watches his family disappear in a helicopter. An elderly woman cannot receive medical care unless she deserts her cats. A man swims and walks for miles with his dog, only to learn he must abandon his loyal friend.
An emergency plan with no animal component is out of touch with constituents. In fact, Katrina "stragglers" cited pets as the foremost reason for staying in flooded areas. The human death toll might have been lower if a strategy to accommodate animals had been in place.
You have the opportunity to ensure this never happens again. I respectfully ask for your full support of Senator Fontenot's Senate Bill No. 607 (SB-607) Pet Evacuation Bill. SB-607 requires state and parish homeland security and emergency preparedness agencies "to consult with experts in the fields of animal sheltering, veterinary medicine, public health and safety, and other professional and technical personnel deemed appropriate to formulate emergency operation plans for the humane evacuation, transport, and temporary sheltering of service animals and household pets in times of emergency or disaster."
"I felt we were derelict in our duties to the citizens of Louisiana, because we didn't make arrangements for pets," Senator Fontenot told reporters. "I don't think we recognize that pet-human bond that was there, and a lot of people refused to evacuate because they weren't going to leave their pets behind."
Long after the last humans had evacuated, thousands of emaciated and dehydrated pets roamed empty New Orleans parishes. Seven months beyond the storm, animal advocates continue to rescue and rehabilitate displaced pets. Please stand behind SB-607, which instructs government to consult with animal welfare organizations to fully implement protocols on rescue/shelter of animals during a disaster. I am counting on you to cosponsor the critical Pet Evacuation Bill.
Thank you,
===========================================
COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION
http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Senators/Default.asp
===========================================
CENTRAL FAX NUMBER, when the Legislature is in session. Faxes are placed directly into each senator's mailbox: 225-342-0617
CENTRAL PHONE NUMBER, when the Legislature is in session: 225-342-2040
LOUSIANA STATE SENATE MEMBERS
Senator Robert Adley
611 Jessie Jones Drive; Benton, LA 71006
ph: 225-342-2040, 318-965-1755; fax: 318-965-1757
email: adleyr@legis.state.la.us
Senator "Jody" Amedee
2109 S. Burnside Ave., Suite A; Gonzales, LA 70737
ph: 225-644-1526; fax: 225-644-7392
email: amedeej@legis.state.la.us
Senator Diana E. Bajoie
Post Office Box 15168; New Orleans, LA 70175
ph: 225-342-0752, 504-568-7760; fax: 504-896-1301
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Robert J. Barham
Post Office Box 249; Oak Ridge, LA 71264
ph: 225-342-2040, 318-244-5582; fax: 318-244-5015
email: barhamr@legis.state.la.us
Senator Walter J. Boasso
100 Intermodal Drive; Chalmette, LA 70043
ph: 225-342-2040, 504-270-9258; fax: 504-277-0113
email: boassow@legis.state.la.us
Senator Sharon Weston Broome
P. O. Box 52783; Baton Rouge, LA 70892
ph: 225-359-9352; fax: 225-359-9353
email: lasen15@legis.state.la.us
Senator James David Cain
Post Office Box 640; Dry Creek, LA 70637
ph: 225-342-2040, 337-328-7266; fax: 337-491-2027
email: cainj@legis.state.la.us
Senator Joel T. Chaisson
P.O. Box 1255; Destrehan, LA 70047
ph: 225-342-2040, 985-764-9911; fax: 985-764-9686
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Sherri Smith Cheek
9973 Mansfield Road; Keithville, LA 71047
ph: 318-687-4820; fax: 318-687-4077
email: smithcheek@legis.state.la.us
Senator Donald R. "Don" Cravins
Vice Chairman, Judiciary B Committee
200 West Pine Street; Lafayette, LA 70501
ph: 225-342-2114, 337-234-9695; fax: 337-234-7019
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Jay Dardenne, Judiciary B Committee Member
Post Office Box 94183; Baton Rouge, LA 70804
ph: 225-342-9788; fax: 225-383-3733
email: dardennej@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ann Duplessis
6600 Plaza Drive, Suite 211A; New Orleans, LA 70127
ph: 504-243-7795; fax: 504-246-7689
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Reggie P. Dupre
P. O. Box 3893; Houma, LA 70361-2016
ph: 985-876-9902; fax: 985-873-2016
email: lasen20@legis.state.la.us
Senator Noble E. Ellington, Judiciary B Committee Member
4272 Front Street; Winnsboro, LA 71295
ph: 318-435-7313; fax: 318-435-9885
email: ellingtn@legis.state.la.us
Senator Cleo Fields
Post Office Box 94183; Baton Rouge, LA 70804
ph: 225-342-9793; fax: 225-219-4354
email: fieldsc@legis.state.la.us
Senator Heulette "Clo" Fontenot
Author of SB 607, Pet Evacuation Bill
P.O. Box 1238; Livingston, LA 70754
ph: 225-686-0108; fax: 225-686-2161
email: fontenoc@legis.state.la.us
Senator "Nick" Gautreaux
209 E. St. Victor Street; Abbeville, LA 70510
ph: 337-740-NICK (6425), 1-866-740-NICK (6425)
fax: 337-740-6400; email: gautreauxn@legis.state.la.us
Senator D. A. "Butch" Gautreaux
1103 Eighth Street; Morgan City, LA 70380
ph: 800-562-3204; fax: 985-380-2447
email: lasen21@legis.state.la.us
Senator Francis C. Heitmeier
3709 General DeGaulle; New Orleans, LA 70114
ph: 504-361-6014; fax: 504-361-9794
email: heitmeierf@legis.state.la.us
Senator Donald E. Hines
Post Office Box 262; Bunkie, LA 71322
ph: 318-346-4619; fax: 318-346-2301
email: hinesd@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ken Hollis, Judiciary B Committee Member
2800 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Suite 365; Metairie, LA 70002
ph: 225-342-8325, 504-828-9300; fax: 504-828-9355
email: hollisk@legis.state.la.us
Senator Lydia P. Jackson
610 Texas Street, Suite 201; Shreveport, LA 71101
ph: 318-676-7029; fax: 318-676-7034
email: jacksonl@legis.state.la.us
Senator Charles D. "C.D." Jones, Judiciary B Committee Member
