Who's Sorry Now?
Have you ever lost a pet? It is devastating. We looked at the 1 year Anniversary coverage of Katrina...boorrrring....idiots still pointing fingers, pocketing corrupt blood money, blaming, etc. Whatever.
But the pet story is different. We wanted to say a quiet prayer for all the lost pets and their owners.
Here's just one story of many:
Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina, many human lives remain in tatters on the Gulf Coast, and the same can be said for the animals.
The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 10,000 companion animals were rescued in the wake of the hurricane. The actual number may be well over that.
While some dogs and cats were reunited with their owners, others ended up in shelters or living on the streets. In the months since Katrina, many who actually escaped with their pets have turned them in because their lives are just too unstable to provide their pets with a good home. Twin sisters with Minnesota roots are doing what they can to give those animals another chance. Claudia Beckman and Colleen Jefferson are behind Triple R Rescue, an organization that has made ten trips to the Gulf Coast since the hurricane hit.
Thursday night, they pulled into the Twin Cities with a donated RV, two friends, and 64 dogs orphaned by Katrina. "We have some of them that are owner relinquished to the shelter down south, because they're moving, they're going into an apartment, or there's too much crowding in the FEMA trailers," says Beckman. "There're other dogs that are still stray on the streets down there, a lot of puppies and kittens happening, trying to get them, get them in, get them altered, and locate owners." The sisters estimate they've transported and handed off 800 animals to rescue groups in the Midwest, including the one led by Dawn Jacobsen of Spring Lake Park. "We do temperament testing on everyone, get them to a vet, have grooming appointments with different groomers," says Jacobsen. "Get them in, spayed, micro chipped, vaccinated, and look for new homes as soon as possible, once they're ready to go."
It is rewarding, but difficult work. They take joy in saving lives, but pain in knowing there are many more companion animals out there who will never find a home. "Your heart hurts a lot," says Beckman. "You cry a lot, you laugh a lot. You have to."
