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+++Hurricane Katrina/Rita Survivors and Rescuers+++ » Group Forum

Our Katrina Stories.....

  
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Mo {Katrina- Survivor}

justice for- MOOIE!!!		 
 
Barked: Mon May 22, '06 9:46am PST 
Hi everyone!! This is our new spot where we can post our stories and experiences with Katrina/Rita. That way we won't lose the posting buried in the main list and we can keep them all in one easy to find place. Can't wait to hear all about you all!!
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Storm

Silent Observer
 
 
Barked: Wed May 31, '06 1:07pm PST 
Great idea. I love intro threads! Here's what I know about Storm's past:

Storm was in a shelter in Slidell, LA when Katrina went through - so he didn't have a family in the first place. A small-breed rescue of some sort (someone told me that it was a Chihuahua rescue) that was based in North Carolina drove a truck down loaded with crates to pick up all of the purebreds that they could find. In a breed rescue, a purebred has a far better chance of rescue than in a normal shelter.

Anyway, being a small-breed rescue, the woman brought a bunch of small crates, but decided to bring alone one larger crate as well. When she got down there, she saw a shaggy dog that she recognized as a Bearded Collie. He got the one large crate.

Everyone was trucked back up to North Carolina, and the various dogs were dropped off at appropriate breed rescues along the way. The woman contacted the Carolinas Bearded Collie Club about the Beardie that she rescued. They took him sight unseen - something that they usually never do, but did in this odd situation. His foster mom got him cleaned up and into a vet for a check up. His age was placed at somewhere around 8-12 months. He underweight, intact, and full of hookworms. He was started on meds for the worms and scheduled for a neutering.

Meanwhile, the Club president emailed me. I had just turned in my application to adopt two months beforehand, and I was shocked to get an email so soon! The prez told me that Orly (the name his foster mom gave him) and I would be good match based on both of our needs - and would I be interested in driving to the NC/SC border to meet him?

Well, duh.

A skinny, skittish, still somewhat sick, and newly-neutered Beardie was waiting for me when I arrived at his foster mom's house just a week after his arrival. We got along swimmingly and he went home with me that day. He was already responding to his new name - Storm.


...so that's how I got my roommate and best friend. smile
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Clover

Clover - The lucky one		 
 
Barked: Thu Jun 1, '06 7:50pm PST 
What we know about Clover...nothing. The shelter we adopted her from told us that she came from the second batch, this batch included all the random dogs they found, she could have had a previous owner or she could have always just been a stray. But she was found wandering. She has some broken teeth and some scars. Since her tail isn't docked, she still has her declaws, her ears aren't cut and she wasn't spayed, my guess is that she's a stray. The first few times we walked her if she got starteled, her first reaction was to hide in a bush or try to hide under a car. She's extremely loving though and sometimes i think she may have had a family or maybe she links humans with safe, food and shelter.....I'll always be curious about the first year of her life and what it was like....

Edited by author Thu Jun 1, '06 7:52pm PST

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Pippi- Longstocking

Got treats?		 
 
Barked: Sat Jun 3, '06 10:26am PST 
Pippi was found 3.5 weeks after the storm in an attic. Her teats were filled with milk yet no pups were found. It is fair to assume, like most dogs in the wild, Pip ate the dead puppies. They were probably the only thing that sustained her. She had a fresh 6 inch wound down her spine, as well as a inch round wound on her side. She was brought back to Gonzales where a vet tech from UC Davis fell in love with her.

Having too many dogs already, the tech (sorry I forget her name) coerced my friend Terah (who had volunteered with FEMA to do people search and rescue, but was assigned to animal search and rescue because she trains dogs for people search) to bring her home with her. Although Terah is NOT partial to pit bulls, she couldn't resist this little love bug and packed up Pippi (then nicknamed PUPPY) into the Hop-A-Long van and brought her back to Oakland.

Terah fostered Puppy in her home where her two children, especially her son, quickly bonded with her. It was the children who named her Pippi Longstocking.

When I mentioned to Terah I was looking for another pit bull to adopt she said, "I've got a girl for you". I picked Pippi up two days before Thanksgiving to foster for awhile and just knew I didn't want to give her back.

