Action Alerts | Email List | Fact Sheets | Store | About Us | Updates | Victories | Your Alerts | Links Disaster Aid | Donate | Volunteer | Columns & Articles | Ad Designs | Stanley | Mission | Home |
|||||||||||
 |
10/4/07: Unending... Some Go Home, Others Roam
1) Lakeview, NOLA: Katrina’s Unending Impact On Animals |
||||||||||
|
1. Lakeview, NOLA: Katrina’s Unending Impact On Animals
The animals in New Orleans and surrounding areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina are still in desperate need. The cats (and kittens cropping up all over) on the streets of New Orleans still rely on feeders. Yet the obstacles are growing: people moving back don’t want cats fed in their neighborhood; houses that serve as food/water stations are constantly torn down, posing a danger for cats and leaving fewer options on where to feed; feeders are tired and overwhelmed. Kathy Sweeney and I have networked with many Lakeview residents who moved back, and several residents are feeding at their home. However, many other areas of the city are in more desperate need. Most of residents in devastated areas lost everything, and two years later, they are still struggling to rebuild their lives and their homes.
CAN YOU STILL HELP US IN NOLA?
NEEDED: People to foster/adopt friendly cats and kittens. Lakeview Cats Roaming was created for the cats still roaming in Lakeview since Hurricane Katrina. Kathy Sweeney and Jeanette Althans coordinate the feeding, trapping, and reunion efforts. The Remote Reunion Campaign, ARNO, Kinship Circle and others provide assistance with various items. Please visit our site for more information: www.lakeviewcats.org/
2. Katrina Dog Goes Home After 2+ Years
STORY EDITED FOR LENGTH This is Rascal who was rescued from his Bywater home in September 2005 and taken to Lamar Dixon. From there he was sent to another emergency shelter in Monroe, LA run by UAN (United Animal Nations)... From Monroe, Rascal and 80 or so other dogs were flown to eastern Pennsylvania on a flight chartered by the ABKA (American Boarding & Kennel Association, a branch of the AKC). This airlift was orchestrated by Bob Paine, owner of Molly's Country Kennels, a boarding kennel and doggie day care center in Lansdale, PA... When the flight landed in PA, the dogs went to Molly's, 44 miles away. Within a few days, most of the dogs were farmed out to 19 or so other boarding kennels/doggie day care centers... Every piece of information that came with or on the dogs was entered into Petfinder records created by UAN staff and volunteers... Most* all of the animals that were flown to PA by the ABKA/Molly's are OWNED by families in New Orleans. The Petfinder records include rabies tag numbers, rescue addresses, and owner's names if known... This particular kennel got four Katrina dogs. In a local newspaper article (Fall 2005) the owner states: "Since their rescue, each dog has been given a clean bill of health, vaccinated and microchipped for identification. The four dogs have passed initial evaluations with flying colors." Yet, despite this claim, one of the four dogs died from heart worm treatment; another one had heart worms so severe that the vet recommended he be euthanized, and Rascal tested weak heart worm positive and treated... When I asked the owner of the kennel if Rascal has been on monthly heart worm preventative since he completed his treatment, she said "no, we don't have a problem with heart worm around here." Really? By some oversight, Rascal's 2005 Rabies tag and ID tag did not make it into his Petfinder record. BUT the rabies tag number was on his paperwork (paperwork which I saw for the first time a few months ago, after lawsuit #3 was filed over another Molly's dog)...It took two phone calls, a post on a neighborhood forum and a few emails with a friend of Rascal's owner to make contact. His owner doesn't own a computer or have an email account so it was a few more weeks before I was able to send him photos to confirm it was his dog for sure...The bottom line is that Rascal was flown home on Friday. And this dog who spent the past two years living in a kennel, mostly isolated and described as un-adoptable, is acting like "his old sweet friendly self" according to his very happy owner. Oh, one more thing. The kennel never bothered to have him neutered in the two years they had him. 3. Shreveport, LA: Worker Leaves Animal Hell I have just terminated my employment at the Caddo Parish Animal Shelter. In order to avoid having to explain my situation to many, I am attaching a copy of my resignation. A reading will show how inhumane the shelter is. I am sorry to leave the animals behind, but I can no longer tolerate the abuse without the freedom to save lives... I truly believe if enough attention is brought to bear on the shelter, changes will be made. I forever remain your friend in animal care, TAKE ACTION: Write an email to the "Caddo Parish Major Players.” - Woody Wilson, Parish Administrator: wwilson@caddo.org • 318-226-6901 State Animal Control Association BACKGROUND: 4. Reader Response To: “Attention Katrina Pet