Smite Me! [.net] » Alert Archive (2007a)

Kinship Circle’s column runs in The Healthy Planet. Ms. Shoss is also a contributing writer for The Animals Voice, Satya Magazine, VegNews, and other publications. To reprint this column, please request author permission at info [at] kinshipcircle.org

LEFT PHOTO: 8/5/06, network.bestfriends.org/middleeast/news/6547.html
– BETA rescued this little kitten, Louli, from the war zone.

RIGHT PHOTO: 6/4/07, from BETA Team, listmaster [at] betabeirut.com — Car bombs and hand grenades went off in Beirut. The first bomb exploded very close to one of our cat shelters in Ashrafieh area…

War devastates. We grieve for soldiers lost and the involuntary destruction of civilian life. But headlines rarely publicize war’s other collateral damage.

Animals, crimeless and naive, dodge mortars and armored combat vehicles. Their lives explode in a flurry of desertion, starvation, injury and death.

A month into last summer’s Israeli-Hezbollah war, bombs rain over Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel’s military hopes to defuse Hezbollah’s command post, so Lebanese officials can assert autonomy along the border. Meanwhile, Hezbollah launches rocket strikes inside Haifa and northern Israel.

Helena Hesayne, a Beirut born architect, has little patience for the politics behind battle. Her mission is clear: To rescue animals abandoned in Lebanon’s exodus of one million people. In late July 2006, Hesayne and three others from Beirut For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (BETA) navigate smoldering rubble in a small convertible. Israeli soldiers eye their car full of dog and cat food.

Hesayne displays BETA’s accreditation papers. She has no fear, only stark resolve to retrieve four cats and one puppy seen locked inside a pet shop. “These animals are banging against the glass door, trying to get out. They are without food and water. I don’t know how long,” Hesayne recounts.

The women persuade another storeowner to unlock the pet shop for them. They are without crates, so they ferry animals toward their car under a downpour of bombs. “The entire time, this tiny puppy just licks our faces. It is the most amazing thing,” Hesayne says.

A BRUTAL LANDSCAPE

At the onset of conflict in Lebanon, citizens and foreigners fled. Canadian, British and American evacuation protocols banned companion animals. In the chaos, evacuees released animals into the streets or confined them in buildings. BETA believes thousands of companion animals were discarded.

It is a familiar scenario. War casts companion, wild, zoo and farm animals into the shadows, terrified and hungry. Unlike people, animals do not intellectually grasp their circumstances.

The U.S. invasion of Iraq ravaged Baghdad’s zoo, killing all but 80 of 400 animals. Bombings stranded survivors without food, water, or wound care until U.S. military veterinarians interceded with mobile clinics. Some kind-hearted U.S. troops even shared their ration packs with zoo animals, livestock, horses, donkeys, cats and dogs.

By the time BETA reached a zoo south of Beirut in Tyre, its emaciated inhabitants could barely move. “People fleeing think of animals as possessions, like cars,” Hesayne observes. “We leave the car. We leave the animals.” BETA confiscated several baboons, monkeys, and one macaque from another municipal zoo and transported them to a sanctuary in Wales.

On July 18, 2006, two bombs swept over BETA’s former shelter at the border of the Hezbollah camp and Green Line. Shrapnel lodged between bars inside one dog’s cage. Though animals and people escaped injury, the dogs sustained psychological scars.

One friendly golden retriever “flipped out” after the explosions, Hesayne says. “The next day, he bit my arm. Since the bombing he may randomly attack or bite.” BETA’s other dogs panic each time a plane engine roars overhead.

PHOTOS: 4/25/03 — A lion rests in Baghdad zoo * Sick animals in Iraq to be rescued by vets
news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/animals/newsid_2975000/2975397.stm

A CULTURE OF CRUELTY

War plainly leaves innocents in the line of fire. It can also breed an impulsive culture of cruelty. As infrastructure crumbles — with the paralysis of roads, bridges, ports, communication, water and power sources — some aim their unrest at animals.

In 2007, videos of U.S. soldiers engaged in animal abuse circulated the Internet. Unsettling footage from a CD found in Baghdad’s Green Zone revealed several servicemen hurling rocks at a dog with a spinal deformity. As the dog wailed, one man laughed, “That is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” Another suggested they “go over and kill it.”

PHOTO/VIDEO — Soldiers taunt crippled dog in Iraq: www.liveleak.com/view?i=6445f9fdd7

Video 2: US Soldier shoots dog with M203 training round: www.liveleak.com/view?i=0a5ee2d6eb

Indiscriminate abuse stems from the illogical premise that animals matter less during war and are easy scapegoats for violence.

For BETA’s small volunteer staff, constant uprisings afford little respite from bloodshed. By June 2007, steady shelling and machine-gun fire had resumed in Lebanon as the army cornered Fatah Islam militants secluded in a Palestinian fugitive camp near Tripoli.

On June 4, car bombs and hand grenades discharged next to BETA’s cat facility in the Ashrafieh neighborhood. BETA’s dogs, situated in a former pig farm, were miles away from two cat shelters across the old Green Line. The group hopes to consolidate cats and dogs in a new shelter before the hostility escalates.

In this volatile setting, people “go nuts and shoot animals right and left or poison them,” Hesayne says. “We see puppies whose heads were banged against sidewalks or tied in electrical wire. If a dog barks, they just shoot the dog.”

Chicagoan Joanne Greene can attest to animal cruelty during war. From January 15 to February 3, 2007, the Jewish American who runs a dog-walking business joined BETA to feed animals roaming Beirut’s “hot zones.” Though she’d volunteered for three animal relief missions in post-Katrina New Orleans, nothing prepared her for rescue in a combat zone.

Among Greene’s eyewitness accounts, she depicts one particularly “horrid day in Beirut” when she and BETA’s Joelle Kanaan respond to a call about three puppies tossed from a speeding car. The dogs are buried in a sack, their mouths tightly bound in electrical tape. Kanaan retrieves two, but the third pup disappears into the rain and mud.

“We leave, praying the tape around her mouth loosens to ease her suffering,” Greene writes. “But the day is not over.” As Kanaan and another BETA volunteer replenish food stations, they see a sanitation truck hoist a dumpster full of live cats. The drivers ignore the women’s cries and pulverize the screaming cats.

LEFT PHOTO: 1/15 to 2/3/07, from American rescuer in Beirut Joanne Greene — “I’m not sure what’s worse, the war or the average Beirut citizen who tortures, maims, and mistreats animals.”

RIGHT PHOTO courtesy of BETA: Named Bullet for surviving his hideous wound, this Canadian white shepherd was shot through his left eye as he played in a garden. “He was lucky. The bone of his eye deflected the bullet and it exited behind his ear. It did not penetrate his brain. We removed his eye and the bullet fragments…”

LACK OF POLICY FOR ANIMALS IN WAR ZONES

America’s Universal Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) contains no anti-cruelty clauses. Defense leaders seldom penalize soldiers for animal torture. The military also advocates lethal rabies control to safeguard troops, despite proof that rigorous vaccination programs inhibit disease transmission more effectively than gratuitous slaughter.

The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI) want the U.S. Department of Defense to revitalize rules for animal cruelty and control, as well as permit soldier adoption of animals.

General Order 1-A (GO-1A) forbids soldiers to care for pets or mascots. For reasons unknown, the military lumps animal companionship under behavior “prejudicial to the maintenance of good order and discipline of all forces.” Since 2005, security clampdowns along borders have blocked soldiers from transporting strays back to the states.

Well, some soldiers. The fiercely determined rely on Iraq’s “canine underground railroad.” HSUS gathers their stories as testament to the spirit of the human-animal bond.

During a 2004 offensive in Fallujah, Marines found a grubby, flea-infested puppy. With help from a reporter and the Helen Woodward Animal Center, Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman sent “Lava” from Jordan to California. In Kopelman’s book, “From Baghdad, With Love,” he details arrangements that led to Lava’s homecoming. Another army major saved skin-and-bones Bashur during his tour in Kirkuk, Iraq. The dog, now at home in Illinois, traveled 640 miles with a military convoy en route to Kuwait.

PHOTO: 11/04, Jay Kopelman and Lava in Iraq
(Source.)

A HOME ON DISTANT SHORES

On September 25, 2006, 150 dogs and 145 cats flew from Beirut’s International Airport to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. The Best Friends airlift freed an overwhelmed BETA to recover more displaced pets — like Nougat, a blue-eyed Labrador-Husky mix left for dead in a vehicle collision.

Nougat suffered a shattered jaw and maggot infestation over four days before anyone notified BETA. But emergency surgery saved Nougat, who is now prime pooch at her new Rhode Island home. BETA hopes to orchestrate more adoptions in the U.S.

If there is any light in war’s storm on animals, it is the miracle of compassion without borders. In Iraq, citizens and members of the 1st Armored Division and V corps formed the Iraqi Animal Welfare Society. No significant humane organizations existed in Iraq prior to the war.

Sometimes, the miracle is the animal herself. The last nose Army Spc. Justin Rollins nuzzled — before roadside bombs took his life — belonged to a puppy. When the 22-year-old paratrooper’s grieving family saw photos of him cuddling a white and brown-flecked mutt in Iraq, they campaigned to bring the dog home.

With the aid of Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., Hero journeyed about 6,000 miles to New Hampshire. “It was the last bit of happiness Justin had,” Rollins’ girlfriend Brittney Murray told reporters.

Animals like Hero can soften war’s impact. Rescuing them from harm doesn’t devalue human suffering. In fact, it makes us a bit more human.

