Kinship Circle: Few Ike Reunions, Dog Survives Surge, Animal Relief…

October 28th, 2008 6:54 pm by Kelly Garbato

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 3:35 PM
Subject: Few Ike Reunions, Dog Survives Surge, Animal Relief…

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER AID NETWORK

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GULF COAST
10/27/08: Few Ike Reunions, Dog Survives Surge, Continuing Animal Relief

IN THIS ALERT:

1. A 10-Day Limit Meant Few Reunions After Ike
2. Hope Is A Mutt Named Ranger
3. Ike, Gustav & Katrina Continuing Animal Relief

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1. A 10-Day Limit Meant Few Reunions After Ike

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SOURCE / REPLY TO:
Marilyn Knapp Litt, stealthvolunteers [at] yahoo.com

RESCUED ANIMALS PUT UP FOR ADOPTION AFTER 10 DAYS

blogs.chron.com/hurricanes/animals/

“Pet owners will have a 10-day window of time to identify and collect their animals from the date of the photo’s posting. After that point, the animals will be adopted out.”

From Marilyn Knapp Litt, stealthvolunteers [at] yahoo.com — A heartless 10-day limit — used in Texas to place Hurricane Ike animals up for adoption ONLY 10 days after rescue — meant most families weren’t contacted when animals were taken from their homes. I know of no families contacted…and in many cases no information was left in the home about where animals were taken.

My group, the Stealth Volunteers, was eager to help locate families of animals who were rescued, but could find no group that wanted our services. The emphasis was on rehoming animals rather than returning them to their homes.There has been no outcry over this and I believe it will become the accepted practice nationwide; with the exception of Louisiana which has pet evacuation legislation and an agency (LSART) determined to ensure all rescued animals are restored to their families.

READ MORE HERE:

It is True, 10 Days and POOF!

rescuesandreunions.blogspot.com/2008/09/it-is-true-10-days-and-poof.html

On Your Mark, Get Set, OH NO!

rescuesandreunions.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-your-mark-get-set-oh-no.html

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2. Hope Is A Mutt Named Ranger

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SOURCE / REPLY TO:
Marilyn Knapp Litt, stealthvolunteers [at] yahoo.com

Swimming for his life, he endured the horror of being hit by bodies of the drowned

tinyurl.com/5nc5lb

The family’s LOST ad read: Ranger is a 5 year old sweet, gentle, long-haired Retriever/Aussie Shep mix. He’s got brown eyes and mostly black hair with a patch of white on his chest and bits of white between his toes. He had a blue collar with a tag for his vet on it out of Bacliff, TX… We really miss him and want him to come home. (Ranger was lost in San Leon, TEXAS).

EVERYONE BUT THE SON AND RANGER LEFT BEFORE THE SURGE…

The son finished boarding up the house, put Ranger in his van and called his parents to say he was leaving because the water was coming.

But he left too late.

A wave slammed the van into a guardrail. It started to fill with water. The son managed to grab Ranger and swim out of the van. He swam with his 65 pound dog under his arm. A second huge wave came as the electricity failed.

A third wave, 12 feet high, parted them in the dark as the young man had to let go and swim for his life. Debris, alligators, and dead bodies slammed into him as he endured the horror…and struggled to survive.

And as he swam in that terrifying deadly black water, he looked for his dog. Escaping the surge, he reached safety, but alone. He found a fire truck whose crew took him to shelter.

We will never know how Ranger survived and made it to safety, but he did. He ended up at the Houston SPCA and his family saw his photo online. A family member called the SPCA and said, “You found our dog!” She provided them with the Ranger’s shelter ID number.

You would think the SPCA would be delighted at the prospect of a reunion. Reunions are rare, especially when no effort is made to contact owners, even when the animals are removed from homes.

THE HOUSTON SPCA SEEMED TO DISCOURAGE THE FAMILY’S REUNION…

“It is not your dog.” That was the immediate response. How could they know without checking? Why didn’t the family hear something like, “Wow, let’s see. I hope it is your dog!”

Here is how the exchange was described to me: “With each question, I felt they were trying harder and harder NOT to reunite him with his family. The final straw was telling me that he was about to be put up for adoption this week if he passed the personality test.”

She told the SPCA they were coming to get Ranger that day. The response was they could not promise he would be there. She begged them; “Please, as a personal favor, please hold the dog until he can be picked up.”

DISASTERS BRING OUT THE BEST AND THE WORST…

Why do some people, confronted with a stranger who has nothing, open their homes? And why do other people look down from a position of power and make them plead? Even if you have no empathy with people, how can professionals, who choose to work with animals, care so little about them?

Dogs grieve and mourn lost families. (If you don’t know this firsthand, I refer you to the literature of Jack London or Charles Dickens.)

Why would the SPCA be so eager to adopt out an animal the family is coming to claim? And if Ranger goes home…somewhere down the line, there will be shelter space for a dog that would otherwise be put to sleep? Shouldn’t that be what an organization called the “Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals” is all about?

THE 10 DAYS WERE UP. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I think I know why. And it is not just the Houston SPCA. Ten days after rescue, all animals were available for adoption. (Some desirable little dogs didn’t even last 10 days). The focus of the rescue effort was to rehome saved animals. It is easier and cheaper to adopt out animals than to hold them and reunite them. Ranger’s ten days were up and that’s why the SPCA could say Ranger was not their dog. They meant, he is no longer your dog.

AGAINST ALL ODDS, A HAPPY ENDING

Surviving a hurricane makes you strong and the family went to the SPCA to get their dog and would not be denied. Ranger was so excited to see his Mom and Dad, he whined and barked and wagged until they had no choice but to admit he had found his family.

The son broke down when he heard Ranger had survived. The home he stayed to board up has vanished. The family has to start over. But now, thanks to Ranger’s improbable return, they are not starting over from scratch.

Hope is talked about a lot these days and in a conventional sense. Red or blue, you can have your own ideal of Hope. Neither party holds the copyright. But for this family, Hope is a sweet, gentle, long haired Retriever/Aussie Shep mix.

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3. Ike, Gustav & Katrina Continuing Animal Relief

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SOURCE / REPLY TO:
Jeff Dorson, stopcruelty11 [at] gmail.com
Humane Society Of Louisiana, www.humanela.org

HELP HUMANE SOCIETY OF LOUISIANA’S GIVING TREE GROW

Watch our Giving Tree Blossom as our $30,000 in 30 days campaign progresses. For your generous donation of $75, you’ll get 3 plush pets (plus shipping / handling) or $25 for one plush pet.

DONATE NOW: www.threewishesfoundation.org/la_humane_society.html

The Humane Society of Louisiana has taken on the arduous task of coordinating disaster relief and preparedness, fundraising efforts, allocating supplies, and creating greater exposure for the hardest hit parishes’ abandoned, abused and hungry animals being sheltered in less then adequate conditions made worse from Ike, Gustav and Katrina.

Please make a wish come true for the Humane Society of Louisiana!

www.threewishesfoundation.org/la_humane_society.html