permission to crosspost
4/1/06: HURRICANE RESCUE NEEDS & NEWS

IN THIS ALERT:
1. News Bits
2. Volunteers Needed To Load Hay For Transport
3. Days Old Pups & Other St. Martin Pound Animals Need Rescue
4. Need Testimonials From LA Evacuees Forced To Leave Without Animals
5. Never Lose Hope In Search For Your Cats
6. 43 Animals Transported From NOLA Get Major Press & Launch 2006 Rescue Campaign
7. Spay/Louisiana Steps Up Commitment To Spay/Neuter Aid
8. Katrina Dog Lost To Improper Heartworm Treatment

1. NEWS BITS
**Hurricane Katrina...and the forgotten victims
Breathtaking slide show, set to music: http://www.forpitssake.org/katrina.html

**From Mimi Smith, the lawyer working on some Katrina reunification cases: The American Bar Association has instigated a project to draft model laws on pet disaster relief; including memoranda of understanding on animal removal, and addressing the issue of moving animals and controlled substances (medicines, I assume) across state lines. It's just a model, but important.
Marnie Reeder

**National Disaster Animal Relief & Supply (NDARS) is a group of rescue volunteers providing Foster Care, Supplies (crates, food, medical items),Transportation and other items needed for Major Disasters, such as Katrina was. There will be a coordinator for every state involved, as well as a central database to volunteer goods or services.

Please join the effort, it is going to take all of us to make a difference: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDARS/join
JoAnne Reints, Vice-President, National Disaster Animal Relief & Supply

**New ARNO items available for sale: http://www.cafepress.com/arno_saf

**(Cher) amour_de_faune@yahoo.com writes: Animal Planet is taking nominations for animal "Hero of the Year." Boy, countless heroes rose out of this disaster, but I can not think of anyone more worthy than Jane Garrison. Entry form: http://animal.discovery.com/sweepstakes/hero/2006/entryform.html
Hero of the Year info: http://animal.discovery.com/sweepstakes/hero/2006/

2. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO LOAD HAY FOR TRANSPORT
SOURCE: Annj@CGraphics.com

3,400 bales of hay in Mocksville, North Carolina are awaiting transport to Gulf Coast storm areas.

CONTACT: Ann Jordon – cell: 704-287-7512; email: Annj@CGraphics.com

WHAT: Kindhearted, strong-muscled individuals are needed to load hay for transport. It will take 7 tractor trailers to move these bales of hay. If you know anyone who may have access to forklift type machinery, please invite them.

WHEN: Trucks ready to load hay at 8:00 a.m., April 8 & April 15, Saturdays.

WHERE: Interstate 40 Exit 174. Actual location is 1 mile off the Interstate, in Mocksville, NC 27028.

CONTACT: Ann Jordon – cell: 704-287-7512; email: Annj@CGraphics.com

NOTE: Hay has been located all over the USA. There is a large portion in South Carolina. Need a few vans and many, many flat beds to haul rolls of hay. Should you be able to help, or know anyone who can help, please contact Ann Jordan. This hay will go to Gulfport, MS and along the coast of Louisiana to several different distribution centers.

CONTACT: Ann Jordon – cell: 704-287-7512; email: Annj@CGraphics.com

3. DAYS OLD PUPS & OTHER ST. MARTIN POUND
ANIMALS NEED RESCUE
SOURCE: Marie St Martin, St. Martin Humane Society, Louisiana
337-277-9538, 337-879-6600
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006

Sara Glasgow, the Animal Control Officer for St. Martin Parish, rescued a dog today with 11 three day old puppies and is begging for help. This mother dog was in an altercation with a man who was apparently either trying to take her puppies or trying to take the rabbit she had caught. Witnesses were about to shoot the dog when Sara arrived. The dog had 15 puppies but 4 were dead and looked as though they had been dragged out of the den. Sara says this dog is the sweetest thing and she has no doubt the dog was provoked.

The dog is a Lab mix and her puppies (black, white or black/white) are just gorgeous. Some money is being raised for this doggie family to help whoever offers to take them with their care (so far $80, probably more coming).

IF YOU CAN HELP, CONTACT:
Sara Glasgow, St. Martin Parish Animal Control Officer
337-316-0160 or 337-394-1220.
St. Martin Parish Animal Control Facility located in St. Martinville, LA.

PS: There are other beautiful dogs in the St. Martin pound who need help.
See pictures. There is also a potbelly pig (not on the list)

Thanks!
Marie Bossard, St. Martin Humane Society, Louisiana
http://www.stmartinhumane.org

4. NEED TESTIMONIALS FROM LA EVACUEES FORCED TO LEAVE WITHOUT THEIR ANIMALS
SOURCE: Cathy Wells, wellsc@legis.state.la.us
Sent: Tue, 14 Mar 2006
View Louisiana’s Pet Evacuation Bill: http://www.legis.state.la.us/

Senator Fontenot (District 13, Louisiana) needs statements from Katrina evacuees who were stopped from evacuating with their pets. Testimonials will be heard in phases, with the most “hard-hitting” cases essential for the first meeting and all cases helpful in urging passage of Louisiana’s emergency Pet Evacuation Standards Bill.