###

LEFT PHOTO: 3/25/07 — Tired from a long trip, Hero the dog sits with her new Newport, N.H., family, Skip and Rhonda Rollins and Brittney Murray… Rollins’ son, Army Spc. Justin Rollins, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq a day after adopting the pup. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)
(Source.)

RIGHT PHOTO courtesy of BETA: Nougat, a Labrador-Husky mix hit by a car and left for four days, survives. “Once we found her, our vet operated on Nougat until 1:00 a.m. Her entire jaw was shattered and maggots covered her mouth and head — but he saved her. Now called Bella Nougat, this lucky dog lives with Suzanne in Rhode Island.”

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WHAT YOU CAN DO
================

1. Donate To Beirut For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals

With fundraising activities on hold during times of conflict, BETA desperately needs money to feed and vet animals, maintain shelters, arrange transports/adoptions, cover monthly expenses…

DONATE TO BETA:
beta.beirut.com/donate.php

If interested in adopting war-rescued animals:
beta.beirut.com/Adoption.php

CATS | SEEKING ADOPTION:
beta.beirut.com/display_animals.php?CID=9&stat=1

DOGS | SEEKING ADOPTION:
animals.beirut.com/display_animals.php?CID=4&stat=1

To volunteer for BETA:
animals.beirut.com/howcanihelp.php

Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) is a Lebanese Registered Charitable Organization (Charity # 205/AD).

2. Contact U.S. Department of Defense officials and ask them to make regulatory changes regarding animals in war zones.

Specifically, urge the DOD to institute these policies:

* Insert and enforce an anti-cruelty clause in the Universal Code of Military Justice.

*Utilize non-lethal vaccination programs to cope with rabies concerns in Iraq or other countries.

* Implement an adoption system that lets soldiers bring vetted pets back to the U.S. with them.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

SOURCE - www.defenselink.mil/faq/pis/dod_addresses.html

web comment form: www.defenselink.mil/faq/comment.html

Dr. Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon * Washington, DC 20301-1000

Gordon R. England, Deputy Secretary of Defense
1010 Defense Pentagon * Washington, DC 20301-1010

Kenneth J. Krieg, Under Secretary of Defense
3010 Defense Pentagon * Washington, DC 20301-3010

David S. C. Chu, Under Secretary of Defense
4000 Defense Pentagon * Washington, DC 20301-4000

Eric S. Edelman, Under Secretary of Defense
2000 Defense Pentagon * Washington, DC 20301-2000

Tina Jonas, Under Secretary of Defense
1100 Defense Pentagon * Washington, DC 20301-1100

The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon * Washington, DC 20318-9999

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon * Washington, DC 20318-9999

Secretaries of the Armed Forces
Secretary of the Army
101 Army Pentagon * Washington, DC 20310-0101

Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon * Washington, DC 20350-1000

Secretary of the Air Force
1670 Air Force Pentagon * Washington, DC 20330-1670

The Chiefs of Staff
Army Chief of Staff
200 Army Pentagon * Washington, DC 20310-0200

Chief of Naval Operations
2000 Navy Pentagon * Washington, DC 20350-2000

Air Force Chief of Staff
1670 Air Force Pentagon * Washington, DC 20330-1670

Commandant of the Marine Corps
Headquarters USMC * 2 Navy Annex (CMC) * Washington, DC 20380-1775

DOD answers the question, “Will the Department of Defense change regulations and policies, as they pertain to animal abuse, vaccination and adoption of stray animals in Iraq?” www.defenselink.mil/faq/comment.html

If you believe DOD’s response isn’t good enough, be sure to send them comments!

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Kinship Circle is a nonprofit organization serving the animal advocacy community. Donations help us meet expenses for the literature, website, research/campaigns and outreach — that let YOU take action for animals.

DONATE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/donations.html

Action Campaigns I Literature I Voice For Animals
Nonprofit working in animal protection/cruelty + animal disaster relief campaigns
Brenda Shoss, president * Janet Enoch, vice-president
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/default.html

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—–Original Message—–
From: Kinship Circle
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 11:34 AM
To: 7. KINSHIP CIRLE Animal Disaster Relief List
Subject: [GULF COAST] Volunteers Still Needed in New Orleans

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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

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—– Original Message —–

Hurricane Season is Coming: Are You Prepared?
Keep yourself and your animal companions safe when disaster strikes

Last year, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region and took the lives of thousands of people and countless animals. As hurricane season approaches once again, IDA would like to take this opportunity to remind our supporters of the importance of planning ahead in ensuring the safety and welfare of your animal companions in the event of a large-scale disaster.

The best way to ensure the safety of our loved ones (both human and non-human) in the event of an emergency is to be well prepared before disaster strikes. Here are some tips for keeping your animal companions out of harm’s way during a crisis situation.

Pack Emergency Kits

You may wish to pack two emergency kits for your animals — one that has everything they need to stay in your home and another portable kit that you can take with you should you need to evacuate. You may wish to put the portable kit in the trunk of your car so that it will be ready if you need to leave on short notice. These kits should include:

- Enough food (including treats) and water for at least three days preserved in airtight containers
- Food and water bowls
- A pan, litter, and scoop (for cats)
- A supply of any medications your animals need
- A first aid kit (with bandages and medical tape, antiseptic ointment, latex gloves and a reference book on animal first aid)
- Collar with ID tag and a harness or leash
- Copies of vaccination papers and registration information
- A collapsible carrier or crate with bedding

Be sure to check on your kits periodically to make sure the food and water is still fresh and that any documentation is up to date. Also consider getting an identification microchip implanted under your animal companion’s skin and registering with a nationwide recovery database. Consult your veterinarian for more information.

Plan Ahead

Before, during or after an emergency, you may need to determine whether it would be best to stay in your home or evacuate. Whatever you do, keeping your animal companions with you is the best way to ensure their safety. Depending on the nature and extent of the crisis, you may not be able to return home for days or even weeks. Leaving animals alone during an emergency can put them in serious danger of becoming lost, hurt, or killed, so this should be avoided if at all possible.

If for some reason you absolutely must evacuate your home without your animals, do not leave them outside: put them in the most secure area of your home. Also leave out at least a 10-day supply of dry food and several dishes full of water. Your toilet can also be a water source, but be sure that it is free of disinfectants and other toxic chemicals. If you do evacuate without your animals, leave a sign on the front door indicating that there are animals inside, as well as how many and what kinds.

However, you should be able to take your animals with you in the event of a disaster if you take these precautions:

- Know where to go: Many emergency shelters will not allow animals, so you should be prepared to go elsewhere in a crisis. Staying with friends or family in a safe area is perhaps the best choice. Also make a list (including addresses and phone numbers) of hotels that allow animals during an emergency situation and kennels where you could board your animals. Your local animal shelter or animal care and control agency may be able to help you find this information.

- Create a support network: Talk with your family, friends, or neighbors about evacuating your animals should disaster strike when you are away from home. Make sure your backup has a key for your house and any phone numbers where you can be reached, and that you have their phone numbers. Also show them where your emergency kit is kept in case sudden evacuation is necessary. Agree on a meeting place where you can rendezvous.

- Let rescuers know that there are “animals inside”: Put stickers in the windows nearest your doors that indicate you have animals, including what kind and how many. If you are away from home when disaster strikes (a fire, for example), this will let rescue workers know to look for your animals.

Know What to Expect

Each region of the country is susceptible to different types of disasters: for instance, while hurricane season endangers the southeastern U.S. every summer, earthquakes could strike the West Coast at any moment. If you know what kinds of disasters are most likely to occur in your area, you will be better able to prepare for them. Visit www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY for information about the types of emergencies you may have to deal with and the plans your state and local governments have in place to handle large-scale disasters.

Disaster Relief Resources:

American Red Cross

- Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people’s immediate emergency disaster-caused needs, such as shelter, food, and health and mental health services.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

- As part of the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national emergency.

Ready America

- Includes information on making an emergency survival kit and family emergency plan, as well as comprehensive links to community and state disaster relief agencies.

Citizen Corps

- Encourages people to take personal responsibility for disaster preparation by getting trained in first aid and emergency skills and volunteering to support local relief efforts.

Medical Reserve Corps

Dedicated to establishing teams of local volunteer medical and public health professionals to contribute their skills and expertise throughout the year and during emergencies.

National Weather Service

-Provides updates and information on weather-related emergencies.

—– Original Message —–
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
Date: Jun 11, 2007 11:07 PM
Subject: JUSTICE SERVED? St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office In Hot Seat

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER RELIEF
www.KinshipCircle.org

PLEASE CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

6/11/07: JUSTICE SERVED?
Lawsuit Puts St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office In Hot Seat

WE MUST NEVER FORGET, from Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle:

I weep, even now. Not a day passes that I don’t conjure images of those babies, ripped from loving arms. The tiny poodle, GiGi. The faithful Lab marooned on a rooftop, only to watch his people fly away without him.

GiGi’s story (featured in ABC article below) was among those gathered when Shannon Moore and I devoted our days to Louisiana’s Pet Evacuation Bill.

GiGi with Judy Migliore, before Hurricane Katrina

GIGI’S STORY, as told to me while gathering resources during effort to pass Louisiana Pet Evac Bill:

As Judy and Santo Migliore evacuated on to a barge, an official threatened to handcuff Judy if she didn’t abandon GiGi, a 10-pound toy poodle. Judy clung to her 6-year-old dog with the apricot marks inside one ear and along her back. But officials stood firm and Judy was forced to leave GiGi with a St. Bernard Parish Deputy in Violet, Louisiana.

