TREATED LIKE DOGS

My mother often said she preferred animals to humans. She had a point....


Some of the people in New Orleans couldn't leave, while others chose to stay. The animals didn't have a choice, and James Janeg's article by about the Superdome evactuation in yesterday's Chicago Tribune makes me feel a bit ill (and I don't even like dogs that much):

"People, we got to be moving," Sgt. 1st Class Michael Glenn said through a bullhorn. "You see the fence. You've got to be on the other side of the fence."

Angry faces in the crowd glared at him, but moved on. A cursing man in a purple hat stayed behind until five Guardsmen towering around him convinced him to go. Weary families hobbled out together. Dogs were not allowed, and were left behind, tied under tables in front of a ticket counter.

No one knew what to do with the dogs, some of which ran free. A few Guardsmen poured water into popcorn containers for them, but many of the animals looked beyond help.

Lt. A.J. Ylizaliturri, a personnel officer with the 61st Troop Command, threw them some food as she worked her cell phone to find veterinarian groups interested in helping.

"I'm trying to get in touch with anyone on the Internet, animal organizations, anyone," she said.

After nearly a week of staying still, the people of New Orleans were getting somewhere.

"I've seen some stuff," said John Ballard, 40, who left the Superdome in a clean shirt he had saved for the occasion. "Right now, I just want to go be with my family."

This piece in Sunday's Newsday includes contact info for various humane groups at the the end. I've not researched any of them yet, but Noah's Wish sounds legit....

TAKING PAWS TO SAVE PETS LEFT BEHIND


BY DENISE FLAIM
NEWSDAY STAFF WRITER

September 4, 2005


While the focus in New Orleans is on rescuing the hundreds of thousands of people still stranded in the water-logged city, animal-welfare groups also have mobilized there in an effort to save dogs, cats and other creatures left adrift by Hurricane Katrina.

"People were told when they evacuated to leave their pets behind," said Michael Mountain, president of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, which is helping to evacuate the city's animals in the hopes of later reuniting them with their owners. "For those people who have lost so much, it's just another heartache to wonder what happened to Fido or Fluffy."

Mountain said the number of stray animals in the New Orleans area could be in the millions, and he noted that the goal was to retrieve free-roaming dogs "before they start forming packs, their version of looters."

New Orleans isn't the only focus of animal advocates: Noah's Wish, a Placerville, Calif.-based group that helps rescue animals during disasters, has established a makeshift shelter in Slidell, La.

"People are absolutely desperate," says volunteer and spokeswoman Patricia Jones. "I got an e-mail from a 10-year-old saying, 'My gecko is in my bedroom - can you please feed him crickets?'"

Among the animal groups accepting Hurricane Katrina monetary donations:

Noah's Wish noahswish.org, 530-622-9313.

American Humane. www.americanhumane.org, 303-792-9900.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 2005 Disaster Relief Fund. www.aspca.org/disaster, 866-275-3923.

American Veterinary Medical Association Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams. www.avmf.org, 800-248-2862 ext. 6689.

Best Friends Animal Society Hurricane Relief Fund. www.bestfriends.org, 435-644-2001 ext. 104.

Humane Society of the United States Disaster Animal Response Team. www.hsus.org, 800-HUMANE-1.

Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. www.la-spca.org.

Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association. www.lvma.org, 800-524-2996.

United Animal Nations. www.uan.org, 916-429-2457.