141 Desiard Street, Suite 315; Monroe, LA 71201
ph: 225-342-2366, 318-362-5469;
fax: 318-325-2647; email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Robert W. "Bob" Kostelka
Post Office Box 2122; Monroe, LA 71207
ph: 800-508-5572; fax: 318-329-9150
email: kostelka@legis.state.la.us
Senator Arthur J. "Art" Lentini
6620 Riverside Drive, Suite 312; Metairie, LA 70003
ph: 504-780-8700; fax: 504-465-3463
email: lentini@legis.state.la.us
Senator Max T. Malone
610 Marshall Street, Suite 722; Shreveport, LA 71101
ph: 318-676-5733; fax: 318-676-5734
email: malonem@legis.state.la.us
Senator Robert "Rob" Marionneaux
Chairman, Judiciary B Committee
P.O. Box 577; Livonia, LA 70755-0577
ph: 225-637-3623; fax: 225-637-3124
email: lasen17@legis.state.la.us
Senator Joe McPherson
880 Robinson Bridge Road; Woodworth, LA 71485
ph: 318-484-2211; fax: 318-445-2872
email: lasen29@legis.state.la.us
Senator Michael J. "Mike" Michot
P.O. Box 80372; Lafayette, LA 70598
ph: 337-262-1332; fax: 337-237-1185
email: lasen23@legis.state.la.us
Senator Willie L. Mount
P.O. Box 3004; Lake Charles, LA 70602
ph: 337-491-2016; fax: 337-433-8080
email: lasen27@legis.state.la.us
Senator Edwin R. Murray
1540 N. Broad St.; New Orleans, LA 70119
ph: 504-945-0042; fax: 504-942-5968
email: murraye@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ben Nevers
724 Avenue F; Bogalusa, LA 70427
ph: 985-732-6863, 1-800-881-2749; fax: 985-732-6860
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Julie Quinn
3330 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 438; Metairie, LA 70002
ph: 504-219-4640; fax: 504-219-4639
email: quinnj@legis.state.la.us
Senator Craig F. Romero
300 Iberia Street, Suite B-150; New Iberia, LA 70560
ph: 337-364-8006; fax: 337-364-7355
email: romeroc@legis.state.la.us
Senator John T. "Tom" Schedler
3840 Highway 22, Suite 200; Mandeville, LA 70471
ph: 225-342-2040, 985-727-7949, 1-800-836-9581
fax: 985-727-9904; email: schedlet@legis.state.la.us
Senator Derrick Shepherd
2009 Ames Boulevard; Marrero, LA 70072
ph: 504-371-0263; fax: 504-371-0265
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Kenneth M. "Mike" Smith
Post Office Box 1381; Winnfield, LA 71483
ph: 225-342-0637, 318-628-3075; fax: 318-628-5286
email: smithmi@legis.state.la.us
Senator Gerald J. Theunissen
Post Office Box 287; Jennings, LA 70546
ph: 337-824-0376; fax: 337-824-4780
email: theunisg@legis.state.la.us
Senator J. Chris Ullo
2150 Westbank Expressway, Suite 705; Harvey, LA 70058
ph: 504-361-6690; fax: 504-361-6691
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Here are the members of the committe the bill has been assigned to. These members definitely have to be bombarded with calls to get it passed through committee.
Louisiana Judiciary B Committee
Committee Members:
Senator Robert "Rob" Marionneaux, Jr. (Chairman)
P.O. Box 577
Livonia, LA 70755-0577
(225) 637-3623
lasen17@legis.state.la.us
Senator Donald R. "Don" Cravins (Vice-Chairman)
200 West Pine Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
(337) 234-9695
websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Jay Dardenne
Post Office Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
(225) 342-9788
dardennej@legis.state.la.us
Senator Noble E. Ellington
4272 Front Street
Winnsboro, LA 71295
(318) 435-7313
ellingtn@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ken Hollis
2800 Veterans Memorial Boulevard
Suite 365
Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 828-9300
hollisk@legis.state.la.us
Senator Charles D. "C.D." Jones
141 Desiard Street
Suite 315
Monroe, LA 71201
(318) 362-5469
websen@legis.state.la.us
http://www.legis.state.la.us
Bill Maps a Pet Evacuation Route
http://www.latimes.com/news
EVERYONE:
You may email ALL LOUISIANA STATE SENATORS by copying the email block below into the Bcc (blind copy) line of your email. Enter your own email address in the To line and hit Send.
ACTIVISTS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES:
To ensure your comments are not blocked, please send your email to someone in the U.S.A. to forward on your behalf.
LOUISIANA RESIDENTS:
In addition to writing and CALLING all Louisiana Senators, please ask your elected Senators who represent the district you live in to support SB 607, The Pet Evacuation Bill.
TO SEND LETTERS BY FAX OR POSTAL MAIL:
Please see complete contact information for every LA State Senator, following sample letter.
==============================
SAMPLE LETTER & EMAIL BLOCK
FULL CONTACT INFO (street addresses, fax/phone) follows sample letter
==============================
Dear Senator,
In a single week last September, rescuers airlifted thousands of New Orleans residents stranded in flooded homes. Among them, Denise Okojo clung to her Labrador retriever in the shadows of their swamped apartment. When a rescue team arrived, Okojo was ordered to leave Molly, her seeing-eye service dog, behind. The blind woman said goodbye to her "eyes" and sole companion.
Laura K. Maloney, executive director of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, claims animal protection volunteers recovered about 16,000 animals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Most ended up in shelters around the U.S. Only 3,000 were reunited with their guardians. Okojo was one of the fortunate evacuees. At Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, she relayed her story to a kindhearted nurse who alerted ASPCA disaster relief workers. After smashing through a window, a rescue squad found Molly trembling in an upstairs bedroom.
A disaster preparedness plan without provisions for animals is a bad plan. In America, animals live in over half of all households. Cats inhabit 3 of every 10 homes, according to Humane Society of the U.S. figures. In New Orleans alone, 50,000 to 70,000 dogs were pre-Katrina family members.