The Migliores and three of five adult children were now homeless, their former addresses washed away in the levee break after Katrina. Desperate to find GiGi, they embarked on an internet search from their hotel room in Lafayette, LA. The checked every shelter in Louisiana and perused Petfinders, once stumbling upon a white miniature poodle relocated to a Michigan Humane Society shelter. That lead, like others, was a dead end.

On October 7, an email arrived: “I am so sorry if this is GiGi,” Dana, a rescue volunteer, wrote. “You cannot see it in the pictures, but the dog’s nails are painted… The dog was found either in room 206, 208, or 210. Please, please accept my condolences if this is GiGi…”

In the photo, a tangle of white fur rested atop a puddle of feces and blood. Patches of sunlight framed the tiny dog and a discarded cigarette butt lay by her head. GiGi had finally been found.

On October 7, Judy Migliore wrote to Ellen Little, another volunteer in the search for GiGi: “Ellen, just wanted to let you know that my baby, GiGi, was found and that it’s been confirmed she was never taken from the shelter. She died. The Pasado Animal Shelter in St. Bernard Parish found her… Once again, thank you and all the kind people who tried to bring this to a happy ending. But, now it has ended in sadness…”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lawsuit: Katrina Pets Executed
Investigations, Two Criminal Indictments and a Lawsuit Put the Heat on St. Bernard Parish’s Sheriff’s Office

abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=3265151&page=1

This white poodle, Gigi, was among the dogs allegedly killed by authorities after their owners were forcibly evacuated during Hurricane Katrina. A lawsuit says an animal rescue worker found Gigi shot in the head.

By JIM AVILA, ELIZABETH TRIBOLET and CHRIS FRANCESCANI
ABC News Law & Justice Unit I June 11, 2007

For nearly two years, pet owners from the low-lying Louisiana parish of St. Bernard have accused sheriff’s deputies of having wantonly killed dozens of dogs they forced evacuees to leave behind during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, without regard to the dogs’ size or the potential threat they might pose.

One owner said her family was forced at gunpoint to leave its dog behind. Another owner said residents became frantic when, they said, they overheard one deputy claim that “once everybody’s gone, we’re going to have target practice tonight.” They claim in court papers that deputies were under ” authorization…of their superiors and employers.

Two deputies have already been indicted by a grand jury in New Orleans on charges of felony, aggravated cruelty to animals. The Louisiana attorney general’s office is investigating and this morning lawyers for a group of owners will file a comprehensive complaint in federal court in Louisiana seeking class action status for their clients.

More on this story tonight on “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. EDT

For the first time, the St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s office has acknowledged to ABC News’ Law & Justice Unit that an internal investigation has been launched. In an interview last week, Sal Gutierrez, who represents the sheriff’s office, defended the department’s handling of a clearly difficult evacuation. Gutierrez said the shells left behind in the schools did not necessarily come from the weapons issued to department deputies. He denied allegations that orders to kill the dogs came from superior officers, calling that claim “false.” He said that if the investigation turned up any wrongdoing by deputies, the St. Bernard sheriff would take appropriate disciplinary action. If something false has been alleged in the lawsuit, he said he would consider countercharges of defamation of character. He said that he and the sheriff were animal lovers.

In December, the sheriff’s office released a statement declaring that any actions taken had been done with “the utmost care, caution and belief of its necessity,” according to the newspaper New Orleans City Business. But Gutierrez told ABC News that until the internal investigation was complete, he could not adequately answer all the charges. “I can’t tell you we don’t have a renegade or two,” Gutierrez told ABC News.

“If you’re talking about a rabid dog roaming the streets trying to attack, that’s understandable to try and find and euthanize a dog,” said plaintiff attorney Randall Smith. But, he said later, “some of them were poodles, miniature dogs, tied up, most outrageous[ly] in schools, no way a threat to anybody.”

One of the key pieces of evidence in the civil case is expected to be video footage shot by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Leeson Jr., who said he witnessed dogs being shot while filming in the area after Katrina for the Dallas Morning News.

“They shot the dog I was trying to help right in front of me,” he told reporters at the time. On his video, posted HERE
(www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2005/katrina_video/straydogs.html#dmn) on the newspaper’s Web site, gunshots can clearly be heard.

Mike Minton, a former sergeant from the St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s office, acknowledges shooting dogs but says it was done for humane reasons. Gutierrez told ABC News that Minton was “let go” from the department and was “no longer an employee.” Minton, one of two deputies indicted in December on animal cruelty charges, did not return a call from ABC.

Shooting Gallery

“It was a massacre. It was a shooting gallery,” said Mark Steinway, co-founder of the animal rescue group Posada Safe Haven [sic]. Steinway was among those who discovered the animals’ bodies at three school evacuation centers, gathered evidence and urged the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office to launch an investigation. “We documented as best we could as a crime scene,” he said. “It was obvious [the dogs] had been chased around. There were so many rounds of ammunition and so many holes in the walls and so many random shots to body cavities and legs, areas where you know the animals were trying to get away from these guys.”

Mark Steinway gathers evidence at scene of shooting. Photos: Pasado Safe Haven
NOTE: These two photos + all photos below were inserted by Kinship Circle, and did not appear with ABC’s online story.

Steinway described one harrowing discovery he made in the one of the parish schools that he said exemplified the wantonness with which the animals were killed. “Somebody carefully tied up these two dogs in one of the rooms and shot them, and didn’t even shoot them at close range in the head to put them out of their misery,” he said. “They backed up and started shooting, with a shotgun started firing. Pellets all over the floor, bullet holes in the wall. It was a slaughter.”

Please Do Not Shoot Her

Some of the pet owners who spoke with ABC News said they had waited until the last minute to evacuate for good reason. One woman’s daughter had just had a major surgery. Another had a medical condition that prevented him from driving and an elderly father too weak to drive. The waters rose rapidly and communication was difficult at best. Many residents were rescued from their rooftops, their animals clinging to them.

On Aug. 28, 2005, with floodwaters roaring through St. Bernard Parish, officials announced St. Bernard’s High School as a shelter of last resort, according to court papers obtained by ABC News. Three days later, on Aug. 31, officials evacuated the high school shelters and took residents to the Algiers Point ferry landing. As residents were separated from their animals and moved out of the shelters, many desperately scrawled messages on the walls of the school rooms.

Photo: Pasado Safe Haven

“There is 1(sic) very nice dog in there. Please do not shoot her. Her name is Angel,” read one message. Another, with a name and phone number, read, “Call me please. I want my pets back.”

“In this room are six adult dogs and four puppies. Please save them! Kit.”

Photos: Pasado Safe Haven

Everybody, We’re Under Water

Plaintiff John Bozes said his black Labrador, Angel Girl, had saved his family’s life. Floodwaters had reached the top of the door of his parish home, he told ABC News. “I walked to the door right there, I go to put my hand on the knob to open it, she got between me and that door and nudged me back. When I looked back I saw water coming through the top of the door and I said, ‘Oh boy, we’re in trouble.’”

“Everybody, we’re under water!” he hollered to his family, who climbed through the attic to reach the home’s roof. They were evacuated to St. Bernard’s High School, where he said they were told to evacuate without the pets. “It was a mandatory evacuation — we either go to jail or get shot, or we leave our pets behind.”

Then, he said, he and other owners heard a deputy say, ‘Man, once everybody’s gone, we’re going to have target practice tonight.”’

“There was so much commotion after that statement was made,” he said. “We stood our ground and said, ‘We’re not leaving them.’”

“Next thing you know, we’re either leaving … or you get shot.”

Bozes’ father, Paul, said he thought about Angel Girl all the time. “I hope I’m not wrong in saying this, but from the bottom of my heart — if I see that boy or the man that shot her, they better have a lot of people around to keep me from hitting them.”

“These are animals,” John Bozes said, “but they have brains just like you and I. They have feelings like we have. … Tough animals, wonderful animals, lovable animals. And to have somebody shoot for no reason at all, I don’t think no animal in that school would have hurt somebody, especially Angel. She was too lovable.”

John Bozes and his sister were separated from their three dogs — Angel Girl, a pit bull named Honey and a Husky mix named Bullet — when they were evacuated. The dogs were taken to Beauregard Middle School and St. Bernard’s Parish High School.

“Bullet, the Husky mix, was found dead in the corner of Beauregard Middle School,” according to the complaint. “The cord from the Venetian blind on the nearest window had been tied to Bullet’s collar. Angel Girl and Honey were found together, also in a corner. Angel Girl had been tethered to the Venetian blinds on a nearby window. Honey was not tied, but lay at Angel Girl’s side.”

John Bozes with photo of Angel Girl. Photo: Pasado Safe Haven

Brenda Shoss stands outside a now deserted, boarded-up Beauregard Middle School (St. Bernard Parish), during an animal aid trip to New Orleans Feb. 07.

Threatened

Plaintiff Joyce Stubbs was told she could not bring her dogs, Max and Lucky, with her when she was evacuated from Beauregard High School, so “she poured bottles of water and soft drinks into a large ice chest for her dogs to drink,” according to court documents. “She also put out a lot of food where the dogs could readily access it.”

“Stubbs and her children spent a long moment saying goodbye to her dogs. A Sheriff’s deputy approached them and pointed a shotgun at her son’s face and threatened to shoot him if they did not leave the dogs. He also pointed the shotgun at their small dog Lucky,” the complaints reads.

