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Perspectives Of Katrina |
Chris Broughton, Vet Technician:
During one of our 16 days in the Gulf, on our third trip, we made our way through the streets and ran into a team from the Boston Animal Rescue League. Simultaneously, the two teams noticed a dog on a rooftop. Peering over the edge, she growled defensively—as any mother dog would. Behind her were three infant puppies.
Our assumption is that she escaped the city's eight-foot floodwaters by dragging her pups to the roof. She'd likely been up there for two weeks, starving, but somehow nursing her young.
Getting close enough to help a protective mother and her litter was among the most challenging cases we encountered. Working with the Boston team, we scrambled up a ladder to access them, but she got more and more panicked and defensive. Despite her warnings, she was desperate. We caught the mom with a control pole and fashioned a rope harness to lower her to a rescue boat, carrying her pups behind her.
Once the family reached our van's safety, the mother was clearly relieved, licking our faces gratefully. She knew we wanted the best for her and her babies.
David Wild, WARL Volunteer:
Upon hearing Scotlund speak about his Louisiana experiences, I knew I had to help. He recruited James Chamlee, Steve Arkin, Thom Kirk, and me to drive the vans to the Gulf Coast on their third trip. Once we arrived, Steve and Thom would head home, and James and I would stick around to help. Some locals took us to a makeshift shelter, where we helped create an organized system with no power, no running water, a small gas generator, a few fans, and searing heat. The work was critical to helping the animals regain a sense of security when their lives had been turned upside-down.
Then Scotlund called from the field. The rescue team had discovered a 300-pound potbelly pig, Ginger—obese, dehydrated, and dying. He needed us to build an enclosure to immobilize her as we reduced her blistering body temperature.
I'm not terribly experienced at building pigpens, and our resources were limited. But we moved some aluminum scaffolding across the warehouse for access to the fans and fitted it into a secure space.
It took four people to slide Ginger down the van's ramp in the inverted dog house the rescue team used to transport her. We covered her in wet towels and encouraged her to eat and drink—but she wasn't interested. Things didn't look promising.
Ginger was one of the 18 animals we transported back from our third trip, along with 10 cats, six dogs, and a gerbil. With no one to share the driving, the ride home was even more exhausting. We stopped only to stretch the animals' legs and to take a quick nap. We had a pre-arranged meeting in Front Royal with a West Virginia pig sanctuary, which took over Ginger's transport to their facility, where she recuperates comfortably in a retirement home.
Nothing compares to the feeling when I pulled into the WARL driveway. Waiting for us was a 76-year-old man who'd been separated from his Lhasa Apso, Sassy, who'd ridden back with me. We pulled her out of the van, and the man sat in his wheelchair, weeping, embracing his long-lost friend. I knew that everything we worked for was encompassed in that moment.
Scotlund Haisley, Executive Director:
The Katrina saga is nowhere near over. Of the quarter-million victimized animals, only an estimated 15,000 have been rescued. Fifty-five of them are here at the League. As the animals in Louisiana custody are released from their holding period and are in need of loving, permanent homes, we'll return as often as needed to bring them to safety.
The sadness I witnessed in the Gulf Coast is nothing I could ever effectively reflect in words. A disaster is a disaster, and every element of it is monstrous. Certain images we witnessed are indelible, but they shouldn't be forgotten—ultimately, they will make us stronger. Strength and hope are everything; they're what motivate me and propel me to be productive. I carry these experiences throughout my life.
As our rescues continue, I hope you'll stay involved with the League's activity. Please remember us. Please remember the animals. For their sake, give generously, whether through financial contribution, towels, blankets, beds, or toys, or of course, by giving an animal a permanent, loving home.
KATRINA'S FOUR-LEGGED VICTIMS NEED HOMES
All the Katrina victims transported back to our shelter were surrendered by their families and are in desperate need of loving, stable, permanent homes.
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