Yet Louisiana disaster victims were forced to choose between survival and their pets. Unforgivable images are etched into our nation's conscience: A white dog is ripped from a boy's arms as he boards a bus. A bewildered yellow Lab watches his family disappear in a helicopter. An elderly woman cannot receive medical care unless she deserts her cats. A man swims and walks for miles with his dog, only to learn he must abandon his loyal friend.
An emergency plan with no animal component is out of touch with constituents. In fact, Katrina "stragglers" cited pets as the foremost reason for staying in flooded areas. The human death toll might have been lower if a strategy to accommodate animals had been in place.
You have the opportunity to ensure this never happens again. I respectfully ask for your full support of Senator Fontenot's Senate Bill No. 607 (SB-607) Pet Evacuation Bill. SB-607 requires state and parish homeland security and emergency preparedness agencies "to consult with experts in the fields of animal sheltering, veterinary medicine, public health and safety, and other professional and technical personnel deemed appropriate to formulate emergency operation plans for the humane evacuation, transport, and temporary sheltering of service animals and household pets in times of emergency or disaster."
"I felt we were derelict in our duties to the citizens of Louisiana, because we didn't make arrangements for pets," Senator Fontenot told reporters. "I don't think we recognize that pet-human bond that was there, and a lot of people refused to evacuate because they weren't going to leave their pets behind."
Long after the last humans had evacuated, thousands of emaciated and dehydrated pets roamed empty New Orleans parishes. Seven months beyond the storm, animal advocates continue to rescue and rehabilitate displaced pets. Please stand behind SB-607, which instructs government to consult with animal welfare organizations to fully implement protocols on rescue/shelter of animals during a disaster. I am counting on you to cosponsor the critical Pet Evacuation Bill.
Thank you,
==============================
COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION
http://senate.legis.state.la
==============================
CENTRAL FAX NUMBER, when the Legislature is in session. Faxes are placed directly into each senator's mailbox: 225-342-0617
CENTRAL PHONE NUMBER, when the Legislature is in session: 225-342-2040
LOUSIANA STATE SENATE MEMBERS
Senator Robert Adley
611 Jessie Jones Drive; Benton, LA 71006
ph: 225-342-2040, 318-965-1755; fax: 318-965-1757
email: adleyr@legis.state.la.us
Senator "Jody" Amedee
2109 S. Burnside Ave., Suite A; Gonzales, LA 70737
ph: 225-644-1526; fax: 225-644-7392
email: amedeej@legis.state.la.us
Senator Diana E. Bajoie
Post Office Box 15168; New Orleans, LA 70175
ph: 225-342-0752, 504-568-7760; fax: 504-896-1301
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Robert J. Barham
Post Office Box 249; Oak Ridge, LA 71264
ph: 225-342-2040, 318-244-5582; fax: 318-244-5015
email: barhamr@legis.state.la.us
Senator Walter J. Boasso
100 Intermodal Drive; Chalmette, LA 70043
ph: 225-342-2040, 504-270-9258; fax: 504-277-0113
email: boassow@legis.state.la.us
Senator Sharon Weston Broome
P. O. Box 52783; Baton Rouge, LA 70892
ph: 225-359-9352; fax: 225-359-9353
email: lasen15@legis.state.la.us
Senator James David Cain
Post Office Box 640; Dry Creek, LA 70637
ph: 225-342-2040, 337-328-7266; fax: 337-491-2027
email: cainj@legis.state.la.us
Senator Joel T. Chaisson
P.O. Box 1255; Destrehan, LA 70047
ph: 225-342-2040, 985-764-9911; fax: 985-764-9686
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Sherri Smith Cheek
9973 Mansfield Road; Keithville, LA 71047
ph: 318-687-4820; fax: 318-687-4077
email: smithcheek@legis.state.la.us
Senator Donald R. "Don" Cravins
Vice Chairman, Judiciary B Committee
200 West Pine Street; Lafayette, LA 70501
ph: 225-342-2114, 337-234-9695; fax: 337-234-7019
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Jay Dardenne, Judiciary B Committee Member
Post Office Box 94183; Baton Rouge, LA 70804
ph: 225-342-9788; fax: 225-383-3733
email: dardennej@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ann Duplessis
6600 Plaza Drive, Suite 211A; New Orleans, LA 70127
ph: 504-243-7795; fax: 504-246-7689
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Reggie P. Dupre
P. O. Box 3893; Houma, LA 70361-2016
ph: 985-876-9902; fax: 985-873-2016
email: lasen20@legis.state.la.us
Senator Noble E. Ellington, Judiciary B Committee Member
4272 Front Street; Winnsboro, LA 71295
ph: 318-435-7313; fax: 318-435-9885
email: ellingtn@legis.state.la.us
Senator Cleo Fields
Post Office Box 94183; Baton Rouge, LA 70804
ph: 225-342-9793; fax: 225-219-4354
email: fieldsc@legis.state.la.us
Senator Heulette "Clo" Fontenot
Author of SB 607, Pet Evacuation Bill
P.O. Box 1238; Livingston, LA 70754
ph: 225-686-0108; fax: 225-686-2161
email: fontenoc@legis.state.la.us
Senator "Nick" Gautreaux
209 E. St. Victor Street; Abbeville, LA 70510
ph: 337-740-NICK (6425), 1-866-740-NICK (6425)
fax: 337-740-6400; email: gautreauxn@legis.state.la.us
Senator D. A. "Butch" Gautreaux
1103 Eighth Street; Morgan City, LA 70380
ph: 800-562-3204; fax: 985-380-2447
email: lasen21@legis.state.la.us
Senator Francis C. Heitmeier
3709 General DeGaulle; New Orleans, LA 70114
ph: 504-361-6014; fax: 504-361-9794
email: heitmeierf@legis.state.la.us
Senator Donald E. Hines
Post Office Box 262; Bunkie, LA 71322
ph: 318-346-4619; fax: 318-346-2301
email: hinesd@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ken Hollis, Judiciary B Committee Member
2800 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Suite 365; Metairie, LA 70002
ph: 225-342-8325, 504-828-9300; fax: 504-828-9355