I Live With This Every Day

Judy Migliore and her husband spent three days going from rooftop to rooftop with their daughters and their poodle, Gidget, which she said means “small” in Hawaiian. Migliore said they called the dog Gigi. When it was time to go, Migliore said she pleaded with a deputy to let her take the poodle.

“I begged. … I was crying. I said, ‘Please, she’ll never, never touch the ground. She’ll stay in my arms the whole time.’ He said, ‘Ma’am, we can do it either nicely or not nicely,’ and he said, ‘I’m prepared to handcuff you.’

“I turned and looked at my husband and I said, ‘I can’t! I cannot leave her,’ and the deputy I knew came up at that time and he said, ‘Miss Judy, give her to me and I’ll see what I can do.’ I gave her to him because I couldn’t and he turned and give her to the deputy and that was the last time we seen him,” she said, referring to the deputy.

“I kept thinking … she going to be terrified that I wasn’t holding her, she was going to be terrified of bad weather and other dogs because of big dogs. Pit bulls, Great Danes, huge dogs. … I knew she was going to be terrified. … And I kept thinking, ‘I’m leaving her.’”

“I live with this every day in my thoughts and in my heart because she was our baby, and there’s not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.”

Two weeks later, Migliore said, her brother-in-law went back to the school where they Gigi, but he was turned away. One daughter went online to animal rescue sites and another daughter visited shelters. They knew the poodle would be easy to identify. Gigi was pure white, with freshly clipped nails painted red and a brown collar with a St. Francis of Assisi medal around her
neck.

On Oct. 9, according to the complaint, a rescue worker informed the family that Gidget had been found shot in the head .

Presented with some of the allegations made in court documents and to ABC News, Gutierrez, the attorney for the sheriff’s department, said that he would like to depose the plaintiffs under oath.

**********************************

Kinship Circle - Action Campaigns I Literature I Voice For Animals
Nonprofit working in animal protection/cruelty + animal disaster relief campaigns
Brenda Shoss, president * Janet Enoch, vice-president
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
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—–Original Message—–
From: Kinship Circle
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 11:34 AM
To: 7. KINSHIP CIRLE Animal Disaster Relief List
Subject: [GULF COAST] Volunteers Still Needed in New Orleans

**********************************

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Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Relief Focus

1. GULF COAST: Once monthly e-newsletters witth news, needs, stories…related to hurricane-affected animals in the Gulf Coast.
Newsletters to continue as long as needed.

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3. ACTION CAMPAIGNS: Sample-letter alerts about

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**Only Kinship Circle Primary (a separate list) regularly posts action campaigns on cruelty issues worldwide, including animals in entertainment, research, fur trade, agribusiness, wildlife, companion animals…

—– Original Message —–

I remember Gigi.

That’s Gigi and her human, Judy Migliore.

Gigi, shot in the head and left to rot by St. Bernard Parish deputies

And that’s Gigi’s decomposing corpse, after she was shot in the head and left to rot by St. Bernard Parish deputies.

I hope they nail the fuckers.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch - news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Jun 11, 2007 3:50 PM
Subject: DawnWatch: ABC’s Nightline on “Katrina Pets Executed” 6/11/07

The following report is linked from the ABC news Nightline page, with the note: “More on this story tonight on “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. EDT.”

Please thank Nightline for covering this issue. Feedback matters! Nightline takes comments at nightline [at] abcnews.go.com.

Lawsuit: Katrina Pets Executed
Investigations, Two Criminal Indictments and a Lawsuit Put the Heat on St. Bernard Parish’s Sheriff’s Office

abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3265151&page=1

By JIM AVILA, ELIZABETH TRIBOLET and CHRIS FRANCESCANI
ABC News Law & Justice Unit
June 11, 2007

For nearly two years, pet owners from the low-lying Louisiana parish of St. Bernard have accused sheriff’s deputies of having wantonly killed dozens of dogs they forced evacuees to leave behind during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, without regard to the dogs’ size or the potential threat they might pose.

One owner said her family was forced at gunpoint to leave its dog behind. Another owner said residents became frantic when, they said, they overheard one deputy claim that “once everybody’s gone, we’re going to have target practice tonight.” They claim in court papers that deputies were under orders to shoot every dog they found.

Two deputies have already been indicted by a grand jury in New Orleans on charges of felony, aggravated cruelty to animals. The Louisiana attorney general’s office is investigating and this morning lawyers for a group of owners will file a comprehensive complaint in federal court in Louisiana seeking class action status for their clients.

For the first time, the St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s office has acknowledged to ABC News’ Law & Justice Unit that an internal investigation has been launched.

In an interview last week, Sal Gutierrez, who represents the sheriff’s office, defended the department’s handling of a clearly difficult evacuation. Gutierrez said the shells left behind in the schools did not necessarily come from the weapons issued to department deputies. He denied allegations that orders to kill the dogs came from superior officers, calling that claim “false.” He said that if the investigation turned up any wrongdoing by deputies, the St. Bernard sheriff would take appropriate disciplinary action. If something false has been alleged in the lawsuit, he said he would consider countercharges of defamation of character. He said that he and the sheriff were animal lovers.

In December, the sheriff’s office released a statement declaring that any actions taken had been done with “the utmost care, caution and belief of its necessity,” according to the newspaper New Orleans City Business.

But Gutierrez told ABC News that until the internal investigation was complete, he could not adequately answer all the charges. “I can’t tell you we don’t have a renegade or two,” Gutierrez told ABC News.

“If you’re talking about a rabid dog roaming the streets trying to attack, that’s understandable to try and find and euthanize a dog,” said plaintiff attorney Randall Smith. But, he said later, “some of them were poodles, miniature dogs, tied up, most outrageous[ly] in schools, no way a threat to anybody.”

One of the key pieces of evidence in the civil case is expected to be video footage shot by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Leeson Jr., who said he witnessed dogs being shot while filming in the area after Katrina for the Dallas Morning News.

“They shot the dog I was trying to help right in front of me,” he told reporters at the time.

On his video, posted HERE (tinyurl.com/38so9a) on the newspaper’s Web site, gunshots can clearly be heard.

Mike Minton, a former sergeant from the St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s office, acknowledges shooting dogs but says it was done for humane reasons. Gutierrez told ABC News that Minton was “let go” from the department and was “no longer an employee.” Minton, one of the two deputies indicted in December on animal cruelty charges, did not return a call from ABC for comment.

‘Shooting Gallery’

“It was a massacre. It was a shooting gallery,” said Mark Steinway, co-founder of the animal rescue group Posada Safe Haven. Steinway was among those who discovered the animals’ bodies at three school evacuation centers, gathered evidence and urged the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office to launch an investigation.

“We documented as best we could as a crime scene,” he said. “It was obvious [the dogs] had been chased around. There were so many rounds of ammunition and so many holes in the walls and so many random shots to body cavities and legs, areas where you know the animals were trying to get away from these guys.”

Steinway described one harrowing discovery he made in the one of the parish schools that he said exemplified the wantonness with which the animals were killed.

“Somebody carefully tied up these two dogs in one of the rooms and shot them, and didn’t even shoot them at close range in the head to put them out of their misery,” he said. “They backed up and started shooting, with a shotgun started firing. Pellets all over the floor, bullet holes in the wall. It was a slaughter.”

‘Please Do Not Shoot Her”

Some of the pet owners who spoke with ABC News said they had waited until the last minute to evacuate for good reason. One woman’s daughter had just had a major surgery. Another had a medical condition that prevented him from driving and an elderly father too weak to drive. The waters rose rapidly and communication was difficult at best. Many residents were rescued from their rooftops, their animals clinging to them.

On Aug. 28, 2005, with floodwaters roaring through St. Bernard Parish, officials announced St. Bernard’s High School as a shelter of last resort, according to court papers obtained by ABC News.

Three days later, on Aug. 31, officials evacuated the high school shelters and took residents to the Algiers Point ferry landing. As residents were separated from their animals and moved out of the shelters, many desperately scrawled messages on the walls of the school rooms.

“There is 1(sic) very nice dog in there. Please do not shoot her. Her name is Angel,” read one message. Another, with a name and phone number, read, “Call me please. I want my pets back.”

“In this room are six adult dogs and four puppies. Please save them! Kit.”

Plaintiff John Bozes said his black Labrador, Angel Girl, had saved his family’s life. Floodwaters had reached the top of the door of his parish home, he told ABC News.

“I walked to the door right there, I go to put my hand on the knob to open it, she got between me and that door and nudged me back. When I looked back I saw water coming through the top of the door and I said, ‘Oh boy, we’re in trouble.’”

“Everybody, we’re under water!” he hollered to his family, who climbed through the attic to reach the home’s roof. They were evacuated to St. Bernard’s High School, where he said they were told to evacuate without the pets.

“It was a mandatory evacuation — we either go to jail or get shot, or we leave our pets behind.”

Then, he said, he and other owners heard a deputy say, ‘Man, once everybody’s gone, we’re going to have target practice tonight.”’

“There was so much commotion after that statement was made,” he said. “We stood our ground and said, ‘We’re not leaving them.’”

“Next thing you know, we’re either leaving … or you get shot.”

Bozes’ father, Paul, said he thought about Angel Girl all the time. “I hope I’m not wrong in saying this, but from the bottom of my heart — if I see that boy or the man that shot her, they better have a lot of people around to keep me from hitting them.”

“These are animals,” John Bozes said, “but they have brains just like you and I. They have feelings like we have. … Tough animals, wonderful animals, lovable animals. And to have somebody shoot for no reason at all, I don’t think no animal in that school would have hurt somebody, especially Angel. She was too lovable.”