Pippi tested heartworm postitive right before Christmas. She spent most fo Dec. and Jan. in the house. She recently retested for heartworm and depending on her upcoming test may have to redo the HORRIBLE hardcore chemical dosing that would leave her bedridden for most of the summer.

Hop-A-Long waited until after the first of the year to give all owners a chance to find thier pets (and many of their dogs were reunited with owners), but no one claimed Pippi.

While there have been many guesses about her wounds, now permanent scars, I'd say the most accurate is that she was trying to squeeze her little self through a place she normally wouldn't fit.

As to Pippi's life before the storm, there's really no way of telling. She WAS a breeding bitch. The doctors guessed this latest batch wasn't her first litter of puppies. Other than that, she was house broken, has no qualms about making herself at home on the couch or bed so I believe she was an indoor pet.

Like Clover, she ducks for cover whenever a hard wind blows, a door slams, or someone scuffles their feet. I believe this is trauma from the storm when they had to duck for cover from everything and anything flying at them. It was a challenge to get her to go out and pee during the heavy rainstorms we experienced this year.

Pippi is also fearful of the ocean. She will not even get close to the water's edge. Not even when myself or any of her friends get in it, she runs away. She will sit complacently through a bath though.
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Louis- Dauphine- LaFitte

But I like it!		 
 
Barked: Wed Jun 7, '06 6:53am PST 
Woof, woof everyone! I’m Karin, one of Louis’ mamas and I'm new to this forum. I so appreciate the fact that there's a place for the Katrina Woofies and their humans. Anyway, I spent a week in mid September in New Orleans doing animal rescue with Pasado's Safe Haven from Washington State, which was truly a life altering experience. The day before I left, we rescued a stray dog that was wandering the streets, who looked very much like Louis. I really wanted to take home with me, and as I was leaving the next day and there was no room on the plane for him, I bawled all the way to the airport (this dog eventually found an amazing home in Ohio, hooray!). However, I had promised my partner that I wouldn't bring anyone back with me, as we already had two monster dogs, although she told me later she was surprised that I did not. After hearing my stories of all the help that was (and still is) needed for foster/adoption of the Katrina animal victims, she agreed we needed to do our part.

I contacted Pasado's, as I knew a group of dogs was en route to Seattle, and made arrangements to view what I thought was going to be four dogs. By the time we arrived at the kennel where they were waiting to go home, there was only one dog left. Temporarily named "Sport", he was spunky little lab mix that was obviously traumatized by his experience, but still ready to take on life with a fabulous zest! I inquired as to why nobody took him, and was told that even though many people thought he was adorable, he was always the second choice of the fosters.

I immediately picked up on how smart he was, and how lively and bright he seemed to be...my partner had other ideas, however, and wasn't sure she wanted such a young dog, as his age was estimated between 7 months and two years. I could tell he was a stellar, brilliant boy, however, so I convinced her to let us see how he worked out. Sucker that she is for a pretty face, he won her over in about an hour, and he's truly stolen her heart wink

We spent the ride home trying to figure out the best name for him (“Sport” just wasn’t working for us), and he responded to Louis immediately. Even though there must be a ton of Katrina dogs named Louis, the name stuck and truly suits him. "Dauphine" just sounded cool, and I knew there was a street in NO with the same name. "LaFitte" comes from Jean LaFitte, the rogue pirate that was a Louisiana fixture in the late 18th/early 19th century. With Louis' incessant fixation of stealing socks, shoes, clothing and towels, he is well named!

We have no idea where Louis came from, as he was listed as a stray (S 105). I believe he was found alone, and I’m still working to find out his exact location/story of his rescue. However, we had been rescuing in Gentilly/Bywater/St. Claude prior to my leaving, so my guess is that he may have come from any of those areas...there was only about a three week turnaround from my arrival home and Louis' arrival to us. Out of the 25-30 animals that arrived here in Washington, I was told that he was one of two that tested negative for heartworm. Like nearly all of the hurricane animals, he was emaciated, and very food motivated as a result. He did have a nasty case of kennel cough also, and was still intact, which we immediately fixed wink

We were told that Louis was a lab mix, which I was thrilled about, as I LOVE labs. Since then, we've discovered that he's truly a Gumbo dog, as the rest of him seems to be some exotic combination of beagle/hound, with a possibly a bit of pit bull/chow/dachshund/spaniel/Italian greyhound thrown into the mix. He's a very affectionate and VERY happy boy; he's just grateful to be here! He loves his sister Karma, and they play ENDLESSLY. Every night as we all pile into our bed, Louis gets settled and then heaves the most contented sigh that I ever heard! He likes to curl up with us in the pillows or sleep next to his brother Oskar.

