Your Katrina Recommendations

[Paul]

   I have received many requests and continue to receive requests for us to link to organizations seeking donations for hurricane Katrina. I know nothing about how this money would be spent. I know there must be a desperate need I just don't know who should be recommended.

   Perhaps you can help. If you personally know of a worthy charity helping pets and/or their owners affected by Katrina and would like to help, please write a paragraph describing why they should receive a donation. I will take your descriptions and place them on a web page linked from our home pages. (Tens of thousands of people visit Dog, Cat, and Pet of the Day each day. Comparably few visit these forums.) Ideally, it would be nice to have the best organizations recommended by several knowledgeable people.

      Paul

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Humane Society Disaster Relief (https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2005?)

Noah's Wish (http://www.noahswish.org)

Although I've noticed that the Noah's Wish site is over their monthly bandwidth. :(

[grybai]

If you want to donate to Noah's Wish directly through paypal, their email is [email protected].

[Daisy and Delilah]

Noah's Wish will also take checks at:

Noah's Wish
P.O. Box 997
Placerville, CA 95667

[Karen]

Any one of you want to provide a paragraph why these places are good? We don't want to have just a blind list like so many sites.

[wolf_Q]

I'm not sure about a paragraph but I think Best Friends Animal Society is an excellent choice. That is who I donated through. I know they are a legitimate organization, I have personally visited the sanctuary. They may be located in Utah but they have set up programs throughout the nation to help homeless pets. http://www.bestfriends.org There's a link for information on hurricane rescue efforts on the main page and here's a direct link to that area of the website http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&fps=1&mode=entry&entry=0D9D74E5-BDB9-396E-9F83EBD5888A15B0

[Rachel]

The following is in part from an email I received from our veterinary clinic, The Animal House.

The School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University has started an emergency facility to provide loving care and shelter for pets until they can be reunited with their families. These wonderful people are still taking animals and have pledged to remain in operation as long as necessary to reunite as many people and pets as possible.

The Parker Coliseum at the LSU Veterinary Medical School will be staffed 24 hours a day by a supervising veterinarian and student volunteers from the School of Veterinary Medicine. If a pet requires medical attention and veterinary monitoring, it will be sent to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.



This is from the LVMA Website

Please make checks payable to the LVMA Dr. Walter J. Ernst Veterinary Memorial Foundation (write "Katrina Fund" on the memo line) and send to the LVMA, 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. They will be able to use these funds quickly. You may designate that your donation be used to care for animals directly, or that it may be used in support of the displaced veterinarians who are now in Baton Rouge helping to provide care for stranded animals.



http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/

[koxka]

Right now Noah's Wish (http://www.noahswish.org/Donations.htm) is working. Hope they solved the problem

[koxka]

Debbie, could you, please, Pm with my banking info? :D Some amount must to go to help those animals.

Thanks,

Anna :)

[RICHARD]

I think that the smaller organizations are the best bet.

Of course you have to research them before you donate.

Everyone will donate to the RC, but the more specialized, focused
charities sometimes don't get enough funds to make a difference.

[Rachel]

Hearts United for Animals has this recommendation page on their webside. www.hua.org/Hurricanehelp.html
Note that they are making daily updates to the information of the places they have listed.

They are also doing a service by taking in animals at their shelter, so a contribution to them serves that purpose.

[smokey the elder]

Noah's Wish web site crashed from the number of hits. High class problem.

[dukedogsmom]

I was going to suggest Noah's Wish also but their site has been down for a couple of days now. Don't know what's going on with them.
ETA: Here's a new site: www.katrinafoundpets.com
They also have updates from people in the area about the living situations of the animals. Here's one example

HELP PLEASE SOMEONE HELP

Date: 2005-09-06, 2:46PM CDT


I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT IS GOING ON.