Adopters” Response to the [Kinship Circle] thread titled Attention Katrina Pet Adopters: It is important to remember that there are hundreds of Katrina rescued pets who are still sitting in shelters or who have been returned to shelters by adopters. Locating the owners of those animals has in no way meant “taking a pet from a perfectly loving home”. Katrina Animal Reunion Team (KART) has made as its primary mission identifying those pets and making one more effort to locate their owners. All of the animals are those that are clearly identified by shelter, foster, or adopter as available for adoption. You can see some of the reunions that have taken place at: www.findkpets.org Having said that, there are hundreds of pet owners who know their pets were rescued but who have never found any trace of that pet. Sometimes the paperwork got lost, sometimes the pet was taken out of the area illegally, sometimes the receiving shelter or individual did not post the animal on Petfinder AERN. It would be cruel to tell these owners that at long last their missing pet has been found but that because someone intentionally or unintentionally did not list the pet (as legally required), they couldn’t get that pet back. One only need to look at the Lost Katrina Pets to see some of those owners who are still looking… www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZGYG8zaw6g And as to statutes, all 50 states consider animals as “property.” Whether that should be is open to debate but, for many reasons, the fact is that there are no states inclined to change that definition. In Louisiana, the applicable statute is: Art. 3419. Please notice that not only does the statute given owners 3 years to reclaim their pet it also requires that the “finder” make “a diligent effort” to locate the owner. Sadly, there are many individuals, shelters, etc. who made no such efforts prior to adopting out the Katrina rescuers thus victimizing not only the owners but the adopters as well. KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES: DOWNLOAD FREE LITERATURE. Supplement
your letters, advocacy work.     Fact
Sheet Thumbnails Shown Here:1. Born In A Puppy Mill 2. Pet Theft Thugs 3. FATAL FIGHTS: Dogs On The Underground Circuit 4. Dying For A Home DOWNLOAD FREE, HIGH RES FACT SHEETS: www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/ • Over 50 high-resolution, 8.5 x 11" Fact Sheets for your
advocacy materials
5. Katrina Animal Reunion Team (KART) • Did you receive Katrina rescued pets? Are you still caring for some? IF YOU THINK WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP, CONTACT KART: Katrina Animal Reunion Team (KART) was founded by a small group of experienced volunteers whose goal is to assist shelters and individuals still caring for Katrina rescues. Our members include some Gulf Coast residents who are in a position to go to addresses where a particular animal was found to locate possible owners. They talk to neighbors, post flyers, etc. They can also assess the situation to which a pet might return to and assist in verifying ownership. Transportation funds are still available. People Looking For Lost Katrina Pets: http://home.mindspring.com/~tisme/id3.html
7. NOPD Officers Honored For Rescue Of Injured Puppy
8. “Because They Have No Words” Nominated For Awards
Congratulations to Tim Maddox and Lotti Louise Pharriss / Weirdsmobile Productions, LLC for the extreme honor of nomination for the 2007 Ovation Awards in two categories: World Premiere Play and Ensemble Performance. Tim wrote and starred in this play about his experiences rescuing animals and volunteering at Lamar Dixon in the aftermath of Katrina. Because They Have No Words will be performed at the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston, IL this spring. Don't miss it.
9. UPDATE: Donations To Feed Feral Cats Who Outlived Katrina
KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES: DOWNLOAD FREE LITERATURE. Supplement
your letters, advocacy work. DOWNLOAD FREE, HIGH RES FACT SHEETS: www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/
10. MS SpayMart Needs Extra Hands For Katrina Cat Rescues SpayMart is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer nonprofit organization based in New Orleans. SpayMart also has a facility in Picayune, MS, for cats rescued after Katrina. Lynn Chiche (president) asked me to pass the word they GREATLY need extra hands to help care for the cats and would appreciate ANY amount of time that anyone could donate to the effort! Just going for one day would be appreciated. Maybe you could drive over to help with things like feeding/watering, scooping litter boxes, or administering meds? TO VOLUNTEER: Contact Lynn Chiche: lynnchiche@cox.net or 1-601-749-0268 11. ARNO: Help Keep Doors Open For Katrina’s Homeless
 In a recent ARNO email to volunteers, [arno_volunteers Digest Number 806, it was noted that ARNO has temporarily shut down animal intake. As those informed about the animal situation in post-Katrina New Orleans know, this compromises the flow from food/water to rescue to adopt/foster...
