HURRICANE

Animal Rescue and Relief

When we hit the Mississippi state line I began to see the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's wrath. Things like downed trees and billboards made it clear that this storm certainly had its way with the Gulf. It became even more apparent as we reached the Bay St. Louis exit and saw the remnants of homes either completely downed or still upright, but wrecked. As far as rebuilding was concerned, I saw very little. It seems that everyone is still in a state of limbo wondering what his or her next move will be.

A few miles south of the exit was Mr. Anderson's street. Silky and I turned into his driveway to find him sitting in his debris-filled yard, yet relaxing with a smile on his face. He was elated to finally be reunited with his Silky and kept saying, 'At least I have my Silky back'. He was living in his car until recently when FEMA provided him with a house trailer to live in. He settled into it quite nicely and now has Silky to share it with him. I spoke with him for a couple of hours and he showed me his previous home and a neighbor's home, both of which were downed and damaged. We traded stories and Mr. Anderson informed me that he was originally from Biloxi and had weathered all the major storms that had hit the Gulf in his lifetime. He said that Katrina was, by far, the worst. He was in very good spirits and got a lot off his chest while I listened (I'm a good sounding board when it comes to stuff like this). We had a drink and continued our chat while Silky checked out his new surroundings. He ventured into the bedroom and then a sitting area; still a bit skittish, but these things take time. Mr. Anderson seems to be a very patient individual. I mean, he must be, waiting on FEMA for his trailer and waiting a good six weeks to be reunited with Silky.

Unfortunately, the time had come to excuse myself and, about another half hour later (I told you he had a lot to say), I hit the road back to Tallahassee. As in years gone by, I once again got to see the calmness of a Mississippi sunset as I left it in the distance. I arrived in Tallahassee later that night, dropped the rental car off at Enterprise, fell into my station wagon, and headed home to my wife and my cats.

Why doesn't your website have very many dogs right now? Aren't there a lot of animals in need?

Yes, there are. We have already placed for adoption several animals whose families evacuated to the Tallahassee area. Some of these people have made the difficult decision to give up their pets and asked the Leon County Humane Society to find permanent homes for them. However, they are only the tip of the iceberg.

As of early November, we had taken in more than 40 animals from Hurricane Katrina. We are in contact with several shelters and rescue organizations in the disaster areas and expect to receive animals on a continual basis for the next few months. In addition, we have helped hurricane evacuees secure supplies, vet care and temporary placement for their animals and sent literally tons of supplies to individuals and shelters in the affected areas.

Those hurricane pets already in Leon County Humane Society foster homes are being held for a period of time in the hope that they can be reunited with their owners. They are being posted to the national database and every effort is being made in that direction first. (Watch for news coming soon of a happy reunion!) Should they remain unclaimed, they will then be available for adoption.

Many people say, "I want to adopt a hurricane animal." That is a wonderful sentiment and there will be many who need homes. However, most of the hurricane animals will arrive in our area having medical or other needs which will have to be addressed before they can be adopted. We can only take them if we have foster homes available. Adopting an animal already in our program makes a space for a "hurricane animal". "It's a great way to help! Or sign up on our Preferred Pet List and we'll let you know when your favorite breed arrives.

And as always, financial contributions are greatly needed. Consider sponsoring a hurricane animal by providing funds for their medical care. All donations to LCHS are tax deductible.