John Bozes and his sister were separated from their three dogs — Angel Girl, a pit bull named Honey and a Husky mix named Bullet — when they were evacuated. The dogs were taken to Beauregard Middle School and St. Bernard’s Parish High School.

“Bullet, the Husky mix, was found dead in the corner of Beauregard Middle School,” according to the complaint. “The cord from the Venetian blind on the nearest window had been tied to Bullet’s collar. Angel Girl and Honey were found together, also in a corner. Angel Girl had been tethered to the Venetian blinds on a nearby window. Honey was not tied, but lay at Angel Girl’s side.”

Plaintiff Joyce Stubbs was told she could not bring her dogs, Max and Lucky, with her when she was evacuated from Beauregard High School, so “she poured bottles of water and soft drinks into a large ice chest for her dogs to drink,” according to court documents. “She also put out a lot of food where the dogs could readily access it.”

“Stubbs and her children spent a long moment saying goodbye to her dogs. A Sheriff’s deputy approached them and pointed a shotgun at her son’s face and threatened to shoot him if they did not leave the dogs. He also pointed the shotgun at their small dog Lucky,” the complaints reads.

Judy Migliore and her husband spent three days going from rooftop to rooftop with their daughters and their poodle, Gidget, which she said means “small” in Hawaiian. Migliore said they called the dog Gigi. When it was time to go, Migliore said she pleaded with a deputy to let her take the poodle.

“I begged. … I was crying. I said, ‘Please, she’ll never, never touch the ground. She’ll stay in my arms the whole time.’ He said, ‘Ma’am, we can do it either nicely or not nicely,’ and he said, ‘I’m prepared to handcuff you.’

“I turned and looked at my husband and I said, ‘I can’t! I cannot leave her,’ and the deputy I knew came up at that time and he said, ‘Miss Judy, give her to me and I’ll see what I can do.’ I gave her to him because I couldn’t and he turned and give her to the deputy and that was the last time we seen him,” she said, referring to the deputy.

“I kept thinking … she going to be terrified that I wasn’t holding her, she was going to be terrified of bad weather and other dogs because of big dogs. Pit bulls, Great Danes, huge dogs. … I knew she was going to be terrified. … And I kept thinking, ‘I’m leaving her.’”

“I live with this every day in my thoughts and in my heart because she was our baby, and there’s not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.”

Two weeks later, Migliore said, her brother-in-law went back to the school where they Gigi, but he was turned away. One daughter went online to animal rescue sites and another daughter visited shelters. They knew the poodle would be easy to identify. Gigi was pure white, with freshly clipped nails painted red and a brown collar with a St. Francis of Assisi medal around her neck.

On Oct. 9, according to the complaint, a rescue worker informed the family that Gidget had been found shot in the head .

Presented with some of the allegations made in court documents and to ABC News, Gutierrez, the attorney for the sheriff’s department, said that he would like to depose the plaintiffs under oath.

(END OF ABCNEWS.COM report.)

Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited — leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php

—– Original Message —–
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
Date: Jun 10, 2007 4:27 PM
Subject: #1. GULF COAST: Still Homeless In Katrina’s Wake

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER RELIEF - PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

6/10/07: [GULF COAST] PART #1: Still Homeless In Katrina’s Wake
PAST NEWSLETTERS: www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/default.html

PART 1 / GULF COAST NEWSLETTER:

1. Shannon Moore, July 22, 1969 - May 31, 2006
2. Barn Homes Needed To Spare Hurricane Survivors From Death
3. Voucher Program To End At Expense Of Katrina’s Homeless
4. For Hurricane Season: Pet Friendly Hotel Info
5. The Velcros Need Homes
6. Vote For Louisiana CAAWS To Win $50,000 Donation
7. Join Living With Animals TV & Support MuttShack Disaster Aid
8. STILL Need Way Out…Can You Adopt From Plaquemines?
9. Prod St. John Officials to Build New Animal Facility
10. Dogs Shot In Lincoln Parish

PART 2 WAS SENT IN SEPARATE EMAIL.

If you did not receive PART 2, request it: kinshipcircle [at] brick.net

11. Katrina Lifeline Setting Up Another Major Transport
12. Is A Food/Water Program Still Needed In New Orleans?
13. New Orleans Sweeties Need Homes
14. Homeless Pet Crisis Persists In Katrina’s Wake
15. Animal Rescue After Katrina
16. Lakeview Cats Roaming
17. Adopters Return 2 Katrina Pooches To Owners
18. HSL Lemonade Stand Aids Ailing Katrina Dogs
19. The Woman Behind The Mandatory Spay/Neuter Bill

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1. Shannon Moore, July 22, 1969 - May 31, 2006

SOURCE: yepitsme770 [at] yahoo.com

6/1/07, from yepitsme770 [at] yahoo.com — Yesterday marked one year since the animal rescue world lost one of its most dedicated and hard-working volunteers. If you would like to sign Shannon’s Memorial Guest Book, it has been extended by Capt. Ron through July 2007. Here is the link [click here].

Other sites are still available for viewing:

Pics of Shannon
www.flickr.com/photos/yepitsme770/sets/72157594155834244/

Memories of Shannon Blog
memoriesofshannon.blogspot.com/

Rest in Peace, Angel. You are dearly missed.

LeAnne

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2. Barn Homes Needed To Spare Hurricane Survivors From Death

SOURCE: Leigh Schmitt, Cat Help Desk, leighschmitt [at] bellsouth.net

5/30/07, from Leigh Schmitt, leighschmitt [at] bellsouth.net — The Cat Help Desk has several urgent requests to relocate cat colonies. We are racing against the clock to spare the little hurricane survivors from a death sentence at Animal Control. We can only save them if we find a barn or other suitable location with someone willing to feed them.

If you have any leads on places in Louisiana and surrounding areas, please forward to: leighschmitt [at] bellsouth.net or info [at] cathelpdesk.org

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

3. Voucher Program To End At Expense Of Katrina’s Homeless

SOURCE: Forwarded by sandra [at] spaymart.org

Original Message: Lynn Chiche, Spaymart, lynnchiche [at] cox.net

6/8/07, from Lynn Chiche — EVERYONE INTERESTED IN HAVING THE VOUCHER PROGRAM THROUGH LA/SPCA CONTINUED: Please note that, as of August or early September, the present voucher program will have exhausted itself and will terminate. This will leave many people (including caretakers of feral cat colonies) in a desperate situation securing low-cost spay/neuter services.

As we all know, the city is presently overrun with homeless, free-roaming cats and dogs, whose only hope of sterilization is having the present voucher system extended. If you would like to see this happen, it is mandatory you take the time to write a letter to the ASPCA, stating in your own words, why it is necessary for the present program to continue. Otherwise, come August, all of us will have to pay the going rate (normally $50 to $75 at low cost facilities), or, even worse, abandon the issue altogether, at the expense of our homeless animals.

SEND COMMENTS TO:
Aimee St. Arnaud, ASPCA
aimees [at] aspca.org
P.O. Box 820; Perryburg, OH 43552.

Any further questions may be directed to:
Mary Morris, mary [at] la-spca.org
or Lynn Chiche, Spaymart, lynnchiche [at] cox.net

I would like to thank everyone in advance for taking time out of your busy day to address this important issue. Sincerely, Lynn Chiche

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4. For Hurricane Season: Pet Friendly Hotel Info

SOURCE: Renee Baumy, baumyr [at] usmi.com

Please let folks know that www.petswelcome.com shows hotels and motels that will accept pets and even now has a large dog search engine.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

5. The Velcros Need Homes

SOURCE: Maria Alvarez, tipster [at] bellsouth.net

6/7/07, from tipster [at] bellsouth.net — Monkey Doll, Sandals and Mokasin, rescued from New Orleans East, desperately need homes.

Please help me find them good homes: tipster [at] bellsouth.net or 504-512-0306

Thank you, Maria Alvarez, Stewardship For Strays

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6. Vote For Louisiana CAAWS To Win $50,000 Donation

SOURCE: Forwarded By: Pam Leavy, tundraleap [at] msn.com

Original Message: Jolene Allbright, CAAWS president, jodakcaaws [at] yahoo.com

6/4/07, from CAAWS (Capital Area Animal Welfare Society) — CAAWS has been selected as one of the 10 non-profit finalists in the Burger King Campaign for Your Cause. Ten area non-profits are now in the run offs for as much as a $50,000 donation. CAAWS is so honored to have recieved this opportunity.

Won’t you please help by simply voting for us? You can vote every day and more than once per day. You can vote from different computers and email sign ons. All you have to do is visit www.CampaignForYourCause.com or text message CAAWS to 287437 (BURGER)

Voting Period begins today June 5 until July 13. Thank you for considering voting for us and please, please forward this email to everyone that would like to help the animals. Every vote counts!

***************************

6/5/07, from Pam Leavy, CAAWS Board Member, Baton Rouge, Louisiana — To those unfamiliar with CAAWS: We are an all-volunteer nonprofit organization. Those familiar with all-volunteer groups will understand the challenges we encounter. We receive funding from donations and fund raisers, 100% of which supports our animal efforts, no administrative expenses. Feel free to visit our website, www.caaws.org

In addition to the animal efforts in the Baton Rouge area, CAAWS supports legislation that affects our state and the nation, such as the anti-cockfighting bill and pet evacuation bill, and has assisted in Katrina animal relief efforts, continuing today to provide pet food funding for my food/water stations in 9th Ward New Orleans.