"We have some great dogs and cats, but too many of them. We are closing animal intake until some of these babies are moved out. I have left space for some dogs that have been fed in place for a long time now and that feeders have been trying to bring in. I do think it would be a great idea for all of you to help us think of ways we can move some animals out, whether it is contacting your local rescues or talking to your local pet supply businesses asking if we can put posters about ARNO up." Please network/volunteer for ARNO, so the doors can stay open for animals... TO VOLUNTEER OR GET INFO ON ANY ARNO TOPIC: 12. Humane Society Louisiana Offers $500 Bait To Snare Cat Trapper “Harry” the kitty healing and seeking new home, By Mary Sparacello -— The Humane Society of Louisiana is offering a $500 reward to help find the person who set a steel leg trap that injured a kitten's foot over the weekend. The gray tabby, which animal advocates named Harry, has a swollen hind foot but is expected to make a full recovery, said Lee Ann Matherne, Jefferson animal control director. A Metairie woman found the injured cat in her back yard Sunday with the trap clamped down on its right back leg, Matherne said. Humane Society Director Jeff Dorson said the traps are illegal in populated areas such as Metairie, where a majority of animals are domesticated. The traps are normally used in Louisiana to catch wild animals such as raccoons or nutria. The woman, who didn't know where the trap came from, contacted the Jefferson Animal Control Department, and an animal control officer captured the cat near the woman's house in the 900 block of Melody Drive. The officer disabled the trap and brought the cat to the East Bank Shelter, where he was treated by a veterinarian. Dorson said the person who left the trap could be charged with animal cruelty at the misdemeanor level because the kitten wasn't maimed. The person could be fined up to $1,000 and get six months in jail, Dorson said. A similar incident occurred last year when a man set a trap in St. John the Baptist Parish and caught a dog, part of whose paw had to be amputated, Dorson said. The man was charged with felony animal cruelty because of the seriousness of the injury, and the case is pending in court, Dorson said. In the kitten's case, someone likely trespassed onto the Metairie lawn to set the trap, Matherne said. "I don't really think he could have hobbled too far" with the trap on, she said. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Humane Society at (888) 6-HUMANE. The cat, named after the late Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee, is affectionate and tame, Matherne said. "He needs somebody's lap to sit on," she said. Harry is available for adoption through the Jefferson Parish Animal Control Department. The adoption fee is $67, which includes the cost of sterilization, vaccination, deworming and disease testing. 13. In 3 Minutes It Went From The Ground To The Roof St. Bernard Parish, 2005: Stranded in their attic/roof, a man, wife and their dog call out to no one. The man worries they [rescuers] won’t let him bring his dog, who is “like a son to him.” As his video camera scans a middle class suburb submerged in rising gray water, the man mumbles: “I’ll never stay through another hurricane again... I will run.” 14. UPDATE: Katrina Ravaged St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter
15. Colorado Effort Finds New Homes For Katrina Pets
By Cassie Hewlings, Denver Post Staff Writer — Lucy Pribbenow drove a yellow school bus that doubles as her mobile home to New Orleans, intent on saving lives after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city. Pribbenow rescued pets from the flooded city streets and fought off gang members attempting to steal dogs for illegal fighting rings, said Nanette Martin, a Colorado Springs photographer who chronicled Pribbenow's efforts after the storm. Since Katrina, Pribbenow has saved hundreds of animals held at the city's shelters from euthanasia by finding and transporting them to new homes across the country in her bus, Martin said. Martin [hosted] an exhibition of her images to raise funds for Pribbenow at the Denver Police Protective Association Event Center. Pribbenow [discussed] euthanasia and animal adoption at the show and [was] joined by eight puppies she rescued from the New Orleans animal shelter... "Unless you were there, you can't understand the sacrifice of these rescue workers," Martin said. "I made it a month and a half in New Orleans before I had to leave. Lucy has been there for two years." PHOTO/Middle: Nanette Martin says this dog adopted her. Oedi (short for Oedipus) hobbled out from under a bush as Nanette was looking for parking at the Baton Rouge airport. The SPCA microchip in this dog made them believe that it was evacuated from a New Orleans shelter during Hurricane Katrina and sent to Baton Rouge. Nanette owns this dog, and it will be at the show... (Special to the Post) New Orleans' shelters