Cathy Wells, a staff member from Sen. Fontenot’s office, is collecting statements from affected parties.

Were you, or someone you know, forced to evacuate without your animal companions? Your willingness to speak out is instrumental in influencing legislators to support the Pet Evacuation Bill.

CONTACT: Cathy Wells, wellsc@legis.state.la.us

The bill should be heard in Senate Committee either the week of April 3 or 10.

To testify before a legislative committee, all you do is fill out a card with your name and contact information and the chairman of the committee will call on you when it is time to testify. Just tell the committee specifically what happened to you and your family and how this bill would have made you and your family's life better.

CONTACT: Cathy Wells, wellsc@legis.state.la.us

5. NEVER LOSE HOPE IN SEARCH FOR YOUR CATS
SOURCE: Jane Garrison, janegarrison@comcast.net
Sent: Thu, 30 Mar 2006

We just heard about a cat ARNO had searched for since September. Angel was 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 in Oregon so she sent a friend to identify Angel...sure enough it was her. So, she was caught, examined by a 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

6. 43 ANIMALS TRANSPORTED FROM NOLA GET MAJOR PRESS & LAUNCH 2006 RESCUE CAMPAIGN
SOURCE: Garo Alexanian, pettalklive@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006

EDITED FOR LENGTH
View photos and news report videos at: http://www.CompanionAnimalNetworkTV.org
...The Companion Animal Network has planned, over the last six months, to make our biggest effort yet...when the need and void is actually greatest due to the lack of out of state volunteers and organizations.

Our plan was to trap dogs and cats and bring them back to several New York and New Jersey area shelters with whom we had an agreement to open up new cage space so no other animal would be euthanized. We also brought custom tracking software, thanks to the efforts of whiz database programmer Joe Polivick of Cincinnati, for lifetime tracking of the animals whose lives would be entrusted to us... We rented a 24 ft truck for $3000 for 2 weeks and filled it with 9,000 lbs of hay donated from a wonderful farmer in South Plymouth, NY, Gif Foster of Foggy Bottom Farms. We delivered the hay to Gulfport, MS where there is little hay for farm animals, and also to Fireside Rescue in Carriere, MS...

Upon arriving in N.O., we were surprised to find that the packs of dogs had long moved on from their previous hiding areas as those areas now had lights, generators, mobile homes, work crews, etc. The animals are still out there but now they have migrated into other areas where there is more shrubbery and less activity...

So we thought about taking animals from the area's kill shelters instead. First we visited the LASPCA's new shelter in Algiers as we’d heard rumors they were euthanizing animals like crazy. Nothing could have been further from the truth... They informed us they’d had little need to euthanize. Only the very sick and very aggressive dogs. Our standards of very sick and very aggressive are certain to vary but we must NOT circulate false rumors...

The LASPCA informed us that the outer Parishes, however, are doing a lot of euthanizing. They put us in contact with St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish animal control officers. One by one outer Parishes called us when word got around. Jefferson, St. Johns, St. Charles all asked if we had room for animals they were about to euthanize, and within 48 hours we had their animal control trucks deliver almost 40 animals who were all to be put down that Friday (March 10th) to the wonderful Southern Animal Foundation...

Including some feral cats and ARNO rescues (god bless Robin and Charlotte and Brian at ARNO—three of the most competent animal people I have ever met) and one owner reunification cat headed for Maine thanks to Wendy Roberts of Massachusetts, we had a total of 45 animals to take care of for 1300 miles... Jeff Dorsen, President of the Humane Society of Louisiana, unable to find anyone in his group to go on such short notice, stepped up to the plate personally and made the ride with me...

We had pre-prepared with the partnering shelters to do news releases upon our return BEFORE we left NYC. The two NYC area shelters, one in South Jersey and one in Westchester County, put their news releases out and both got immediate media attention. NBC affiliate WCAU-TV and ABC affiliate WPVI-TV in Philadelphia both reported on the trip as did Channel 12 in Westchester (videos on our home page), in addition to several local newspapers. It made the Associated Press newswire and WINS all news radio. Both shelters had their phones ringing off the hooks and within the first week many of the animals were adopted out.

...Having realized that the animal need now for the Katrina affected Gulf Coast in 2006 is transports, transports, and more transports, we have approached some of the same partnering groups on how to continue these transports once a month at least through the end of the grueling summer. Amazingly, some of the major organizations have stepped up to the plate (again) and it looks like monthly transports removing animals from the N.O area kill shelters will become a reality starting the week of April 17. Watch out for a major announcement very soon.

In the meanwhile, please check out the FACES OF THE SAVED on our home page at http://www.CompanionAnimalNetworkTV.org.

...60% of the population of the Gulf Coast was absorbed into the rest of the country, it is our obligation to do the same for the animal population.