Louis still has some minor issues with some other dogs, and we are working on socialization; he's come a long way! As for people, he LOVES everyone, and in fact, happily greets any person he might encounter at the dog park. Aside from chewing up our bathroom floor, the siding of the garage and the house, and one of our windowsills when he first arrived, he's been an outstanding canine. We are so lucky to have him!

Edited by author Wed Aug 9, '06 3:50pm PST

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Mo {Katrina- Survivor}

justice for- MOOIE!!!		 
 
Barked: Wed Jun 7, '06 6:13pm PST 
Hi everyone!! Well, momma and I are finally gonna post my story, for those of you who don't know it yet. Thanks for sharing your stories everyone, and thank you so much Karin, for going to LA to help Pasado's with the rescue effort, we will never forget the sacrifice and kindness of all the hoomans who helped us!!

I was rescued on October 1st, in an area of NO that was not such a great area before the hurricane. The intersection of where I was found was Patterson and Horace. There were LOTS of strays there before the hurricane, and I was one of them. Momma thinks I was about 6-7 months old at the time of my rescue. I was almost completely bald from stress induced Demodex mange, and I was coughing a lot as my lungs had started filling up with fluid. There was a man that lived there, nicknamed "Shorty", who had taken me under his wing, to try and help me, and to protect me from the other strays that were beating up on me due to my compromised health, I was an easy target.

One day, the National Guard noticed me with the man, and he told them that I did not belong to him, but he was reluctant to give me up cause he didn't want me to be put down. The National Guard told Pasado's that there was a dog that needed help and they came right away. Two of Pasado's rescuers, Ahmad, and Corina, came to find me. Well, the man did not want me to go cause like I said, he thought they would put me down, cause of my health. Well, they did there best convincing that they did NOT want to put me down, and that I was in DESPERATE need of veterinary care, so he let me go with them. That was the begining of my new life.

I spent only about 5 days in the Pasado rescue barn, where they had tons of other dogs, cats, and other animals. I didn't want to eat, and was really depressed. I tugged at the heartstrings of all the Pasado Rescuers. Some of them slept next to my kennel at night, they all came by to visit me and give me love, and talk to me.

One day, they were getting some dogs ready to send to Washington. They had to make room for new dogs, and there were some that needed more care I imagine. Well, one rescuer whom I had won the heart of, named Claudia, approached Mark, one of the founders of Pasados, and virtually begged him to let me get on the plane outta there. Luckily for me, he said YES! Then I was on a plane, donated by a wealthy Seattlite who wanted to help, and on my way!

When I arrived at Pasado's, they spent a lot of time helping me to get healthy. I too was tested heartworm negative, thank goodness! I got lots of good food, and stayed with a wonderful Pasado's employee named Claire.

Well, my momma wanted to help with the hurricane efforts, but wasn't sure what to do, so she offered her photography services to Pasado's, to take photos of any animals that needed homes and such. Well, when she came to Pasado's, I was the very first dog she met, and one that they needed pictures of. They were hoping I would find a new forever home, but I wasn't exactly very handsome at that point, and no one had offered to adopt me. Maybe people were worried about my health condition and how much it might cost to get me healthy again. Well, momma and dad (who came along for the ride) fell in love with me instantly, and I with them. I was at there home only two days later!

I have had to undergo several mange treatments, had entropion surgery, got neutered, and finally, I am one happy, healthy boy! Momma says that I am the happiest dog I have ever seen. I have a wonderful family, dog brothers and sisters, cat sisters, and a great little home with a HUGE yard. I get to go to the off leash parks several times a week and make new pals, wich I do with gusto!

Well, momma says it is time to go make dinner now, but if we thing of anything else to add, we will edit our post later.

bye my pals!
Love, Mo
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Mo {Katrina- Survivor}

justice for- MOOIE!!!		 
 
Barked: Sat Jun 17, '06 10:39pm PST 
Hey y'all, we would love to hear about your stories!! Please share them with us :0)
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Honey

Love is the most- important thing.		 
 
