Friday, 9/23/05

Dear Friends,

Last night I returned from a volunteer mission during which I worked at the Humane Society of Louisiana's http://www.humanela.org rural site caring for animal victims left behind during the evacuation of New Orleans. I feel like a different person from the one to whom many of you spoke last week about our rescue and foster care efforts for Katrina's forgotten pets.

It was heartbreaking work in some ways, but also incredibly uplifting. Here, in a nutshell, is what we did:

My daughter Elise, her friend Andrew and I traveled down with a load of supplies donated by folks in my community, intending to volunteer at the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Tylertown , MS , where Best Friends http://www.bestfriends.org had joined in their efforts. When we arrived, however, we found that Best Friends had a plethora of volunteers and resources (an amazing organization!) while literally just next door was another rescue site, the HSLA, working desperately with far fewer folks. So we pitched our tent in their field and went to work. (Yes, tent. No showers, only Port-a-potties, flashlights and whatever food we thought to bring.)

Everywhere we looked, there was chain link fencing kenneling dog after dog after dog. In many areas, fans were whirling to give them a breath of air, and a misting system was placed beneath the kennel tarps for some cooling off. Small rodent-type critters and cats were housed inside, where one mama had a litter of 4 two-day-old kittens, and a lady in an RV provided a home for more than half a dozen exotic birds.

We rose shortly after the sun did, and staggered back to our sleeping bags well after dark most evenings. I was asked to organize the laundry room, which is certainly a less-than-glamorous assignment but a critically necessary one when caring for so many animals. I bleached, washed and folded more towels and blankets during these few days than I think I have in my entire life. Right next to my little laundry area was the critical care unit, where I also helped care for the sickest dogs between loads of laundry. We received some so ill they could not stand alone. Amazingly, in many cases, after about twenty-four hours they would be on their feet with tails wagging.

Elise and Andrew worked with the cleaning team, sterilizing dozens upon dozens of bowls and kennels. They also helped organize the incredible flow of donations that poured in, and worked as kennel assistants.

In the evening, we all became part of the decontamination teams. After dark, when it was cool enough to travel, the transports from New Orleans would arrive, bearing up to thirty dogs and the occasional cat, bird or rodent. Most of the animals were filthy and needed to be decontaminated before they were examined by a vet. Most were terrified. While the majority were docile and dispirited, a small number reacted aggressively out of fear, so great care was always needed in our dealings with them.

While I was able to take in stride the cleaning and decontamination and the sight of so many ill, sad animals, the one thing that got to me on a daily basis was the sight of people trying to locate their pets. I escorted several of them around, and seeing the tentative hope leave their eyes and their shoulders slump when they didn't find their pet was just wrenching. In each case, we tried to offer encouragement and advice about other locations, such as Best Friends over at St. Francis, where they could check. I had to go off and sob every time I walked away from one of these visits.

One very special moment occurred when a man stopped by who had refused to leave his two dogs. He stayed on his roof with them for more than two weeks until he finally was permitted to get them out with him. All three were bedraggled and thin. The man would not accept anything for himself, but did let us help him decontaminate his dogs and give him dog food, chews and beds for them.

Our fellow volunteers hailed from all over the country, from Hawaii to Maine to Florida . I doubt we will ever see most of them again, but they will remain in our fondest memories forever. Everyone was there for the same reason—to help the animals—and we got along wonderfully despite the suffocating heat and humidity, the fire ants and clouds of “lovebugs,” so named for their mating habits which are carried out on the fly, usually while they are landing on us and everything else. ICK.

Because of problems all the rescue sites were having with dog poachers looking for fighting pit bulls and “bait” dogs, there have been some strictures placed on how animals are released. (We actually had three pit bulls stolen one night, after which security was hired and perimeter alarms put in place.) The pets are only going to approved non-profit humane societies, foster homes and rescue organizations.   The process varies from place to place. 

I was not able to bring back more than two animals because it so SO HOT down there we can't transport them in anything that isn't air-conditioned. But I brought back two dogs, a very young beagle-mix pup and an older American Eskimo with some exceptional medical needs that made her a less-than-desirable candidate for most of the large rescue groups. She will require surgery in the coming weeks to determine whether her malignant tumor has metastasized. Her cage was labeled "Caution: Aggressive" and she snapped at just about everyone except me, so you can imagine how I couldn't bear to leave her behind. I have already found the right foster home for this special girl. Her picture will go on Petfinder.com and we'll pray that her owner can be found.  Update: on Tuesday, 9/27, I stopped to visit "Louisa" in her new foster home.  When she realized who was at the door, she went wild.  If she'd been a person, she'd have been hugging me, screaming and pummeling me on the back!  The young pup has been placed in a fantastic adoptive home and we've been invited to visit any time.

Click on any photo to start picture album

I could go on for hours about the experience, but suffice to say I will never forget it. If you're interested in donating, you can send something to:

Humane Society of Louisiana
P.O. Box 238
Sharon Center OH 44274 (they were flooded out of New Orleans )

Feel free to mention you heard about them through me.   Other excellent rescue organizations who would appreciate your support for the wonderful work they continue to do include:

Noah's Wish  http://www.noahswish.org

Pasados Safe Haven http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/NEWS/NEWS.htm

The Humane Society of the United States http://www.hsus.org

American Humane http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer

Thanks to all of you for your interest, all who have already sent donations to any animal rescue organization, donated supplies for us to take along, and sent up prayers for us and/or the animals.