Contributing Writer
When they first arrived by plane
from the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, the 40 dogs and 10 cats
were shy and scared. “We can’t
even begin to imagine what they
must have gone through,” said
Nora Parker, vice president of St.
Hubert’s that set up a shelter
especially for the rescued animals
in Mendham.
That was back in October, now that the animals have settled in and are receiving lots of
TLC, their real personalities are shining through. The dogs include a mixture of breeds
including Pit Bulls, Shepherds, Chows, Rottweilers, and Foxhound mixes. “They all like
people and love getting attention,” Parker said.
After 30 days of sheltering, the rescue group was granted permission by the State of
Louisiana Department of Agriculture to find homes for the animals. National groups like
the HSUS and ASPCA, who are working to reunite pets with their former owners, have
asked rescue groups to keep Katrina pets until the middle of December if possible.
Because St. Hubert’s has limited time in the Mendham facility, it has had to start adopting
out the animals with a stipulation that if a proven owner is found, the dog or cat will be
surrendered by the adopters and returned to the original family.
“Two cats were already reunited with their owners — it’s so exciting for everyone when
that happens,” Parker said.
Sophie’s owner confirmed her identity by noting a heart-shaped mark on the Calico’s
side, while Big Shot was wearing a rabies tag that helped volunteers track down his
owner. Because so many families displaced by the hurricane don’t have access to the
Internet and Petfinder.com where thousands of animals are profiled, HSUS volunteers
have now turned their attention away from hands-on rescue work at the site to pouring
over records in an attempt to reunite pets. In-house staff at St. Hubert’s are also busy
using reverse directories to get names of residents living in the neighborhood where
animals were found to see if they might know who the owners were, Parker said.
Overall, the pets that arrived at St. Hubert’s as a result of Hurricane Katrina are doing
well. The exception is one cat who was hospitalized with severe liver problems. Most of
the dogs arrived with skin ailments and are responding well to treatment. Half of the
dogs tested positive for heartworm and are being treated for that. The other dogs are
being scheduled to be spayed or neutered. Many of the rescued Pit Bulls are not good
with other dogs but that’s a trait of the breed, Parker said.
these dogs to realize that while they
might have a nice pet they likely won’t
be good with children and can’t be
turned loose in dog parks,” she added.
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behavior work at St. Hubert’s Dog Training School.
“There are no serious training issues these dogs just need extra tender loving care,”
Parker said. “Some may have lived outside their whole lives and will need to be
acclimated to living indoors with the family.”
Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge (RBARI) in Oakland rescued 10 dogs from a Mississippi
Shelter where they had been retrieved from the streets of New Orleans.“We took a lot of Pit
Bulls because other rescues weren’t taking them,” said Amy Warnock, adoption
counselor and a member of the kennel staff at RBARI.
Dogs still available for adoption include Julia, a one-year-old pit mix who gets along well
with other dogs and children; Mardi Gras, a beautiful 10-month-old Pit who came in
emaciated at only 15 pounds, and is now a healthy 30 pounds; and Chance, who is
around 2-years-old, a huge muscular Pit who is shy and super sweet and would do well
in a home with older children.
“I’m sure we managed to get Mardi Gras and her sister — who was already adopted out
— before they were used for fighting because their ears had already been clipped (this is
done to prevent other dogs from grabbing ears during a fight),” Warnock said. “I saw a lot
of fighting Pit Bulls in the shelters when I went down to get these guys but they didn’t
come home with us because of their temperaments.”
As with the St. Hubert’s staff, volunteers at RBARI were thrilled when one of the dogs in
their care — Dixon, a Carolina Dog (a breed that resembles a Retriever) — was reunited
with its owners who had relocated to Alabama.
“This was a very sad story because the father and daughter and Dixon were the only ones
left in the house when the hurricane hit,” Warnock said. “The father and daughter didn’t
make it so we were glad to be able to reunite the rest of the family with their dog.”
Warnock hopes to return to Louisiana around Thanksgiving to help with ongoing rescue
efforts.
“What’s been happening now is that people are returning home devastated to see that
their houses are destroyed and their jobs are gone,” Warnock said. If there are pets still
alive in their homes many of these people are letting them run loose, she added.
Leslie Picone just returned from Louisiana where she worked with other rescuers to trap
these loose animals. Workers are setting as many as 20 large traps three or four times a
day, Picone said. An emaciated Rottweiler was discovered still trapped inside a home.