email: hollisk@legis.state.la.us
Senator Lydia P. Jackson
610 Texas Street, Suite 201; Shreveport, LA 71101
ph: 318-676-7029; fax: 318-676-7034
email: jacksonl@legis.state.la.us
Senator Charles D. "C.D." Jones, Judiciary B Committee Member
141 Desiard Street, Suite 315; Monroe, LA 71201
ph: 225-342-2366, 318-362-5469;
fax: 318-325-2647; email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Robert W. "Bob" Kostelka
Post Office Box 2122; Monroe, LA 71207
ph: 800-508-5572; fax: 318-329-9150
email: kostelka@legis.state.la.us
Senator Arthur J. "Art" Lentini
6620 Riverside Drive, Suite 312; Metairie, LA 70003
ph: 504-780-8700; fax: 504-465-3463
email: lentini@legis.state.la.us
Senator Max T. Malone
610 Marshall Street, Suite 722; Shreveport, LA 71101
ph: 318-676-5733; fax: 318-676-5734
email: malonem@legis.state.la.us
Senator Robert "Rob" Marionneaux
Chairman, Judiciary B Committee
P.O. Box 577; Livonia, LA 70755-0577
ph: 225-637-3623; fax: 225-637-3124
email: lasen17@legis.state.la.us
Senator Joe McPherson
880 Robinson Bridge Road; Woodworth, LA 71485
ph: 318-484-2211; fax: 318-445-2872
email: lasen29@legis.state.la.us
Senator Michael J. "Mike" Michot
P.O. Box 80372; Lafayette, LA 70598
ph: 337-262-1332; fax: 337-237-1185
email: lasen23@legis.state.la.us
Senator Willie L. Mount
P.O. Box 3004; Lake Charles, LA 70602
ph: 337-491-2016; fax: 337-433-8080
email: lasen27@legis.state.la.us
Senator Edwin R. Murray
1540 N. Broad St.; New Orleans, LA 70119
ph: 504-945-0042; fax: 504-942-5968
email: murraye@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ben Nevers
724 Avenue F; Bogalusa, LA 70427
ph: 985-732-6863, 1-800-881-2749; fax: 985-732-6860
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Julie Quinn
3330 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 438; Metairie, LA 70002
ph: 504-219-4640; fax: 504-219-4639
email: quinnj@legis.state.la.us
Senator Craig F. Romero
300 Iberia Street, Suite B-150; New Iberia, LA 70560
ph: 337-364-8006; fax: 337-364-7355
email: romeroc@legis.state.la.us
Senator John T. "Tom" Schedler
3840 Highway 22, Suite 200; Mandeville, LA 70471
ph: 225-342-2040, 985-727-7949, 1-800-836-9581
fax: 985-727-9904; email: schedlet@legis.state.la.us
Senator Derrick Shepherd
2009 Ames Boulevard; Marrero, LA 70072
ph: 504-371-0263; fax: 504-371-0265
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Kenneth M. "Mike" Smith
Post Office Box 1381; Winnfield, LA 71483
ph: 225-342-0637, 318-628-3075; fax: 318-628-5286
email: smithmi@legis.state.la.us
Senator Gerald J. Theunissen
Post Office Box 287; Jennings, LA 70546
ph: 337-824-0376; fax: 337-824-4780
email: theunisg@legis.state.la.us
Senator J. Chris Ullo
2150 Westbank Expressway, Suite 705; Harvey, LA 70058
ph: 504-361-6690; fax: 504-361-6691
email: websen@legis.state.la.us
Here are the members of the committe the bill has been assigned to. These members definitely have to be bombarded with calls to get it passed through committee.
Louisiana Judiciary B Committee
Committee Members:
Senator Robert "Rob" Marionneaux, Jr. (Chairman)
P.O. Box 577
Livonia, LA 70755-0577
(225) 637-3623
lasen17@legis.state.la.us
Senator Donald R. "Don" Cravins (Vice-Chairman)
200 West Pine Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
(337) 234-9695
websen@legis.state.la.us
Senator Jay Dardenne
Post Office Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
(225) 342-9788
dardennej@legis.state.la.us
Senator Noble E. Ellington
4272 Front Street
Winnsboro, LA 71295
(318) 435-7313
ellingtn@legis.state.la.us
Senator Ken Hollis
2800 Veterans Memorial Boulevard
Suite 365
Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 828-9300
hollisk@legis.state.la.us
Senator Charles D. "C.D." Jones
141 Desiard Street
Suite 315
Monroe, LA 71201
(318) 362-5469
websen@legis.state.la.us
Thank You---This is so important!!!!!
3.31.2006
Cat reunited after 7 months....letter from Jane Garrison
Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:26:07 -0500
FOR EVERYONE STILL LOOKING FOR THEIR CATS:
We just heard about a cat ARNO had been looking for since September. Angel was being evacuated after the hurricane in her carrier (in a boat) with four other cats when the carrier broke. Angel ran and was never seen again. We sent trappers and feeders out to look for Angel numerous times....no luck. Angel's mom put flyers and ads everywhere around NOLA and never gave up hope. She just got a call from a man who saw the flyers and said he had been feeding the cat for the past 2 months! Angel's mom is out in Oregon so she sent a friend to identify Angel...sure enough it was her. So, she was caught, looked at by the vet and now going home to Oregon almost 7 months later!!.
Do not give up looking for your animals. Put their photos everywhere in your neighborhood and continue to leave food and water at your home. Cats typically do not stray too far but may have gone several blocks to find food so be sure to hang flyers in a 10 block radius (at least). This is only one of many reunions we have seen...you could be next! Don't give up...
Warm wishes,
Jane Garrison
FOR EVERYONE STILL LOOKING FOR THEIR CATS:
We just heard about a cat ARNO had been looking for since September. Angel was being evacuated after the hurricane in her carrier (in a boat) with four other cats when the carrier broke. Angel ran and was never seen again. We sent trappers and feeders out to look for Angel numerous times....no luck. Angel's mom put flyers and ads everywhere around NOLA and never gave up hope. She just got a call from a man who saw the flyers and said he had been feeding the cat for the past 2 months! Angel's mom is out in Oregon so she sent a friend to identify Angel...sure enough it was her. So, she was caught, looked at by the vet and now going home to Oregon almost 7 months later!!.