CAAWS has an opportunity to win $50,000, which would make a huge impact on our ability to help the animals in our community. However, we are racing very large organizations in the final 10, including hospitals, schools, and nationally recognized organizations.

Please help us by voting every day, and encourage others to do the same.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

7. Join Living With Animals TV & Support MuttShack Disaster Aid

SOURCE: Amanda St. John, amanda [at] muttshack.org

Join Living With Animals TV and Support MuttShack Disaster Response — We have a remarkable opportunity that we believe you will truly enjoy. Your love for animals will be thoroughly rewarded. You can become a major contributor to help save animals during a Natural Disaster simply by subscribing to Living With Animals TV, an online magazine.

Your subscription is a big help to MuttShack’s Disaster Response Activities!

SUBSCRIBE NOW: livingwithanimals.tv/ccbill/index.htm

ONLY: $39.99 for the year. Your subscription enables you to access all Living With Animals online video stories and features. A portion of your subscription benefits MuttShack Animal Disaster Response. Don’t miss out.

Living With Animals - livingwithanimals.tv/ - The world’s first on-line video magazine focusing on the relationship between people and animals.

With subscription access you can view all of these top stories:
* MuttShack Awards Knights of Katrina
* Refused Rescue
* No Vacancy for Pets
* Unsung Heroes
* The PETSBill
* Harley’s Story

See - Knights of Katrina Award Now! Amanda and Martin St. John present the “Knights of Katrina” award to Louisiana Senator Heulette, “Clo” Fontenot and Legislative Researcher Cathy Wells. Senator Fontenot introduced and fought for a pet evacuation bill in Louisiana that would ensure that animals are included in evacuations during a disaster. See it LIVE: livingwithanimals.tv/

Amanda St. John, Founder, MuttShack Animal Rescue
www.muttshack.org

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

8. STILL Need Way Out…Can You Adopt From Plaquemines?

SOURCE: Ramona Billot, ramonabillot [at] yahoo.com

ONGOING, from Ramona Billot, ramonabillot [at] yahoo.com — P.A.W.S., the only no-kill shelter in Plaquemines Parish, is COMPLETELY FULL. They seek OUT-OF-STATE, no-kill shelters that can take animals in. Depending upon location, P.A.W.S. can assist in transport to safe a place. As long as P.A.W.S. remains full, animals go to the pound, where they are killed.

Snowman, P.A.W.S., 504-392-1601; plaqueminescat [at] yahoo.com

View other DOGS for adoption: www.petfinder.com/shelters/LA25.html

Shellie, P.A.W.S., 504-392-1601; plaqueminescat [at] yahoo.com

View other CATS for adoption: www.petfinder.com/shelters/LA25.html

CONTACT P.A.W.S. TO HELP

P.A.W.S., Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society
504-392-1601; plaqueminescat [at] yahoo.com
9596 Highway 23 South; Belle Chasse, LA 70037

PAWS is a tax deductible 501(c)3
Donations should be sent to:
P.A.W.S. Relief Fund; P.O. Box 83; Belle Chasse, LA 70037

More information about P.A.W.S.
www.petfinder.com/shelters/LA25.html

Contact Ramona Billot To Volunteer For Animals In Plaquemines
Ramona Billot / Plaquemines Parish
102 A Omega; Belle Chase, LA 70037
504-606-3116, ramonabillot [at] yahoo.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

9. Prod St. John Officials to Build New Animal Facility

SOURCE: Jeff Dorson, Executive Director, Humane Society of Louisiana, stopcruelty11 [at] gmail.com

5/24/07, from stopcruelty11 [at] gmail.com — Apparently, the majority of St. John Parish council members have little or no interest in enlarging, improving, or rebuilding the decaying St. John Parish Animal Shelter, located in LaPlace, Louisiana. Even though the population of the parish continues to expand due to the changing demographics after Hurricane Katrina, the parish council refuses to vote to either expand or rebuild the local animal shelter. The vote to rebuild the animal shelter has been on the council agenda repeatedly over the past eighteen months, but action has always been deferred.

The shelter is overcrowded and lacks proper ventilation, heat, and even adequate protection from the elements. The original brick structure, which is presently used to house dogs, was built in the 1970s to house spare parts and equipment.

Please contact these parish officials and let them know that animal control services are vital to every community. Ask them to vote immediately to build a new animal shelter in Laplace, Louisiana.

Councilwoman Cheryl Millet, District 7, email: cherylmilletdistrict7 [at] yahoo.com
Councilman Ronnie Smith, District 6, email: Ssmiths [at] rtconline.com
Councilman Sean Roussel, District 5, email: rouseel [at] rtconline.com
Councilwoman Jaclyn Hotard, District 4, email: jhotard [at] bellsouth.net
Councilman Richard Wolfe, District 3, email: d.wolfe [at] sjbparish.com
Councilman Lester Rainey, District 1, email: Lraineyjr [at] aol.com
Councilman Steve Lee, At Large, email: s.lee [at] sjbparish.com
Councilman Cleveland Farlough, email: c.farlough [at] sjbparish.com
Councilman Allen St. Pierre, cell: 504-559-0293

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

10. Dogs Shot In Lincoln Parish

SOURCE: Rebecca Kaase, president, Humane Society Of Louisiana Lincoln Chapter, nlgsdrescue [at] yahoo.com

www.knoe.com

RUSTON (TV8) - In another part of Lincoln Parish animal control officers have arrested a man for animal cruelty. His case is one of two dog shootings in the parish. TV-8’s Shannon Peoples has that story.

This stray dog is recovering at a Lincoln Parish aninal hospital from buckshot wounds to the face. Hospital workers call him Old Yeller.

The Humane Society does not know who shot Old Yeller, or why. The Humane Society wants you to know that it is never ok to harm an animal if you do you will be prosecuted under the law. Rebecca Kaase says, “It is a thousand dollar fine possible six months in jail for animal cruelty.”

Lincoln Parish Humane Society President Rebecca Kaase says that penalty should serve as a deterrent to anyone who would harm an animal. She wants people people to know there are other ways to treat an unwanted animal, or one that’s a nuisance. She says, “You know hopefully it will teach a few people that it is against the law to treat animals this way there are other avenues. If you have a problem with your neighbors pet, talk to them. If you have to have a mediator call the sheriff’s office or somebody. But do not take it upon yourself to shoot an animals or kill and any animal because you fell it is a nuisance to you.”

Kaase says the shooting of Old Yeller is the second recent attack on a dog in Lincoln Parish. Eighty-three year old John Lee of Choudrant was arrested by an animal control officer on Sunday for shooting another dog. He’s charged with animal cruelty. Lee told the arresting officer he shot the dog because it was dangerous and aggressive. The dog survived, and has since been returned to its owners.

Old Yeller, meanwhile is recovering from his wounds, and looking for a place to call home. In Ruston, Shannon Peoples, TV-8 News.

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DOWNLOAD FREE, HIGH RESOLUTION FACT SHEETS:

DYING FOR A HOME (Pet Overpopulation Crisis + Dispelling Spay/Neuter Myths)

THE VIOLENCE LINK

Over 50 more Fact Sheets: www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/

Highest quality photos + facts for your advocacy materials

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO DONATED…
BUT WE ARE FAR SHORT OF OUR $5,000 GOAL.
Please help Kinship Circle spread the word on essential animal cruelty/protection issues. We just don’t have the funding like big national groups…but that won’t “shut us up” when it comes to the animals. Your support is deeply appreciated.

DONATE NOW toward printing our educational literature for national distribution: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/donations.html

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SUBSCRIBE:
INDICATE WHICH OF 2 LISTS TO SUBSCRIBE YOU TO:

1. Kinship Circle Primary: subscribe [at] kinshipcircle.org
Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide
TELL US: SUBSCRIBE TO KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY

********************************

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Relief Focus

1. GULF COAST: Once monthly e-newsletters witth news, needs, stories…related to hurricane-affected animals in the Gulf Coast.
Newsletters to continue as long as needed.

2. RELIEF GLOBAL: E-newsletters/alerts about animals in OTHER DISASTERS as they unfold, i.e., central Florida tornadoes, Northeast (USA) floods, animals in war zones, pet food recall, etc.

3. ACTION CAMPAIGNS: Sample-letter alerts about

* Animal Protection Legislation
* Companion Animal Issues

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
Date: Jun 10, 2007 4:26 PM
Subject: #2. GULF COAST: Still Homeless In Katrina’s Wake

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER RELIEF - PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

6/10/07: [GULF COAST] PART #2: Still Homeless In Katrina’s Wake
PAST NEWSLETTERS: www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/default.html

PART 1 WAS SENT IN SEPARATE EMAIL.

If you did not receive PART 1, request it: kinshipcircle [at] brick.net

PART 2 / GULF COAST NEWSLETTER:

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11. Katrina Lifeline Setting Up Another Major Transport

SOURCE: Katrina Lifeline Programs, katrinalifelineprograms [at] CompanionAnimalNetworkTV.org

5/25/07, from katrinalifelineprograms [at] CompanionAnimalNetworkTV.org — All of the 35 puppies we brought up on April 2 were adopted at the state of the art facility of our rescue partner, North Shore Animal League America. Six different Louisiana parish animal control agencies, rescue groups, veterinarians, and independent rescuers contributed to the April transport. Congrats go to the animal control agencies of Terrebonne, St. Bernard, St. Johns, and Jefferson Davis parishes (and their volunteers who acted as liaison), as well as to Animal Rescue Foundation, two independent rescuers and two compassionate veterinary practices.

