Katrina Super Adoption Event in Los Angeles
On December 11th, 2005 - there will be a huge adoption event in Santa Monica for the Hurricane Katrina animals who were brought out to California in the weeks and months that followed the storm. I am one of the many volunteers who have helped to plan for this event and we are all hoping it will be a big success (and that all of these poor dogs and cats can find a new forever home for the Holidays!)
[Your Name Here]
Post a Comment
Update on "Beau" the Border Collie mix
Some of you may have remembered Beau, he was one of the dogs I drove back from New Orleans. He has still been waiting patiently for a new forever home and guess what? Some great news this week! Beau is going to appear on "Good Day L.A." on Friday December 9th with Lisa Edelstein of the hit TV show House . Watch out Los Angeles, you are about to fall in love with the very photogenic and adorable Beau! He is crossing his fingers (or should we say paws?) that someone will want to adopt him after seeing him on TV!
A very special thank you to New Leash on Life for making this possible!
Video footage of his Good Day LA appearance can be seen here.
New Urgent Plea - Katrina Pets to begin getting Euthenized on Oct. 15th!
As if these poor animals haven't been through enough already!
Updates from Cathy's last trip to New Orleans
Many of you have called and emailed to ask how my last trip to New Orleans went. I am sorry that I only wish to share it with you here, rather than tell the stories over and over again. It was very sad and by the time I arrived for the second time, five weeks had already passed since Hurricane Katrina and the only animals who had a hope to still be alive were the ones who had gotten outside to forage for food and water. The ones still left locked inside their homes (some even in cages) had died a slow painful suffering death from starvation and dehydration. Also, many more animals were found that appeared to be shot to death (check out the last journal entry about how Pasado's Safe Haven is investigating and working with the Louisiana Attorney General to come up with the evidence to press charges and see that whomever did this is held accountable).
I went out for three days on Search and Rescue missions but it could hardly be called a search and rescue anymore. On my own search and rescue missions, only one Chihauhua was found inside of a house, still alive - even though it was living in filth and feces everywhere, there was lots of food left and possibly someone had stopped by to leave water. The rest of the dogs we found were all strays (and the fact that they got outside was their only saving grace that kept them alive for five weeks).
At another house, in a very middle class neighborhood (these were not some of the poverty areas we were in) - we found a dead dog in the garbage can and evidence that a second dog had been locked inside the house, although we found no body for that one. Only feces everywhere and white fur all over the house. We asked a neighbor if she knew anything about the dogs left behind at this house and she said she heard the white dog (a Spitz) barking and barking about two weeks after the Hurricane (residents had been allowed back briefly to check on their homes). She says she called the SPCA but didn't know what ever happened. We looked for a body through as many rooms of the house as we could, but not all of the rooms were accessible with the damage. If the SPCA had been there, they would have spray painted a note on the house with the date to say they picked up an animal. This made me very sad . . . especially since the neighbor told me these people owned more than one car and definitely had the financial means to bring their pets with them. What really made me angry was that they didn't even bother to come back to check on their animals, if they had, maybe their little white dog would still be alive. (not sure how long the other dog had been dead for).
On another day, which was especially emotionally brutal for me personally - I came across an empty house (the owners had since returned to remove all of their belongings). Inside the house, was one of their dogs - still in its cage, starved to death. There was a second dog laying on the floor, also starved to death. I have never seen anything like this before in my life - and it made me literally sick to my stomach. I had a face mask on and I videotaped these poor dogs, because it was so horrific that people would not even believe it. These were people's pets . . . who trusted that their owners would come back for them and protect them. Instead, they not only suffered a slow painful death of starvation (the one in the cage must have just been terrorized being trapped like that) - but to make matters even worse, the owners didn't even have the decency to bury their bodies when they returned for their belongings. I will never, for the rest of my life, forget these two dogs. I have to hope that they are in a better place now. (if you would like to see the video footage of this, it is on my site under Video Footage, but please be warned, it is very disturbing and I don't recommend you look at it if you aren't prepared for what you will see).
On a lighter note - I decided that instead of flying back, I would keep my rental vehicle and drive back so that I could bring more rescue doggies home to Los Angeles. (I brought one back on my last trip and very happy to say she has the most loving and perfect home for her with a couple who just adore her!) It was 2,000 miles and a lot of stopping (to walk the three doggies I brought back) - but WELL worth it! I can't even tell you how happy I am that I did this. Maybe it is only three animals, but in some small way, if I can make a difference for these three - then as tiny as it is, it is something. I couldn't save the countless pets who suffered and died in New Orleans, but I can make a difference in the lives of these three.
Here are their stories and how you can help each one. Cody and Beau are in dire need of foster homes (not together) - and that is my most immediate and pressing need. There are also quit a bit of medical bills that are piling up and any donations would be appreciated. But really, if you can just circulate their pictures and stories, that would be the biggest help of all. We need to find Cody & Beau a safe place to stay where they can feel welcome and loved.
4 References
Important Update. New Orleans Dog Shooting Investigation.
Once we again, we need your help. A group from Pasado Safe Haven is investigating a case where they have found 15 dogs & cats apparently shot to death. The report can be found here. MSNBC also made a report on it which can be found here. Pasado needs donations to help fund the investigation. Here is a short passage from their report:
"$10,000 REWARD OFFERED BY WASHINGTON STATE ANIMAL RESCUE GROUP
Pasado's Safe Haven, a Washington State animal rescue organization that has rescued over 700 animals from New Orleans homes, has issued a $10,000 reward seeking the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for shooting the dogs to death at Beauregard Middle School. Pasado's Safe Haven has issued numerous rewards in the past seeking conviction of perpetrators of heinous animal cruelty cases.
WHY A $10,000 REWARD IN THE NEW ORLEANS CASE?
The middle school was a temporary shelter for evacuees who, after flood waters rose, were ordered not to take their pets with them. Many of the pet owners scrawled their names and phone numbers on the wall of the middle school room, in an effort to have their pets reunited with them. All of the fourteen dogs were found shot, lying in pools of blood. These evacuees lost everything. To find out that the pets they tried to save were killed in this manner is the final blow.
According to Pasado's Safe Haven Humane Investigator, on the ground in St. Bernard Parish, "The dogs who were shot in St. Bernard Parish did not die immediately. They were not shot in the head to quickly bring about death. Shooting an animal in the body cavity is one of the most cruel ways to kill an animal."
According to St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens, the shell-casings are consistent with those used by law enforcement. Before this incident occurred, a St. Bernard Sheriff's Officer was documented shooting dogs in the street by a Dallas news videographer. According to Sheriff Stephens, "We'll get to the bottom of this. If it's one of our officers, we'll let the cards fall where they may. He reportedly has turned this case over to the Louisiana State's Attorney for investigation.
VETERINARY EXAMINATION
Pasado's Safe Haven knows that it takes more than what you think to make a case of animal cruelty. If this person is identified, they may claim "the animals were suffering" "I had to put them out of their misery". To assure that a conviction can happen, PasadoRescuers will take the dogs to a veterinarian, Licensed in the State of Louisiana, for necropsies (animal autopsies). Necropsies can prove whether an animal had been in a state of dehydration or starvation at the time of death. The animals will also be kept, in a freezer, so no evidence will be discarded.
NEW SCHOOLS - MORE ANIMALS FOUND SHOT TO DEATH
Mark Steinway, Humane Investigator for PasadoRescue, collects evidence for the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office at the St. Bernard Parish High School. Originally, CNN's Anderson Cooper had reported on dogs killed at the Middle and Elementary school, but now, PasadoRescuers found four separate locations where the slaughter occurred.
