Jump In - Get It Done

Pontchartrain Humane Society
Slidell, Louisiana
Post Hurricane Katrina

July, 2006

It was the 4th of July Holiday in 2006. Anderson Cooper’s CNN evening show was being filmed live in Slidell, LA, in the front of Sam and Lyn Bailey’s devastated home. The house still stands but is totally unlivable even a year after the Hurricane. But it does serve a very important purpose - it is a temporary shelter for pets left behind and abandoned after the Hurricane.

A group of people stood in the rubble, being interviewed by Cooper, each holding a puppy or kitten, (the result of unneutered or unspayed pets) left to fend for themselves. These weren’t your average pet rescuers. These people looked ordinary enough. They stood proud in the heavily lit rubble, amongst the cameras and microphones, the producers and gaffers.

These people stood as firm as they did the day the Hurricane hit. They did not abandon the area, they stayed. They stayed with many of the pets that were left behind and made sure that if any of them would die, they would all die together, not alone. Humans and animals, together.

These extraordinary people and the pets they saved and continue to care for with their own money are not your average pets. THEY survived Katrina! They may be “marked” with behavior problems from that event, but only temporarily. The love they get from Sam and Lyn and the many other volunteers who handle them daily will win out over the Hurricane experience.

The Pontchartrain Humane Society, founded by the Baileys, is struggling to survive. Many animal shelters around the country are feeling the same pinch, but one difference is that the Baileys and many of their volunteers have lost their homes. If it wasn’t for the tremendous amount of pets that were left behind and the hundreds still remaining in need of homes, it might be easy for these people to kiss the Gulf Coast good bye.

My husband, David and I could not sleep well that night after the Cooper interview, in our comfortable home with our three rescued dogs and two cats. One of our, dogs, Carlos, who helps me do presentations, is pictured at the right. But what could WE do besides send them a few extra dollars to ease OUR pain? The next morning I went to their web site and found their Wish List. It was a long one, since they are starting from nothing. Ironically, we would be passing through their area in mid-October, so our wheels started to turn.

We live in a majestic place in Southern Arizona. Most of our neighbors are transplants from other states, David and I from Northern California. Our small community is blessed with creative folks who love animals, the outdoors, and many are fortunate enough to have retired early. People here love to help. (It’s in the water!) If you ask for help, you can always get an extended hand. So we started asking.

Our whole plan materialized around the gift of a 17’ travel trailer that is especially needed by the Baileys to transport the pets on weekends to the malls for adoptions. David and I pictured us cruising down the road, 1700 miles to Slidell, towing this trailer behind our 23’ RV, on our way to Hartford, Connecticut to do a Pet Expo...We jumped in, we had the vision.

And the story continues...

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