We are inviting all southern Louisiana parish animal control agencies (with the exception of Lafayette Parish’s animal control agency), rescue groups, and even independent rescuers to participate. The transportation costs are pre-paid by Katrina Lifeline’s major national rescue partner, North Shore Animal League America. All you need is to get a rabies shot for the puppy if has 2 or more adult teeth (approximately 12 weeks old) and a State of Louisiana health certificate for travel. Puppies up to 15 weeks are sought.

The medical protocols require that litters NOT be intermingled with other litters in order to prevent cross-contamination of parvo, distemper or upper respiratory diseases. We will need pictures of the puppies to be entered into the attached Word database as well as the other information requested. That’s all there is to getting southern pups a new life in and around the Big Apple!

AND DO NOT FORGET THAT WE HAVE A FREE HEARTWORM TREATMENT AND RABIES SHOT AND TRAVEL HEALTH CERTIFICATE PROGRAM FOR SOUTHERN LOUISIANA ALSO.

Thank you all for the wonderful work you are doing. We hope to continue to support the state of Louisiana, its humane organizations and its animals through these difficult times.

Garo Alexanian, Coordinator, Companion Animal Network
P.O. Box 750214; Forest Hills, NY 11375
718-544-PETS (7387)
www.CompanionAnimalNetworkTV.org

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12. Is A Food/Water Program Still Needed In New Orleans?

SOURCE: Lise McComiskey, lmccomiskey [at] SHERGARNER.com

NOTE FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE: Since original ARNO initiated its food/water program to cover 650 square miles in Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes — controversy has surrounded the notion of sustaining stranded animals in minimally repopulated areas. As recently as February 2007 when Kinship Circle’s 5-person team fed in the Upper 9th Ward East/West and Plaquemines, we received a negative letter from the City of New Orleans… The original food/water program was Jane Garrison’s brainchild. She mapped the New Orleans area into sections and assigned feeders from her trailer at Lamar Dixon in Sept/Oct. 2005. Is an organized system of food/water stations STILL NEEDED nearly two years post-Katrina?

Read resident and longtime ARNO volunteer Lise McComiskey’s rationale below. Visit ARNO’s site - animalrescueneworleans.org/ - to read about their Feral K9 Enrichment Program. Both represent viable reasons to responsibly maintain food/water stations for animals in post-hurricane New Orleans.

5/30/07, from Lise McComiskey, lmccomiskey [at] SHERGARNER.com — Feral Dog Project.wmv
[KINSHIP CIRCLE cannot attach this file, due to its large size.]
Attached is slideshow of feral dog socialization project undertaken in New Orleans between March 14, 2007 and May 28, 2007. The slideshow depicts socialization-in-place, capture and rehabilitation of a feral dog pack, mother and her three pups when lack of resources delayed trapping efforts by animal control personnel. You can also follow the link to Animal Rescue New Orleans’ website to read more about the new Feral K9 Enrichment program which ARNO has recently started.
animalrescueneworleans.org/

Nearly two years after Katrina, my own experiences have indicated that many individuals are supportive of ARNO’s continued efforts to assist these animals, however, there are those who oppose continued “feeding” and/or care of animals that continue to live on the streets of New Orleans and the argument is that feeding only creates more litters.

The feral dog project video is important because it refutes the idea that feeding is counter-productive and in fact supports the idea that controlled feeding, coupled with socialization-in-place, actually helps to resolve one of the real reasons these dogs are so difficult to remove from the streets: feralization

This particular dog pack was already a pack when encountered and without the controlled feeding to keep them centrally located, along with the 65 hours logged to socialize this pack in place and actually reverse the feralization process which had already begun with the pups, this pack would have continued to avoid capture by doing what they do best, roam.

It is because of the controlled feeding of these dogs that three reasonably socialized juvenile dogs are currently safe, continuing the socialization process with amazing results and no longer breeders on the streets. For me, it also proves that no-kill is attainable if we are willing to let go of cookie-cutter solutions from the past that just don’t work…….all those empty buildings on so much vacant land can also be thought of as the cheapest Rehabilation Tents around for unsocialized dogs.

Feeding and supportive care of these animals until such time that they can be removed from the streets are not the causes of new pups and kittens, the estrous cycles of the animals which continue to roam remain beyond our control, the ability to prevent particular roaming behaviors are however attainable.

Please help Animal Rescue New Orleans with their continued efforts by donating money or your time or by sharing this information with others.

animalrescueneworleans.org/

Thank you, Lise McComiskey, ARNO Volunteer
Paralegal, Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, LLC
909 Poydras Street, Suite 2800, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
504-299-2236; lmccomiskey [at] shergarner.com

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13. New Orleans Sweeties Need Homes

SOURCE: animalrescueneworleans.org/

Josie
Pit Bull Terrier, Black Labrador Retriever Mix
search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=7650359
Size: Medium * Age: Adult * Gender: Female * ID: Josie
ARNO (Animal Rescue New Orleans), adoptfromarno [at] yahoo.com

Hank
Golden Retriever
search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=7046273
Size: Large * Age: Adult* Gender: Male * ID: HANK
ARNO (Animal Rescue New Orleans), adoptfromarno [at] yahoo.com

Dixie & Lucas
Domestic Short Hair Mix
search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=7592725
Size: Medium * Age: Baby * ID: Dixie & Lucas
ARNO (Animal Rescue New Orleans), adoptfromarno [at] yahoo.com

Foster/Adopt For Animal Rescue New Orleans

ARNO has an ongoing need for foster homes to provide animals a safe and loving environment until transport, reunion and adoption arrangements can be made. Help us continue saving animals from the streets of New Orleans and many surrounding parishes. Your support enables ARNO to trap and rescue more animals from animal control facilities and kill shelters. The surrounding parishes have experienced a drastic increase in Katrina owner surrenders, as many people cannot find new places to live that allow pets.

SEE REST OF ARNO SWEETIES-IN-NEED:
www.1-800-save-a-pet.com/shelter71665-pets.html
search.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?shelterid=LA181

TO FOSTER/SHELTER ANIMALS, CONTACT:

GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA
* ARNO FOSTER INFORMATION & APPLICATION:
animalrescueneworleans.org/fosterinfo.html
* ARNO ADOPTIONS
animalrescueneworleans.org/adoptions.html
* ARNO (Animal Rescue New Orleans)
504-571-1900 / Adoptions email: adoptfromarno [at] yahoo.com

WEST BANK/BELLE CHASSE AREA
* CONTACT RAMONA BILLOT: ramonabillot [at] yahoo.com

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14. Homeless Pet Crisis Persists In Katrina’s Wake

Advocates struggle to deal with animals whose owners can no longer care for them, and with the offspring of cats and dogs lost in the hurricane I By Ann M. Simmons, Times Staff Writer, ann.simmons [at] latimes.com

SOURCE: click here

Laura Horrigan, a volunteer at Animal Rescue New Orleans, visits Hank, whose owners gave him up 10 months after Hurricane Katrina. (Lori Waselchuk / For The Times)

5/29/07, NEW ORLEANS — Hank, a strapping purebred golden retriever, is typical of the second wave of pet problems here in the 21 months since Hurricane Katrina hit.

The first crisis was those lost, abandoned or killed in the storm and its immediate aftermath. Now there are pets like Hank, who stayed with his New Orleans East owners for the first 10 months after Katrina, which submerged their home in 7 feet of water.

After moving several times and struggling to rebuild their lives, Hank’s owners realized they could no longer cope with owning a dog. So they surrendered Hank to Animal Rescue New Orleans, or ARNO, a grass-roots group that cares for animals that were left behind or separated from their owners.

The dog bounded with joy as ARNO shelter coordinator Robin Beaulieu entered his pen one recent afternoon. Hank flipped onto his back for a tummy rub. “He loves to be petted and groomed,” Beaulieu said.The dog has lived at ARNO for the last eight months while he waits to find a new home.

Animal advocates say many pet owners living in trailers and tight on cash while they rebuild their flood-damaged homes opt to give up their animals because they don’t have space or can no longer afford to keep them. “So many people out there need help with their pets,” said Charlotte Bass Lilly, ARNO’s executive director. Beaulieu estimated that the number of families surrendering their pets to shelters had gone up between 45% and 60% since Katrina. ARNO was founded shortly after the storm.

Laura K. Maloney, executive director of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said that although some of the animals being put up for adoption by her agency these days could be the offspring of animals separated from their families since the storm, most were pets that had been relinquished by their owners.

According to LA/SPCA statistics, about 259,400 families owned pets in Orleans Parish before the storm. As many as 104,000 were left behind after Katrina; about 15,000 were officially rescued. An estimated 3,000 have been reunited with their families, and at least 88,700 pets remain unaccounted for, Maloney said. Thousands of the pets unaccounted for are believed to have died, she added.

ARNO and other animal advocacy groups believe many of the strays that remain on the streets are “Katrina pets” and their fourth- or fifth-generation offspring. And most have not been spayed or neutered.

Bass Lilly said that unscientific counts by ARNO volunteers who manage the group’s 3,000 feeding stations throughout Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes indicate that there could be as many as 40,000 cats and 5,000 dogs on the streets. “There are still dogs out there with collars,” Bass Lilly said. She added that although the presence of stray or abandoned animals was not unique to New Orleans, “what makes it different is that these animals are homeless, with no food, water and no garbage to forage. They’re basically in a stress situation.”

