Good Humans!

From KRON-TV--Bay area:

HOUSTON-- Wondering what happened to the pets as Gulf Coast residents fled Hurricane Katrina?

It turns out a lot of hotels have relaxed their policies and are allowing people affected by the storm to check their furry friends in too. Resorts and kennels have also made extra room for cat and canine refugees.

One example was found in the lobby of a downtown hotel in Houston where a Great Dane, a poodle and a hound dog roamed around. A spokeswoman for the downtown Hilton Americas hotel said there were more than 100 animals, including birds, hamsters and rabbits.

A resort owner turned her two-car, air-conditioned garage into expanded kennel space for about 20 dogs kept in crates.

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From the Longview News-Journal, a snippet:

Three meals a day will be provided for those at the center. Games are available for the children and the Longview Exhibit Center is open for those who want to stay with their pets.

Iris Wilson, of New Orleans, her daughter and her terrier, Buster, spent Monday night at the Exhibit Center.

"We were on the road for 16 hours, and then my car stopped," Wilson said. "We were trying to make it to my daughter's house in Fort Worth, but ended up being stranded on the side of the road in Longview. A state police officer picked us up and brought us here. Everyone has been great, and we thank Texas very much."

Wilson, 56, said relatives from Forth Worth will pick them up from Longview sometime this week.

Josey's Ranch in Marshall is also taking in evacuees: both two-legged and four-legged.

"If we didn't have a place for the animals, we don't know where we would have gone. Me and another guy came with three trailer loads of three donkeys, four ponies, two colts, 11 horses, two goats and seven dogs," said Mickey Hess about the outpost owned by world champion barrel-racer Martha Josey and her husband, R.E. Josey.

It took an entire day for Hess, his friends and family to board up their houses, catch the horses and other animals and evacuate Houma, La.

Martha Josey said she and her husband couldn't fathom charging friends or even strangers to stay at their spread during such a disaster. She estimates about 200 people took advantage of their facilities, along with more than 60 horses, several dogs and other livestock and at least one rabbit.
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From MSNBC:


By Kim Campbell Thornton
Special to MSNBC.com
Updated: 2:54 p.m. ET Sept. 2, 2005

In Katrina’s disastrous wake, animals are suffering alongside people, many lost, disoriented and on the brink of death. Humane organizations, dog clubs and veterinary associations are working frantically to help rescue stray pets and free those trapped by the floodwaters.

Volunteers are also struggling to find pet-friendly shelters for people who evacuated with their dogs, cats and birds, and reunite people with their lost pets.

At Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana SPCA, the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, and the Louisiana Animal Control Association are working with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine to set up and coordinate shelter for animals affected by the hurricane. (my note: LSU VM is taking donations for 24/7 care of pets who belong to Katrina evacuees staying in Red Cross shelters).

LINK to article








Caregivers--you get a blue ribbon.