“He was literally a bag of bones and is now on fluids eating and drinking but who knows
how much internal damage has been done,” Picone said. “At least now if he is going to
die he will be surrounded by people who care about him.”
Katrina Pets Abandoned?
This is a forgotten story in the media, Picone said, but the fact is there is still a desperate
need for volunteers to help with animal rescues.
“The dogs are now running in packs — many with collars on — and have been on their
own so long they are not interested in being rescued,” she added.
Picone, a member of Companion Animal Placement in Hillsborough, has made a few
trips to help in the rescue efforts and so far has brought back 10 dogs to be placed in
homes in New Jersey. Two of the dogs were reunited with original owners. Justice, a
Labrador mix was spotted on Petfinder by its owner and tracked to the Hillsborough
group. The other dog, Kaya, a Shepherd mix, was wearing a mud-covered tag when she
arrived in New Jersey. When volunteers scraped off the mud they could just make out a
phone number scratched onto the tag. Using a reverse directory, they tracked down the
owners.
Ten dogs — all with nice temperaments and a mixture of Rottweiler, Spaniel, Labrador,
and Terrier as well as an older Dachshund — are now looking for new homes. The dogs
are kenneled in Hillsborough, along with some of the dogs that People for Animals of
Hillside have rescued from Louisiana.
Robyn Urman of PetResQ Inc. in Tenafly was scheduled to make her fourth trip to New
Orleans the week of Nov. 14 to bring back four dogs she had to leave behind due to health
issues. One, a chocolate Labrador, had a collar embedded in his neck and tested positive
for heartworm.
“I picked him up from the streets, I held him when he was being knocked out and while
they took maggots from his neck — there’s no way I am leaving him down there,” Urman
said. “I’m in desperate need of an experienced foster home for him when I return because
he was a lunatic when I found him, and will probably be even worse now.”
Urman rescued 56 animals from Louisiana, 11 cats, and all bottle babies, and the rest
dogs. Five of the kittens and half of the dogs are still in need of homes. Families who have
adopted these rescues agreed to surrender them if the displaced owners came looking
for their pets. Urman is hoping to get a home soon for two special rescues being fostered
in her house. Liberty, a Sheltie mix lost much of her hair due to acid burn from the toxins
she encountered on the streets.
“She is an awesome dog who has been treated and is ready to go to a new home,”
Urman said. “Her hair is growing back and all she needs now is love and a good diet.”
The other dog, Misty, a blind Cairn Terrier, is being treated for Cushing’s disease. He will
require one pill a day and PetResQ Inc will continue to pay for any of his medical
expenses.
“He must be about 100-years-old and all the other groups passed him up in the shelter —
I had to take him,” said Urman, whose organization specializes in the rescue of sick,
elderly, and handicapped animals.
“Somebody loved this dog — he is so human friendly. All he wants is to be hugged.”
WISH LIST AND CONTACT INFORMATION
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center headquartered at 575 Woodland Ave., Madison, is in
need of monetary donations and blankets to help care for the Katrina rescues. Anyone
interested in adopting one of these animals or any of the shelter animals in need of a
home can contact the organization at (973) 377-7094 or www.sthuberts.org.
Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge Inc., is located at 2 Shelter Lane, Oakland. The shelter is
in need of monetary donations and homes for the remaining Katrina pets. For more
information call (201) 337-5180 or visit www.rbari.org.
Companion Animal Placement, Hillsborough, is in need of frequent flier miles to continue
with rescue efforts in the Gulf Coast, monetary donations to help cover mounting
veterinary expenses, blankets and towels, volunteers to walk and socialize the dogs, and
new homes for all the animals still in rescue. E-mail munchie329@aol.com or visit www.
cap.petfinder.org.
PetResQ Inc., located at 24 W. Railroad Ave., Tenafly, needs monetary donations to cover
mounting veterinary bills for Katrina animals, frequent flier miles to continue with rescue
efforts in the Gulf Coast, pet food store gift cards, volunteers to man adoption days, people
to help with dogs in foster care, foster and longtime homes for dogs still in rescue. For
more information call (201) 567-DOGS or visit www.petfinder.com/shelters/petresqinc.
People for Animals has Katrina dogs for adoption at http://members.petfinder.
org/~NJ17/index1.htm. Financial donations always appreciated.
The work of helping Katrina pets is still ongoing, with rescue groups across the United
States participating in relief efforts. Check Petfinder.com for continually updated
information. A message board is available as well as bios of lost and found pets.
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