University of Pennsylvania researchers surveyed six areas of Orleans and St. Bernard parishes on behalf of the LA/SPCA six months after the storm and found that “relatively few” homeless animals remained. Maloney said that feeding stations were not “in the best interest” of stray animals and made it more challenging to capture them. “We are taking animals that are left there, and we are sustaining them,” she added. “That really doesn’t solve our problem. We are helping create more homeless kittens and puppies, and we need to stop.”

ARNO’s food sites cover a 685-square-mile radius, Beaulieu said. Volunteer trappers try to capture the animals for sterilization. Feral cats are trapped, neutered and released.

Bass Lilly said that over the last nine months, her group had found new homes for an average of 200 animals a month. And since Katrina, the volunteers had helped reunite between 50 and 70 pets with their original owners, Bass Lilly said.

Reunifications are still crucial almost two years after the storm, animal advocates contend. “Every day, animals show up,” said Laura Bergerol, a volunteer with a grass-roots online group called the Katrina Animal Reunion Team. The animals are featured in newspaper ads, on sites advertising missing pets, and even on the classified site Craig’s List, said Bergerol, who is based in Palo Alto.

There are about 200 animals living at ARNO’s shelter, housed in a warehouse in Jefferson Parish. Bass Lilly said the group had a “no kill” policy. ARNO survives on donations from volunteers, private sources and other nonprofit groups.

One day last week, a cacophony of barks blended with the occasional purr as Beaulieu showed volunteer Ray Forrester how to trap five kittens that he had recently spotted in his Kenner neighborhood. “You line the cage with newspaper and put food on it,” Beaulieu said. “The best thing to use is sardines. And Popeyes fried chicken works wonders.”

Cats are typically trapped in cages, dogs often with a noose. It can take several months to win an animal’s confidence so that it is willingly captured.

With the population of New Orleans down to half its size, and thousands of people across Louisiana living in cramped trailers, there are fewer local takers for Katrina pets. So the group is working with partners nationwide to find new homes for the animals. “Katrina animal celebrity is a way to make people feel they are directly helping with Katrina,” Beaulieu said.

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15. Animal Rescue After Katrina

SOURCE: Brenda Shoss, info [at] kinshipcircle.org * Kathy Sweeney, kathybsweeney [at] yahoo.com * Ramona Billot, ramonabillot [at] yahoo.com * Traci Kestler, tbkestler [at] cox.net * Jeanette Althans, jalthans [at] chnola.org

Kinship Circle, a nonprofit organization, can accept donations on behalf of key NOLA volunteers devoted to animal recovery. These NOLA residents conduct and incur costs for trap/neuter/release (TNR), medical, adopt/transport, rescue and care. Even as we approach the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the crisis isn’t over for animals.

PLEASE SEND DONATIONS, either:
1.) Directly to NOLA volunteers (below)
OR
2.) To Kinship Circle to forward to NOLA volunteers

1.) DONATE MONEY/SUPPLIES TO NOLA VOLUNTEERS

Traci Kestler / ARNO & independents
P.O. Box 55284; Metairie, LA 70055-5284
504-975-5971, tbkestler [at] cox.net
ONLINE: www.ARFL.petfinder.com

Jeanette Althans / Lakeview
333 Vinet Avenue; Jefferson, LA 70121
504-734-7771, jalthans [at] chnola.org

Ramona Billot / Plaquemines Parish/Belle Chasse
102 A Omega; Belle Chase, LA 70037
504-606-3116, ramonabillot [at] yahoo.com

2.) DONATE MONEY (no gift cards) TO KINSHIP CIRCLE, NONPROFIT ORG.

ONLINE DONATIONS:
www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/

**IF DONATING ONLINE AT KINSHIP CIRCLE WEBSITE:
Please also send an email to kinshipcircle [at] brick.net confirming your donation is specifically for A.R.K.
(Animal Rescue After Katrina)

BY MAIL:
Send check made out to Kinship Circle to:
Kinship Circle
A.R.K. Effort (Animal Rescue After Katrina)
7380 Kingsbury Blvd.; Saint Louis, MO 63130
memo: (A.R.K)

Kinship Circle, nonprofit, registered in the state of Missouri
Charter number: N00071626 * Certification number: 7789294
[Federal] Employee Identification Number (EIN): 20-5869532

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16. Lakeview Cats Roaming

SOURCE: www.lakeivewcats.org/

Welcome to Lakeview Cats Roaming! This website was created for the cats that are still roaming in Lakeview since Hurricane Katrina. Kathy Sweeney and Jeanette Althans coordinate the feeding, trapping, and reunion efforts. The Remote Reunion Campaign, ARNO, Kinship Circle and others provide assistance with various items. Please visit our Other Links page for more information: www.lakeivewcats.org/favorite.htm

Foster and Forever Homes Needed! Many kittens and former pets must be returned to the street if foster or forever homes are not available.

Lakeview Residents Needed to Assist. We’d like to transition some food/water stations to Lakeview residents. Please contact us if you are able to help.

CONTACT LAKEVIEW CATS ROAMING IF…

* You recognize your cat, a friend or neighbor’s cat, or if you would like to foster or adopt a cat.
* You can help by taking care of a feeding station in your neighborhood, or at your house. To ensure the cats are fed on a regular basis, we ask that residents assist with feeding.
* Kathy Sweeney - kathybsweeney [at] yahoo.com
* Jeanette Althans - jalthans [at] cox.net

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17. Adopters Return 2 Katrina Pooches To Owners

Dogs were left at shelter; family sued for custody after pets’ rescue
5/22, 2007 - The Associated Press

SOURCE: Forwarded By: Marnie Reeder, starbright60 [at] webtv.net

[Click here to read online]

TAMPA, Fla. — A custody dispute over two dogs lost in Hurricane Katrina ended Tuesday when the Florida women who adopted them after the storm agreed to give them back.

“This is what we wanted from the beginning, our dogs being back home,” Doreen Couture said at an emotional news conference. She, her husband, Steve, and their two children lived in St. Bernard Parish, La., when they lost almost everything they had in the storm in 2005. They had dropped their dogs off at a temporary shelter before fleeing.

In the chaos that followed, the animals — a St. Bernard and a shepherd mix — ended up at a shelter in Pinellas County, Fla. They were adopted into two different homes. The Coutures eventually learned where the dogs were and sued last year to have them returned. The new owners claimed they adopted the dogs in good faith and vowed to fight. A trial date had been set for this July.

Going home

On Tuesday, Pam Bondi, a local prosecutor who adopted the St. Bernard, said she decided to give him back after getting to know the Coutures and visiting them in Louisiana. Bondi said Rhonda Rineker, the Dunedin woman who adopted the shepherd mix, also agreed to return her dog to the Coutures. Rineker has not commented publicly on the dispute.

A tearful Bondi said she would be able to visit the dog she called Noah and the Coutures call Master Tank. “Thanks to these good people, I will be a big part of his life. … I promised to love and protect him and keep him safe his entire life, and that’s what I plan on doing,” Bondi said. She had said she spent thousands of dollars for the dog’s health problems that predated the storm, while the Coutures denied that his health had been neglected. Steve Couture said the family, now living in St. Tammany Parish, planned to pick up the dogs later Tuesday and then head back to Louisiana.

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18. HSL Lemonade Stand Aids Ailing Katrina Dogs

SOURCE: Jeff Dorson, Executive Director, Humane Society of Louisiana, stopcruelty11 [at] gmail.com

5/22/07, from Jeff Dorson, stopcruelty11 [at] gmail.com — I am pleased to announce that we reached our goal of raising $1,000 in 3 1/2 hours. We are still accepting modest donations of $5.00 and $10 from everyone on this list, so that we can be ready for the next medical emergency. Many of the elderly pets that were rescued during Katrina are now experiencing medical problems and are in need of on-going care. If you are not in a position to help, please forward to this message to potential new supporters.

Sincerely, Jeff Dorson, Executive Director

From the Times Picayune - Lemonade Stand Aids Animals

In an unusual fundraising venture, the Humane Society of Louisiana raised $1,000 Saturday to cover medical expenses of a pair of dogs ailing since Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers sold lemonade for $1 a cup and “gratitude stones” for $10 each outside the Belladonna Day Spa on Magazine Street, raising about $650 between noon and 3 p.m., according to group spokesman Jeff Dorson. He said people interested in the drive had committed to providing donations needed to reach the goal of $1,000 to ensure medical help for the dogs.

One of the dogs, Princess, an 11-year-old chow, was abandoned at her home after law enforcement officers prevented her owners from retrieving her after Katrina hit. Volunteers from the Humane Society of Louisiana later rescued the dog and, after it was temporarily cared for in Kentucky, it was returned to her owner. Princess has suffered from severe eye infections that left the dog blind. One eye has already been removed and a second eye needs to be removed, but the family doesn’t have money needed for the second operation, estimated at $600, according to the animal advocacy group.

Another survivor of the storm, a mix-breed named Missy, was abandoned by her owners after the storm destroyed their junk yard, and the Humane Society of Louisiana is defraying expenses for an elderly neighbor that is caring for the dog. Missy, about six years old, has been diagnosed with advanced heartworm disease and ongoing treatment is expected to cost $400.

Dorson said his organization has spent $500,000 on veterinarian care for animals since the storm and, because of the enthusiastic response Saturday, expects to repeat use of the lemonade-stand idea. “It seems to work when people identify exactly where their money goes,” he said. “The feedback we get is people want to invest in the welfare of these two dogs.”

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19. The Woman Behind The Mandatory Spay/Neuter Bill

SOURCE: