The images of stranded, desperate animals left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
catalyzed my sister and me to become involved in animal rescue. When Katrina
struck, we were at Cape
Fear, North Carolina
enjoying a wonderful beach combing vacation.
Relaxation gave way to horror at the sight of the devastation to the
Gulf
Coast. Returning home,
Debbie answered an email pleading for drivers to take veterinary supplies to the
Gulf and to return with homeless pets.
Standing in the parking lot of the Pearl River SPCA, Debbie walked up
with a little bag of bones disguised as a puppy. A dull coat and pot belly couldn’t hide the
amazing optimism of the chocolate merle dog.
So thin that his skin tented from his spine to his hip bones, he was one
of the nine Catahoulah Leopard Dog mixes not chosen by other transporters. With supplies and man hours in short supply,
the rule of triage dictated that the malnourished, ill litter would be
euthanized. Determined shelter workers
kept them alive and hoped for one last transport. We were
it.
We drove
two trips to Picuayne,
Mississippi in the month after
Katrina. Debbie arranged many more transports acting as a link between shelters
in the Gulf and rescuers hoping to help.
No words can describe the reality of the Gulf Coast in the weeks following the
storm. No words can describe the
dedication of the animal rescue people of the Gulf Coast during those
times.
To this day, we treasure friendships
forged in those days and we continue to work with homeless dogs. Unknown to us, that moment in the Pearl River parking lot launched our criteria for dogs
coming into our care: homeless, unwanted by other rescues, and slated to die
within hours. We became a Rescue of Last Resort
Many dogs have come through and found their special place
and people, but many have not. This web sit is dedicated to help those dogs
find their forever homes.