I was in Waveland this morning (I`m a news reporter). There are
dozens of injured and emaciated dogs and cats roaming the streets
and the beach, and NO animal rescue is doing anything for them. The
Waveland shelter is closed, the animals have no food and water. When
I stopped my car, I was immediately surrounded by half a dozen
friendly dogs - labs, australian shepherds, dachshunds - who have
been abandoned by their owners and now are looking for help since
seven days now!!!

I took two of the most serious injured to the Humane Society shelter
in Gulfport, but they are already at capacity.

I will bring a trunk full of dog and cat food and water tomorrow
early morning into Waveland again and will try to help those pets as
good as I can. But I`m basically on my own.

I intend to bring out two more injured dogs/cats on my way back to
Mobile.

Is there ANYONE in Mobile or surroundings willing to take one or two
and foster them back to health? I will even bring them to Mobile.

I´m from Phoenix and have to return Friday.

I cannot understand why NO rescue organisation is present down
there.

Anyone able to help email me today or call my cell 602-6906657.
God bless!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

SPCA (http://www.spca.org) is also doing wonders and could use some help.

Noah's Wish site is marginally up.

Noah's Wish Katrina Site (http://www.noahswish.org/Hurricane%20Katrina.htm) is where you can find updates on their efforts and donate. It appears they are working mainly in Slidell, LA, which means it would be a good thing to also donate to the SPCA and Humane Society since their efforts are more widely ranged and covering more of the affected area, not just one area. Not to diminish Noah's Wish's efforts, but they are a small organization and can only do so much - which means they do need our help, but the other organizations do also. Ok, enough of my rambling.....

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Rachel
Hearts United for Animals has this recommendation page on their webside. www.hua.org/Hurricanehelp.html
Note that they are making daily updates to the information of the places they have listed.

They are also doing a service by taking in animals at their shelter, so a contribution to them serves that purpose.


This is an excellent choice for funds, as is the ASPCA.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88031

[Cinder & Smoke]

May I suggest >>>

http://www.bestfriends.org/ (http://www.bestfriends.org/)

Click on the Featured Photo with the White Cross & Paw Print;
ot the "Special Report - Hurricane Katrina" button ...
they have an huge collection of pages dealing with the Katrina
Pet Disaster.

Best Friends, based in Kanab, Utah, has sent a group of Staff Members
backed up with Volunteers to perform in-city Rescues AND
staff an out-of-city Rescue Site at the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary.

Donations made to the Best Friends Katrina Hurricane Relief Fund
will only be used to help the Katrina Pets.

http://news.bestfriends.org/images/090705stfrancis_SI.jpg

September 7, 2005 : 10:44 PM ET

When Best Friends spoke with Russ Mead, one of our team members in the field, earlier today, he seemed a little glum. It was hot, human supplies were dwindling, and he had limited help to build enough runs for the 50 or so dogs arriving tonight at St. Francis Animal Sanctuary.

But, when we spoke with him again at 7 p.m. EST, Russ couldn’t be happier. The cavalry had come!

“We’ve got . . . a really great group of volunteers deployed by Best Friends in Kanab who are showing up with tool belts, medical kits, and more,” enthused Russ. “These capable people are willing to do anything we ask. We haven’t lost any animals and all over the dogs are doing what dogs do – running around and playing!

“And, we’re going to save a bunch of animals tonight!”

Plus, the sun is going down in Mississippi bringing a temporary reprieve from the scorching sun, which makes Russ a very happy man.

Six hours ahead of the curve, Russ and his team managed to get enough fencing up to house the 50 plus animals that the Best Friends crew dispatched to New Orleans picked up from the city. Some of the team was rappelling from a bridge to help a dog clinging to a lamppost. The convoy also made it to the Greyhound bus station to pick up pets left behind.

They hope to get this group of animals to St. Francis by midnight, where food and water will be waiting.

A small flotilla of boats has been collected so tomorrow the recovery teams will hit a list of various addresses in New Orleans to search homes that are under the greatest amount of water.