Do not give up looking for your animals. Put their photos everywhere in your neighborhood and continue to leave food and water at your home. Cats typically do not stray too far but may have gone several blocks to find food so be sure to hang flyers in a 10 block radius (at least). This is only one of many reunions we have seen...you could be next! Don't give up...
Warm wishes,
Jane Garrison
3.24.2006
I Am Your Dog
I AM YOUR DOG I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life. Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle. You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do you see a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even for a few minutes to be with me. So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of other of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat. Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land. I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "One more day" with me. Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom or Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk. I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something profound about myself, or even life in general. You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with. Someone very different from you, and here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on two feet" -- I know what you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still. Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down if only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and whisper to my ears. Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self. We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.
Love, (on behalf of canines everywhere) Author Unknown
This was posted as a Petfinder classified ad - click on the heading to read it in its original form.
Love, (on behalf of canines everywhere) Author Unknown
This was posted as a Petfinder classified ad - click on the heading to read it in its original form.
3.22.2006
From the Archives
From the Jackson Hole (WY) News & Guide:
Volunteers bring back 138 pets displaced by Katrina
"Animal Taxi" rescues dogs, cats, even a rabbit all up for adoption.
Volunteers bring back 138 pets displaced by Katrina
"Animal Taxi" rescues dogs, cats, even a rabbit all up for adoption.
By Samantha Worthington
When Lori Shey walked through a Louisiana shelter housing pets displaced by Hurricane Katrina, she was overwhelmed by the sheer number of cats and dogs crammed into kennels. The animals faced two futures: be rescued by someone such as Shey or be killed by a shelter employee needing to make room for more animals.
Fortunately, the 138 furry refugees that Shey, a Realtor who lives in Driggs, Idaho, and five other volunteers loaded into the "Katrina Homeless Animal Taxi" an RV, a truck and horse trailer will find new homes. The animals that escaped the hurricanes and kill shelters arrived Saturday morning at the Teton Valley Humane Society in Driggs and are available for adoption today.
The 87 dogs, 50 cats and one rabbit are available through the humane society and the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson. Michelle De Lange, humane society director, said in an interview Tuesday about 70 of the dogs and many of the cats already have homes.
"Right now we are holding them in quarantine," De Lange said Tuesday. "The vet is going to do a physical on every single animal."
The animals already have been vetted and have required health certificates showing they've had vaccinations such as rabies and parvovirus shots. They've also been tested for heartworm, a disease common throughout the world but more prevalent in Louisiana than in Wyoming.
The motorized Noah's Ark returned Saturday after a three-day drive.
"I am emotionally and physically exhausted," said Shey, who started the effort to rescue the pets. "The hard work is still going on."
The idea to drive to Louisiana arose after Shey decided she wanted to save pets displaced from the hurricane. She later asked De Lange if she was interested in helping.
"I decided I was going to go down in a horse trailer and get as many animals as I could," Shey said.
From there, the group started to draw other animal lovers.
Along with De Lange and Shey, De Lange's father, Bob, a retired animal control officer, and Chip Carter, a graphic artist, also went along. Danielle Flint, another humane society employee, and Sam Kitchen, a stay-at-home mother who volunteers at St. John's Living Center, joined them.
They set off to Louisiana on Sept. 26 and drove for two days with vehicles full of donations, which they gave to the Salvation Army.
"People were very, very grateful when we dropped stuff off at the Salvation Army," De Lange said.
Shey said people were "floored" that they would drive all the way from Idaho to help.
None of the volunteers saw the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused when it pummeled the Gulf Coast in August as the animal shelters were 100 to 150 miles away from the damage. Rebecca "Cupcake" Tinnes, director of the adoption center, said last week it is estimated 50,000 pets were displaced by the hurricane.
The volunteers picked up the animals at several shelters in Louisiana.
"The shelters were filled to the maximum," Shey said. "There were just kennels up and down the hallways."
Some of the animals at the shelters weathered Hurricane Katrina while others had been there since before the storm and were about to be euthanized to provide room for displaced pets that hadn't been deemed homeless yet.
"It was very, very sad," Shey said. "This was a kill shelter."
Shey said one of the shelters they went to euthanizes 300 to 400 every week. The shelter continuously kills animals to make room for ones that may still have owners searching for them, she said.
One of the dogs they picked up, a basset hound mix, narrowly escaped death. She was on the way to be euthanized, but as the volunteers loaded up the animals a man asked if they had room for the hound and they managed to fit her in.
"The biggest thing is that every one of these dogs has a story," Shey said. "They are all affected by the hurricane."
Most of the dogs are small breeds such as poodles, dachshunds, beagles, basset hounds and Jack Russells. There are some large dogs such as a Great Pyrenees and a weimaraner. In case anyone is wondering, the lone rabbit is doing fine.
"They are all just amazing spirits," Shey said.
The Katrina Homeless Animal Taxi was slow to come home because it had to stop about every three hours to let all the animals out. Shey said people passing by were in awe of the chaotic scene of dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes running around.
The humane society and adoption center seek donations to help pay for the trip and cover costs to feed the animals.
"We're still buying medications and obviously food," Shey said.
People also can bring dog and cat food and litter to either center. Both places also need volunteers to help walk, clean and socialize the pets awaiting homes.
To make a donation or inquire about how to foster or adopt an animal, call the humane society at (208) 354-3499 or the adoption center at 739-1881. Monetary donations, addressed to KHAT, also can be sent or brought to the First Bank of the Tetons.
Lori Shey's email is: adopt@onewest.net
Humane Society spending probed by Louisiana AG _ Times Picayune article
Group's head denies any wrongdoing
Saturday, March 18, 2006
By Robert Travis ScottCapital bureau
BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana's attorney general has begun an inquiry of the Humane Society's financial activities related to the national organization's disaster assistance programs after Hurricane Katrina, the group's top official said Thursday.
Wayne Pacelle, president and executive director of the Humane Society of the United States, said the nonprofit charity has done nothing wrong and is cooperating fully. Pacelle said he did not know the intent of the inquiry but thought it might have been initiated by rumors circulating on the Internet about alleged inappropriate spending by the society.
"We don't think there's any issue," Pacelle said.
Attorney General Charles Foti is looking at fund-raising issues involving a charity that dealt with pets and reuniting pets with owners after the storms, Foti's spokeswoman Kris Wartelle said. She called it a "basic beginning of an inquiry" and declined to give more details. She said Foti has made no accusations of wrongdoing.