Barked: Tue Jul 25, '06 9:39pm PST 
The week before Katrina I got a call from the Louisiana SPCA, asking if I could take a beagle that had been in quarantine with a respiratory infection. She was doing a lot better and really needed to get out of the shelter. I said I could and picked her up and called her Honey. That week she seemed to be improving, but then started getting more snotty and less interested in food. We changed her antibiotics and planned to admit her if she kept getting worse.

The Saturday before Katrina a friend and I drove to Tuscaloosa, AL to pull a beagle from the pound there. On the way back we checked with the news station, to find that a category five hurricane was predicted to make landfall on or extremely close to New Orleans. I called my husband and told him that we needed to get organized to evacuate.

That Sunday a.m. found us packing computers, our wedding photo (with notes from our guests signed on the matting), important paperwork, enough clothes for a few days, and our critters. That was 6 dogs, 1 cat, 5 lizards, 6 snakes and a tortoise. We headed out of town at 3pm Sunday.

With frequent stops for doggy breaks we made it to Baton Rouge at some ungodly hour. The rest of the evacuees headed west to Houston, and we headed east towards Atlanta.

I'm going to finish this later because I find that I'm crying.

Finishing this 10/12/06:

Once we headed east we had the roads all to ourselves. My husband doesn't drive so it was just me, drinking coffee and praying to God that we could stay ahead of the storm. By this time (I don't even know what time it was) we were driving almost literally with Katrina at our back through Mississippi. We blessedly found a gas station that was open so we pulled in to gas up. My husband went inside to pay and I took Alabama and Honey out of the car for a break. Alabama was so anxious and Honey was so sick she could barely walk. I put her down on some grass and she just sat for a moment, face into the wind.

Okay. Stopping again.

Edited by author Thu Oct 12, '06 5:23am PST

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Lille

156941		 
 
Barked: Sat Aug 5, '06 11:27am PST 
Lille here, I am a Rita survivor. I was already with my mom and family and we all evacuated. Until then I had never seen a cow. I sure was brave talking to all of them behind that fence, LOL! My mom has pictures and everything. Mommy says we were blessed 'cause our house was fine and we had a place to go during the storm that was safe. Not everyone was so blessed. I hope everyone is continuing to recover. Love, Lille, Pierre, and Ming Lu
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Little Bit

328288		 
 
Barked: Sat Aug 19, '06 7:00pm PST 
I was rescued from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I was at Lamar Dixon awaiting someplace to go. The Humane Society of Kent County Michigan came to save me. Some generous soul in Grand Rapids donated a plane to bring me and about 150 of my friends to the humane society. There I received medical treatment and a whole bunch of love and attention. I was in pretty good shape compared to the rest of the bunch, although I was only about 5 months old at the time. After a couple of months at the shelter and no one to reclaim me, it was time to go to a foster home. I had a little bit of a food aggression problem that needed to be fixed before I could be adopted. The family that stepped up to the task is now my forever family. My mom was pregnant at the time, but loves nothing more than helping the animals in need. I loved nothing more than snuggling my head up next to her belly and the baby inside. Through the past year over 30 foster animals have been through their house for various medical or behavioral issues. After some hard work I overcame my food aggression and was a perfect fit to the family. Dad officially adopted me as my mom's Christmas present. She says it was the best present ever. One look into my eyes and she was hooked. She said that she couldn't abandon me again, not like my first family. I was already so attached to everyone and I had a little separation anxiety to overcome.
I have brought so much to the household. I brought the puppy out of my older sister Ellie and I have given Sabryn and Clarence (the cat) a playmate. I discovered that I love the snow here in Michigan, I spent hours just romping around in it. I also had a really hard time with the first big rain storm, I freaked out and tore the corner off from the leather sofa! OOPS!!!!! My family understood that it was just part of the trauma. The shelter heard from a lot of other people with hurricane rescues after that rain. Apparently we all had a little trouble with it. I still don't love the rain, but it is getting better. My mom says that the survivors are "miracle dogs" she spent so much time working with them after they came to the humane society and loved every one of them. These animals had just went through such trauma and all of them were so grateful and loving. They all just wanted the love and compassion of people. Being able to be a part of that rescue effort was such a memorable and inspiring moment that will last a lifetime.
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