Article by Lorraine Johnston. Photos by Troy Snow.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Best Friends "Katrina Pages" are (here) (http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&mode=cat&catid=04061773-BDB9-396E-9001EF6EC01318A4)

The FurKids and I just sent $50 to the Best Friends Katrina
Hurricane Relief Fund ...
We're gonna help Save a Pet!

;)

[Cinder & Smoke]

Here's the Location where Best Friends is staging and
assisting with housing for the the Katrina Pets >>>

St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, near Tylertown, Mississippi (http://www.stfrancisanimalsanctuary.com/sfasmap.htm)

http://www.stfrancisanimalsanctuary.com/building/caretaker's%20cottage%20with%20dogs.jpg

http://www.stfrancisanimalsanctuary.com/building/completed%20dog%20barn.jpg

[Cataholic]

Me, too, Phred! BF is such a great organization.

[Cinder & Smoke]

bump

[Cinder & Smoke]

Please, slow down with offers of help ...

September 8, 2005 : 9:58 PM ET

Your offers of help – volunteers, supplies, and everything else –
have been absolutely amazing.

In fact, in the last few days, the staff here at Best Friends have been overwhelmed with messages and offers by phone and e-mail. We’re getting 5,000 to 7,000 e-mails plus 1,000 phone calls every day. And right now, we need to take two or three days to process everything that’s still waiting. The last thing we want to do is get backed up and become just another bottleneck for people wanting to help. As we catch up, we will have a more accurate idea of the needs that we still have and we’ll again be posting our needs on our website.

So please, no more offers of volunteer help or physical supplies for the next few days.

If you don’t want to wait that long, there are other rescue organizations that may be looking for additional help or supplies. The two that we recommend in particular are Noah’s Wish which is stationed in Slidell, Louisiana, and United Animal Nations who has deployed their Emergency Animal Rescue Services (EARS) in Gonzales, Louisiana.

This is going to be a long-term effort, and we’re all still gearing up for what is yet to come. For Best Friends, this last 10 days has been mostly about emergency rescue efforts in New Orleans itself. When we arrived, the day of the hurricane itself, we found ourselves immediately in the eye of the storm, so to speak, as one of the very few animal organizations able to get access in and out of the city.

In the weeks to come, the focus will begin to shift. We’ll be looking at foster/adoption programs, reuniting pets with their families, the health care of animals who have been poisoned by the toxic waters of New Orleans, and much more.

Each day brings new challenges. For us at Best Friends, we’re breaking new ground in this rescue effort, and facing new challenges every day. Your continuing support is our lifeblood. So we will be straightforward in saying what help we can use, and when.

If you’ve been delayed in getting a response from us over the last couple of days, please accept our apologies.

Meanwhile, as ever, your donations toward the Hurricane Relief Fund are always needed – enabling us to continue the rescue effort.

Best Friends - Katrina Special Reports (http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&mode=cat&catid=04061773-BDB9-396E-9001EF6EC01318A4)

[Cinder & Smoke]

Utah coalition organizes caravan

September 8, 2005 : 10:31 PM ET

Best Friends and Utah partners head to Texas with six vans to pick up adoptable pets and ease strain on shelters.

A fleet of vans left Salt Lake City, Utah, for San Antonio, Texas, to bring animals back to be placed in good new homes.

The expedition is being organized by the Utah Coalition for Animals (UCA),
which is led by Best Friends Animal Society.

A UCA van and a van on loan from Summit County Friends of Animals left the Sugarhouse Petco in Salt Lake City, Utah, just before 11 am Thursday. Eight people with experience handling animals are on their way to Kanab, Utah, to pick up more people and three vans from Best Friends.

Many dogs and cats have been transferred from Louisiana to San Antonio and other towns in Texas. And the shelters are trying to free up space in their facilities in order to accommodate more animals from storm-ravaged areas and hopefully reunite them with their families. Our vans will pick up as many dogs from the Texas shelter as they can accommodate, and then return them to Salt Lake City for next week's Pet Super Adoption.