Donations to the Humane Society after Katrina were generous beyond expectations, Pacelle said. The group received $30 million toward relief efforts for pets and other animals after the storm seven months ago. The organization has already spent or has pledged to spend $25 million of that amount toward "recovery from Katrina and other disasters last year," and will eventually spend all the money, according to a society statement released this week.
"Only a small percentage of the money was specifically earmarked for the Katrina response, though we've spent the bulk of the money in the Gulf Coast," the statement said.
The society sent people to Pakistan and India in October to help after a major earthquake. It also assisted in Mexico and Florida after Hurricane Wilma. The estimated cost for the society's "non-Katrina disaster work" for 2005 was $500,000, the statement said.
"We're careful not to liquidate these donations in very short order," Pacelle said. The society will be dealing with the impact of Katrina for several years, and wants to use the money toward a sustained rebuilding effort, he said. Many animals victimized by the storm still need shelter and care.
The society has not used the money for staff bonuses, a "complete fabrication" that has made the rumor mill, Pacelle said.
Created in 1954, the society is based in Washington, D.C., and has regional offices around the country.
Within days after Katrina, the group provided personnel, equipment and financial support to local animal assistance and shelter groups along the Gulf Coast and participated in the direct rescue and care of more than 10,000 abandoned or lost animals. It also worked to reunite pets with owners.
The society reassigned more than 200 of its staff to respond to the crisis and coordinated and covered the field expenses for thousands of volunteers and animal-care professionals in the stricken areas.
Among the costs for Katrina, it spent $5.5 million on direct operations, $7 million in reconstruction grants to local organizations in the Gulf Coast, made $1.3 million in reimbursement grants to humane societies and rescue groups throughout the country that assisted relief efforts, and sent teams of professional trappers to the storm zones.
The group has committed $500,000 in partnership with Louisiana State University and the Dixon Correctional Institute toward an assessment for a permanent facility for animal care and sheltering. The society worked with the prison after the storm to run a temporary care center staffed by inmates.
The group worked in cooperation with the Louisiana Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to run a post-storm animal rescue center in Gonzales, and is spending $4.5 million to help get the LSPCA back on its feet.
Laura Maloney, head of the Louisiana SPCA, said her organization would be financially devastated were it not for the support of the Humane Society and the American SPCA, a national animal advocacy group not directly affiliated with the Louisiana society.
"We would have been in deep trouble if they hadn't come in with funding," said Maloney, whose local donor base was scattered by the storm.
The Louisiana SPCA, which handles animal control, sheltering and sterilization in New Orleans, saw its facilities wiped out by Katrina and lost nearly half its staff. It is operating out of a temporary warehouse in Algiers and is planning a new permanent home, Maloney said.
Maloney said she was not privy to the reasons for the attorney general inquiry. Under crisis conditions after the hurricane, the animal relief effort in many ways worked well but encountered logistical snafus and coordination problems between animal care groups and state agencies, she said. That was the extent of any problems Maloney said the Humane Society might have had with its operations in Louisiana.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
By Robert Travis ScottCapital bureau
BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana's attorney general has begun an inquiry of the Humane Society's financial activities related to the national organization's disaster assistance programs after Hurricane Katrina, the group's top official said Thursday.
Wayne Pacelle, president and executive director of the Humane Society of the United States, said the nonprofit charity has done nothing wrong and is cooperating fully. Pacelle said he did not know the intent of the inquiry but thought it might have been initiated by rumors circulating on the Internet about alleged inappropriate spending by the society.
"We don't think there's any issue," Pacelle said.
Attorney General Charles Foti is looking at fund-raising issues involving a charity that dealt with pets and reuniting pets with owners after the storms, Foti's spokeswoman Kris Wartelle said. She called it a "basic beginning of an inquiry" and declined to give more details. She said Foti has made no accusations of wrongdoing.
Donations to the Humane Society after Katrina were generous beyond expectations, Pacelle said. The group received $30 million toward relief efforts for pets and other animals after the storm seven months ago. The organization has already spent or has pledged to spend $25 million of that amount toward "recovery from Katrina and other disasters last year," and will eventually spend all the money, according to a society statement released this week.
"Only a small percentage of the money was specifically earmarked for the Katrina response, though we've spent the bulk of the money in the Gulf Coast," the statement said.
The society sent people to Pakistan and India in October to help after a major earthquake. It also assisted in Mexico and Florida after Hurricane Wilma. The estimated cost for the society's "non-Katrina disaster work" for 2005 was $500,000, the statement said.
"We're careful not to liquidate these donations in very short order," Pacelle said. The society will be dealing with the impact of Katrina for several years, and wants to use the money toward a sustained rebuilding effort, he said. Many animals victimized by the storm still need shelter and care.
The society has not used the money for staff bonuses, a "complete fabrication" that has made the rumor mill, Pacelle said.
Created in 1954, the society is based in Washington, D.C., and has regional offices around the country.
Within days after Katrina, the group provided personnel, equipment and financial support to local animal assistance and shelter groups along the Gulf Coast and participated in the direct rescue and care of more than 10,000 abandoned or lost animals. It also worked to reunite pets with owners.
The society reassigned more than 200 of its staff to respond to the crisis and coordinated and covered the field expenses for thousands of volunteers and animal-care professionals in the stricken areas.
Among the costs for Katrina, it spent $5.5 million on direct operations, $7 million in reconstruction grants to local organizations in the Gulf Coast, made $1.3 million in reimbursement grants to humane societies and rescue groups throughout the country that assisted relief efforts, and sent teams of professional trappers to the storm zones.
The group has committed $500,000 in partnership with Louisiana State University and the Dixon Correctional Institute toward an assessment for a permanent facility for animal care and sheltering. The society worked with the prison after the storm to run a temporary care center staffed by inmates.
The group worked in cooperation with the Louisiana Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to run a post-storm animal rescue center in Gonzales, and is spending $4.5 million to help get the LSPCA back on its feet.
Laura Maloney, head of the Louisiana SPCA, said her organization would be financially devastated were it not for the support of the Humane Society and the American SPCA, a national animal advocacy group not directly affiliated with the Louisiana society.