are plagued by lack of funding, space shortage and a growing segment of pet owners giving up their animals because they can't afford to care for them while trying to rebuild their lives post-Katrina, Pribbenow said. "People mistakenly think they can take the family dog to the shelter, and it will get a good home, but there just isn't the space," she said. " Most dogs don't even see a kennel. They go straight to the euthanasia table." The shelter Pribbenow works with, Hammond Shelter, is the largest in New Orleans and puts down 50 to 80 animals a day, which is why she bought her school bus, she said. Pribbenow said she pays the upfront medical adoption costs such as spaying and neutering fees to get the animals ready for adoption, which is covered in her $125 adoption fee, but relies on donations for her travel costs. In addition to the fund-raising show, Martin said she donates 25 percent of the money she makes from her project "People and their Pets" to Pribbenow. Martin said she offers free pet portraits for a $20 donation. "There isn't a line Lucy won't cross to help an animal," Martin said. "I can't do what she does, so it's my job to tell the world what she does." PHOTO/BOTTOM: This dog was pulled out of the water by a Kentucky National Guardsman just a few days after the levies broke during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. (Special to the Post) 16. KAT 5 Animal Rescue Wins Hanes Grant KAT 5 received word early yesterday evening that we are one of the six nonprofits to win the matching grant from Network for Good, Kevin Bacon's Six Degrees & Hanes! "Thanks so much for your patience this week as we finalized our review of the donation records. We are happy to share with you that your charity will be receiving the matching grant from Hanes! We want to thank you again for your tremendous efforts with fundraising and outreach to get hundreds of people to support your cause.” Stacie Mann, Network for Good. You helped us raise $13,200! KAT 5 will receive a grant from Hanes of $10,000. Our grand total will be $23,200! The total number of donations at the end of the contest on September 16, 11:59 PM ET was 498 donations. (The six winners were calculated by the number of donations and not by the monetary amount). THANK YOU to everyone for your donations and support. This truly was an effort implementing the theory of the six degrees of separation. We are touched by the swell of support. The money that will enable animals to be saved is incredible, the feeling that you believe in what we do is priceless. KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:
Kinship
Circle is a nonprofit organization serving the animal
advocacy community. Donations help us meet expenses for the
literature, website, research/campaigns and outreach — that
let YOU take action for animals. 
Use GoodSearch and select KINSHIP CIRCLE as your designated cause: www.goodsearch.com/ Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Relief Focus
*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct. *Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During a campaign, recipients may change/disable emails.
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
PHOTO:
PHOTO: In Lakeview many adult cats have been forgotten and still live on the streets. Several of these cats are now friendly and need forever homes. There are also many very young kittens living in the ruins. 
Photos present several cats who’ve grown friendly and would love forever
homes! We’ve located some owners who cannot reclaim their cat, due to
current living arrangements. Some were neighborhood cats prior to Katrina. Others had caretakers who are now unreachable.
PHOTO: Rascal, 22 months post-Katrina 
PHOTO: "Because They Have No Words" Nominated for TWO Ovation Awards 
We reported earlier that several colonies of feral cats were in danger of starving to death, when an administrator for the state run Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, whose offices are located in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, issued an order to prevent the cats from being fed. Pressure from the public and concerned citizens in the form of scores of letters and phone calls prompted the administration to rethink their policy, and the feeding was quickly allowed to resume. During the past two months, members of the Humane Society of Louisiana and PCAT, a Plaquemines Parish feline advocacy group, met with key members of this state agency, and plans have been developed to establish permanent feeding and watering stations at the far end of the property. Temporarily, well-marked feeding and water stations have been in operation for the past several weeks.
PHOTO/Top: This puppy was rescued from the Hammond Shelter in New Orleans in February of this year. It was part of a 60 dog and 30 cat transport driven by Nanette Martin and Lucy Pribbenow in two vehicles, and it was delivered to new owners in Atlanta. This dog would have died in the shelter. (Special to the Post)