Many thanks to the people and organizations who have stepped forward to help make this operation possible. There have been many donations of supplies, including from Summit County Friends of Animals and PETCO, who allowed us to take anything off their shelves for the animals. Our thanks also to the dozens of animal lovers who have donated in person or via the No More Homeless Pets in Utah website, http://www.utahpets.org .

[gini]

I have always heard the best things about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and will make my donation to them.

Here is the address for those of you also interested.

HURRICANE RELIEF FUND
C/O BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SANCTUARY
5001 ANGEL CANYON ROAD
KANAB, UTAH 84741-5000

Phred has also given us some great links to read about the rescues as they are happening and people's responses.

[andrea_NMAggie]

I donated to the National Humane Society - which is down there saving the stranded pets...
www.hsus.org

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, The HSUS has launched a massive relief effort to rescue animals and assist their caregivers in the disaster areas. Our highly trained Disaster Animal Response Teams are in New Orleans and Mississippi coordinating a multi-state animal rescue and recovery effort. We now have more than 200 people on the ground doing search-and-rescue and staffing temporary shelters, and have rescued more than a thousand animals in the hardest hit areas of both states since Friday.

Our entire relief effort is funded by donations from people like you, and we desperately need your support. Please make an emergency contribution to our Disaster Relief Fund today! To donate, please complete the information on our secure online form below. Your tax-deductible gift will be used exclusively for our disaster animal relief work.

To send your gift by U.S. Mail, please make your check payable to HSUS Disaster Relief Fund and mail it to HSUS, Dept. DRFHBM, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Thank you!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Time running out for our boat in St Bernard Parish

September 9, 2005 : 1:14 PM ET

From Paul Berry: We had two teams out on boats on Thursday.
Troy Snow has written about his crew in an earlier posting. Ours was similar, so I’ll keep this brief.

Our team was me and Dr. Debbie Rykoff DVM. Also aboard and helping out was a crew from the Salt Lake Tribune. Leah Hogsten took photos for the Trib and gave these to us. (Thanks, Leah.)

The thing I want to say is simply that there are thousands upon thousands of animals stuck out here, on car roofs, on porches, cats on roofs of houses. We saw no other animal rescue orgs anywhere. I know they’re all doing good work on the peripheries … but, oh man … you see and hear these fluff pieces on TV of people being reunited with their pets, and you look around out here on the boats at this vast, endless wasteland of toxic water and animals hanging on, 11 days after the hurricane, and their time is running out.

What on earth is going on? Why is no one out here to help them? We’re just on two boats. Heard about a veterinarian who’s on another boat. We need a whole freaking navy!

This is the story that’s not being told. Animals clinging to life, and dead human bodies lying and floating all around.

Please call your local media and tell them to get on to this. We just got a call from German TV – ZDF. Trying to hook up with us for today’s marathon on the water.

The only other boat we saw yesterday was an airboat from Fish & Game. They were scouting the ground behind. Rumors are they’re beginning to shoot the animals today. I believe these stories are now true. That’s what’s going to be happening.

WE NEED ALL THE OTHER ANIMAL RESCUE ORGS TO BUY/BORROW BOATS AND FOCUS ON THIS. These animals only have days at most, and are clinging to life. They are the forgotten ones. We can only manage about 10 at a time. They’re emaciated, starved, dehydrated. Literally “water water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Dr. Debbie revives them in the boat as they start to lose consciousness. Gives them fluids. All those we took yesterday have survived.


http://news.bestfriends.org/images/090905sltrib_SI.jpg

Keep us in your prayers,

Paul.

Taken from: Best Friends - Katrina Special Reports (http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&mode=cat&catid=04061773-BDB9-396E-9001EF6EC01318A4)

[koxka]

I'll donate through Best Friends and Noah's Wish.
Thank you Phred for the informative posts.

The news, here, are saying that ,finally, the people who was reluctant to leave the city leaving theirs pets behind, now are allowed to take them along. Hope it is true.