"We would have been in deep trouble if they hadn't come in with funding," said Maloney, whose local donor base was scattered by the storm.
The Louisiana SPCA, which handles animal control, sheltering and sterilization in New Orleans, saw its facilities wiped out by Katrina and lost nearly half its staff. It is operating out of a temporary warehouse in Algiers and is planning a new permanent home, Maloney said.
Maloney said she was not privy to the reasons for the attorney general inquiry. Under crisis conditions after the hurricane, the animal relief effort in many ways worked well but encountered logistical snafus and coordination problems between animal care groups and state agencies, she said. That was the extent of any problems Maloney said the Humane Society might have had with its operations in Louisiana.
3.14.2006
ATTENTION: Lousiana Pet Owners Important Legislation
Senator Fontenot (District 13, Louisiana) is searching for Louisiana evacuees who were not allowed to evacuate with their pets, in order to enlist their help with testifying in support ofupcoming emergency pet evacuation legislation.
The bill is to be introduced on 3/27/06. It will be pre-filed this Friday (3/17/06).
Cathy Wells is the staff member from Sen. Fontenot's office who is collecting statements of affected parties.
Please cross-post and forward this to everyone you know who had to leave their pet(s) behind.
Email: wellsc@legis.state.la.us
Phone: 225-342-1126
The bill is to be introduced on 3/27/06. It will be pre-filed this Friday (3/17/06).
Cathy Wells is the staff member from Sen. Fontenot's office who is collecting statements of affected parties.
Please cross-post and forward this to everyone you know who had to leave their pet(s) behind.
Email: wellsc@legis.state.la.us
Phone: 225-342-1126
3.12.2006
Email I received today
...only surprise is that it took this long for the Katrina twist to these scams
MY DEAR BELOVED,
How are you, I am Mrs. Mary Smith I need to pass this urgent information to you as I have just been told by my doctor that I will be going for an urgent operation which he says will be a 50 to 50 chance of me living, my beloved I want you to know that I am old and I am 78 years old, as I am writing this email I am very ill and I suffer of a stroke and a heart problem which effected my mouth and my right leg keeping me sitting on a wheel chair, i must tell you that this information about the operation of transplanting of my full heart just came to me as a surprise and so I had to open up this great secret off mine to an honest and trusted person with the fear of the Lord in his/her heart to handle this great project of of the Lord for children effected in the Hurricane and as well as the needy.....
Well my Beloved let me tell you little about me I am a woman with out a child and I also lost my loving husband last year in the Hurricane Katrina, this was part of the problems in my life that kept me in this conditions because I think too very much, at the moment I am in u.k England because the hurricane wiped away our home living us with noting well I want you to know that even with all the Money that I have I could not still have a child to call my own its really painful but I live all complains to the LORD. I decided to use my funds which I had deposited in a company last year...... I had this money deposited at the Month I lost my husband because I wanted to secure our property and that is a lot of money, my beloved I am talking about 15million u.s.dollars it is now in a security company/Bank were I know is safe because I did
not let the company/bank know the content of the box which I deposited with them I told the
company that the box was contained with gold bars and they do not know that the box is contained with 15million dollars. My beloved i really need you to help me on this project because I believe that you will be capable and since you are a true believer you will have a very good idea/wisdom from the LORD to have good buildings of churches and daycares for needy children and as well good ideas of management of the funds when it gets over to you, please I really need you not to be surprised at this urgent information because I myself have never told any one about this, but it is because of the information I got from the doctor that makes me to open up now to you..... it will not be fair on the children VICTIMS and the HELPLESS if I die and that money is left over in that company without it given to the charity but I look up to you to help me handle the project.... I am not to strong to write more words now I will need you to get back to me if you will be handling this project for me, I want you to write me back so that I can give to you the full details on how you will receive the funds for this wonderful project of the Lord for children and the needy I would also like you to send your phone number so that I can have discussion with you the best way I can.
Remain Blessed
Mary Smith.
Mrs. Mary Smith
marysmith4kidds@yahoo.com
MY DEAR BELOVED,
How are you, I am Mrs. Mary Smith I need to pass this urgent information to you as I have just been told by my doctor that I will be going for an urgent operation which he says will be a 50 to 50 chance of me living, my beloved I want you to know that I am old and I am 78 years old, as I am writing this email I am very ill and I suffer of a stroke and a heart problem which effected my mouth and my right leg keeping me sitting on a wheel chair, i must tell you that this information about the operation of transplanting of my full heart just came to me as a surprise and so I had to open up this great secret off mine to an honest and trusted person with the fear of the Lord in his/her heart to handle this great project of of the Lord for children effected in the Hurricane and as well as the needy.....
Well my Beloved let me tell you little about me I am a woman with out a child and I also lost my loving husband last year in the Hurricane Katrina, this was part of the problems in my life that kept me in this conditions because I think too very much, at the moment I am in u.k England because the hurricane wiped away our home living us with noting well I want you to know that even with all the Money that I have I could not still have a child to call my own its really painful but I live all complains to the LORD. I decided to use my funds which I had deposited in a company last year...... I had this money deposited at the Month I lost my husband because I wanted to secure our property and that is a lot of money, my beloved I am talking about 15million u.s.dollars it is now in a security company/Bank were I know is safe because I did
not let the company/bank know the content of the box which I deposited with them I told the
company that the box was contained with gold bars and they do not know that the box is contained with 15million dollars. My beloved i really need you to help me on this project because I believe that you will be capable and since you are a true believer you will have a very good idea/wisdom from the LORD to have good buildings of churches and daycares for needy children and as well good ideas of management of the funds when it gets over to you, please I really need you not to be surprised at this urgent information because I myself have never told any one about this, but it is because of the information I got from the doctor that makes me to open up now to you..... it will not be fair on the children VICTIMS and the HELPLESS if I die and that money is left over in that company without it given to the charity but I look up to you to help me handle the project.... I am not to strong to write more words now I will need you to get back to me if you will be handling this project for me, I want you to write me back so that I can give to you the full details on how you will receive the funds for this wonderful project of the Lord for children and the needy I would also like you to send your phone number so that I can have discussion with you the best way I can.