Garo Alexanian, Companion Animal Network
PO Box 750214; Forest Hills, NY 11375
718-544-PETS(7387)

7. PAY/LOUISIANA STEPS UP COMMITMENT TO SPAY/NEUTER AID
SOURCE: Julie Becker, Executive Director, Spay/Louisiana, julie@spaylouisiana.org
Join Spay/Louisiana mailing list: http://spaylouisiana.org/mailinglist.html

The first project on our schedule is a spay/neuter voucher program that will provide assistance for cats and dogs who are permanent residents of certain households in St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Orleans and Jefferson. For a limited time, all current residents of Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parish will qualify for this program. Hurricane-impacted and low-income residents of Orleans and Jefferson Parish will also be eligible. Caretakers of feral and free-roaming cats within the four-parish area will be invited to use spay/neuter vouchers as part of responsible colony management and TNR efforts. We hope to launch the voucher program in late spring, and are working hard to nail down all the details.

We're pleased to be able to add to the important efforts of existing spay/neuter programs, and look forward to working with the animal care, control and welfare community to ensure that our combined efforts result in an increased number of surgeries performed, and a decreased number of animals becoming entering our community shelters and rescue programs.

We are very pleased to have the support and participation of the Southeast Louisiana Veterinary Association for this project. This organization represents nearly 200 veterinarians across southeast Louisiana, and has a long history of compassionate service. This project will be funded through a generous grant from the ASPCA.

Future projects also planned for 2006 include spay/neuter efforts specifically targeting the feral and free-roaming cat population, and a high-volume, long-term project that will deliver high-quality spay/neuter services for animals in shelters and foster care programs.

If you'd like to receive more information about this project as it progresses, or if you would like to learn more about how your shelter or rescue agency may become a voucher distribution partner, just visit the Spay/Louisiana web site to add yourself to our mailing list: http://spaylouisiana.org/mailinglist.html

ABOUT SPAY/LOUISIANA - Spay/Louisiana's mission is to help end pet overpopulation in Louisiana by increasing access to high-quality sterilization surgery for cats and dogs that are most likely to add to our state’s homeless pet population. Spay/Louisiana began in 2002, as a grassroots effort to identify spay/neuter and animal care, control and welfare resources across Louisiana. The results of that on-going effort are used to provide referrals to spay/neuter assistance programs across Louisiana, and are published in the Louisiana Animal Welfare Directory.

Julie Becker, Spay/Louisiana, julie@spaylouisiana.org
Box 11149; Jefferson, LA 70181
http://spaylouisiana.org

8. KATRINA DOG LOST TO IMPROPER HEARTWORM TREATMENT
SOURCE: Terry Thistlethwaite, Chekia Dog Rescue, avondell@juno.com
Sent: Mon, 27 Mar 2006
Hurricane Katrina Rescue Dogs Fund Raiser:
http://thebengalmagazine.com/ChekiaFundRaiser.html

Dear Readers
Three days ago, I lost one of my Hurricane Katrina rescue dogs to an embolism in his heart. He died very suddenly, and my vet said that even if she had been with him, there was nothing she could have done for him. I held him in my arms as his life slipped quickly and peacefully from his Body. It was shocking, horrific, and totally unnecessary.

Noah was a two year old Lab mix who came to us "in great health" except for a positive heartworm check. It was not the heartworm, however, that killed him, it was the heartworm treatment. He died four months after receiving the treatment, and autopsy showed no heartworms in his body.

As it happened, three of the Katrina Rescue Dogs I received had heartworm. Noah was the only one who went to a foster home - a decision I will always regret. The foster person thought she was doing "a great thing" by taking her vet's advice, and not mine, and having Noah treated with the chemical injections for heartworm rather than the alternative, homeopathic, and supportive treatment I had instructed her to use. She returned Noah to me after the injections, proud of her deceitful yet "veterinary approved" actions.

Noah came back from heartworm treatment looking worse than the day he was pulled from the flood water in New Orleans. He was thin, had a dry coat, and huge tear stains under his eyes that made it look as tho he'd been crying for weeks. I was able to get him back into good weight and coat, but the damage the drugs had done to his heart proved to be irreparable. He survived only four months after that, despite quiet conditions and monitored exercise.

The other two heartworm positive dogs I have here are doing well on homeopathic paratox and diatomaceous earth as their heartworm treatment. Princess, the elderly Poodle who came to me with pneumonia and lung damage, as well as mammary tumors, continues to amaze my vet with her steady improvements. Emily, the American Eskimo who also tested positive, has grown a huge coat and wonderful state of health, as well. Both are allowed to exercise freely.

The other American Eskimo who came to me from Katrina, BabyFace, was rescued from a flooded home along with a young Husky mix who was taken by another rescuer. As the two were very bonded, we had hoped to reunite them for adoption. The last I heard, however, the Husky was throwing up blood as a result of the chemical heartworm treatment, and her survival was unlikely.

Please be aware that the chemical heartworm treatment kills dogs - and kills young and otherwise healthy dogs. It is NOT the "only option" for treating heartworm. It is, however, the most potentially dangerous option.

Terry Thistlethwaite, Chekia Dog Rescue
In Memory Of Noah, and on behalf of those his death may serve to save.

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