Remain Blessed
Mary Smith.
Mrs. Mary Smith
marysmith4kidds@yahoo.com
3.10.2006
Adopted Pets with Contact Information
These are photos of pets that have been adopted, along with any information that is known about them. If you see your pet here, call or email the contact person asap. If you need assistance or support in recovering your pet, email: noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com
Male Grey and White Tabby
Here's what was written in his Petfinder record which was posted on 10-18:
Fat Tuesday (our name for him) survived more than a month with only occasional food and water. He lost a good bit of weight but fared extremely well considering the circumstances. Like so many of the rescued animals, he truly enjoys any time he can find with humans ... and the security of a full dish of food on the floor.
The rescuer felt the need to include this bit of commentary but there was no mention of where this cat was rescued from or found. Real nice.
Contact:
Lori West 300 Orchard Dr, West Columbia, S.C.
rescue@smithandwest.net
803-739-9333
803-407-1152
Female White Lhasa-Shih Tzu Mix
In spite of wearing a collar with a New Orleans rabies tag, this cutie was adopted out by the Sacramento SPCA.
Contact: ddrake@sspca.org (916) 383-7387, ext. 9149
Female Pom rescued from St. Bernard Parish
Petfinder record was posted/created on 10-7.
Adopted by Santa Barbara County Animal Services
Contact: 805-934-6953
Male Grey and White TabbyHere's what was written in his Petfinder record which was posted on 10-18:
Fat Tuesday (our name for him) survived more than a month with only occasional food and water. He lost a good bit of weight but fared extremely well considering the circumstances. Like so many of the rescued animals, he truly enjoys any time he can find with humans ... and the security of a full dish of food on the floor.
The rescuer felt the need to include this bit of commentary but there was no mention of where this cat was rescued from or found. Real nice.
Contact:
Lori West 300 Orchard Dr, West Columbia, S.C.
rescue@smithandwest.net
803-739-9333
803-407-1152
Female White Lhasa-Shih Tzu MixIn spite of wearing a collar with a New Orleans rabies tag, this cutie was adopted out by the Sacramento SPCA.
Contact: ddrake@sspca.org (916) 383-7387, ext. 9149
Female Pom rescued from St. Bernard Parish Petfinder record was posted/created on 10-7.
Adopted by Santa Barbara County Animal Services
Contact: 805-934-6953
3.07.2006
Read this if you have someone's Katrina pet
This is a letter from an evacuee who is still searching for her beloved Yorkie named Timmy, sent to a volunteer who has been helping her locate him.
I have been in counseling for PTS Syndrome and the one thing that has always haunted me is the "guilt" that I feel over my animals. My therapist who is an animal person himself told me he did not like it when I did that to myself and told me to stop doing it, but the one thing you can never, never get out of your mind is the last time you held those animals and saw those little faces looking at you. I could not say morning prayers for weeks because everytime I said them I was on the sofa and Timmy my Yorkie would come and I would pick him up and put him next to me. The last morning we were together. He was high up on the bed...the water was rising and he chose to jump off that bed and swim over to me - that little thing - and I picked him up - he was all wet and smelling from the water that was already beginning to have an odor and he sat next to me as I read the prayers...that is a memory that will never fade nor will the memory of when I kissed him and he was so happy and excited and turned his little head toward me - he had no idea but I did know what was happening. The cats they were not as trusting - they knew things were not right from the beginning because they were mad that there was water all over and they could not get down off the mantle and table where they were....those are memories which will never leave you no matter how many times you hear people telling you you had no choice. I think that editorial letter should be sent to every newspaper in the country, to every government official in Washington as well as State officials and certainly to the shelters who are now ready to quit answering questions so that people and animals can be reunited!!!!.
Timmy is elderly and has cataracts, so he couldn't see so well. He only weighed 5 pounds. 5 tiny pounds that they would not let her bring with her from the house on Alexander Street.
Being forced to leave Timmy has broken her heart. She still has faith in humanity and prays that someone has Timmy, and just a picture of him posted to one of those PF records of found Yorkies that never had a picture included, would help her heal.
She doesn't even have a picture of Timmy left to look at, so Mollie is going to draw a composite sketch of Timmy, which we can use to look for Timmy and the owner can have a picture of her beloved little boy, that maybe, will help erase that last mental picture she has of him in her mind.
If any shelters, rescuers or volunteers are reading this, have you seen Timmy?
I have been in counseling for PTS Syndrome and the one thing that has always haunted me is the "guilt" that I feel over my animals. My therapist who is an animal person himself told me he did not like it when I did that to myself and told me to stop doing it, but the one thing you can never, never get out of your mind is the last time you held those animals and saw those little faces looking at you. I could not say morning prayers for weeks because everytime I said them I was on the sofa and Timmy my Yorkie would come and I would pick him up and put him next to me. The last morning we were together. He was high up on the bed...the water was rising and he chose to jump off that bed and swim over to me - that little thing - and I picked him up - he was all wet and smelling from the water that was already beginning to have an odor and he sat next to me as I read the prayers...that is a memory that will never fade nor will the memory of when I kissed him and he was so happy and excited and turned his little head toward me - he had no idea but I did know what was happening. The cats they were not as trusting - they knew things were not right from the beginning because they were mad that there was water all over and they could not get down off the mantle and table where they were....those are memories which will never leave you no matter how many times you hear people telling you you had no choice. I think that editorial letter should be sent to every newspaper in the country, to every government official in Washington as well as State officials and certainly to the shelters who are now ready to quit answering questions so that people and animals can be reunited!!!!.
Timmy is elderly and has cataracts, so he couldn't see so well. He only weighed 5 pounds. 5 tiny pounds that they would not let her bring with her from the house on Alexander Street.
Being forced to leave Timmy has broken her heart. She still has faith in humanity and prays that someone has Timmy, and just a picture of him posted to one of those PF records of found Yorkies that never had a picture included, would help her heal.
She doesn't even have a picture of Timmy left to look at, so Mollie is going to draw a composite sketch of Timmy, which we can use to look for Timmy and the owner can have a picture of her beloved little boy, that maybe, will help erase that last mental picture she has of him in her mind.
If any shelters, rescuers or volunteers are reading this, have you seen Timmy?
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