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HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED
THIS IS NO JOKE.
Are you afraid to post this, so-called animal lovers? This is a heart wrenching, first hand account from a very brave volunteer. Permission to cross-post now granted! Get the word out because help is desperately needed. From a Connecticut shelter volunteer that just came back from New Orleans: September 19, 2005 Hi All, I got home late last night from Louisiana. I'm still trying to process everything I've seen and done, not to mention trying to get the stench out of my clothes! We went to the LSU temporary shelter, which is well run and organized. They really have their act together and it's a great place to volunteer. Next stop was the Lamar Dixon Expo Center(aka Gonzales), the large "clearing house" facility. LASPCA, HSUS, ASPCA, and VMAT are in a power struggle over who is in charge. It is total chaos. They don't have anywhere near enough people to care for the 2000 animals (average) and are turning away rescue groups bringing more animals in after sitting in line for hours. This place is HUGE, and the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Dogs and cats sit for days waiting for vet care even if illness is obvious. Many do not get out of their crates for 2+ days. There is no leadership, no system, and the animals are suffering. Vet care is obtained when they get the chance, and only after a request is put in the "inbox", which happens to be a bucket. Volunteers are so burnt out they are in tears. There are some very sick animals who are put in makeshift "wards" in the barns. No bleach bucket outside for shoes, and no where near any acceptable level of sanitation. "Triage" doesn't happened regularly, not enough vets & vet techs. The Parvo stalls are in the middle of everything ... people in & out of them constantly, and going directly in stalls with "healthy" dogs. All dogs & cats are kept in crates of all kinds. We got yelled at by VMAT for moving a puppy into a wire crate instead of a veri-kennel after being told to do so by HSUS. Don't know if it was because she was a pit pup and therefore most likely not going to make it out of that hellhole after all she'd been thru- she was air-vacced off the 610 bridge- or what. There are huge buses, vans, RV's, tents everywhere, representives of different states for each large group. Animal Planet had their bus there, and PETA was driving in as we were leaving. That's all well & good, but the "negotiations" for control is disgusting. Whoever gets the government "grant" (aka "Contract") runs the show, and makes some nice $$. There are pallets of food, water, crates, etc from Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, and a bunch of others. They just don't have enough people to clean & walk all these dogs, let alone feed, water, and med. They DESPERATELY need more people to do the basic stuff. We hooked up with Pasado Animal Rescue & did door to door searches for animal survivors in New Orleans. It is mind-blowing how many pets are still alive, though many are going down hill fast. Wednesday we did water rescue in an area that was still flooded, and pulled over a dozen dogs out of houses where they were trapped. We found animals alive in homes that were boarded up & barricaded, having to break in using any means necessary to get to them. The stench is unreal, and most homes are booby-traps- furniture and appliances thrown everywhere by the flood waters, the mold, sludge and god knows what makes walking in very dangerous. You DO NOT want to fall and get that stuff on you. The situation changes hour by hour, let alone day by day. They are beginning to release animals to rescues at least from what I saw, at least 50% of the dog population is Pitbull/Pit-mixes, approx 25% Rotties & Chows, and the remaining 25% every breed you can imagine. Some of the rescues are taking Pits & Rotties, though Lamar Dixon may not be allowing them out, Pasado & LSU are. I know there are other groups as well. Save A Dog is still there and flying in volunteers. They are also doing door to door rescue in the city now. IF ANYONE CAN GO PLEASE GO! Hotels are not an option. If you go, plan on sleeping in a tent (bring your own), or your vehicle. Personally, I recommend the vehicle ... Fire Ants are everywhere, and from personal experience, they will find you. I spent 2 nights sleeping in a horse stall before they realized I was there (the ants), but once they did, it was all over. Their bite is EXTREMELY painful and leaves blisters that turn into something resembling a pimple. Nothing seems to kill them. Showers are a luxury, if you can get one. Bring your own food & water, medical supplies, Rubbing Alcohol, bleach, etc to decontaminate yourself after handling the animals, who are still covered with dry toxic sewage. This effort will be going on for months, and people will be needed all the way thru. Right now, the dogs & cats (and every other creature you can imagine) are critical. Many are dehydrated and starving, and it is a VERY ugly scene. I hope things will improve. If anyone goes now, be prepared to separate your personal feelings from what needs to be done just to get these animals some help. Hopefully it will improve over the next few weeks/months, and someone will be in charge and get things somewhat organized. For those who can't turn off their feelings and just do the job as best they can, don't go now. Wait until it gets better. If you have a strong stomach, and can stay focused on just taking care of one at a time, you are needed now. Feral dog packs and cat colonies were well established in New Orleans prior to the hurricane ... now they are feeding off each other, and whatever they can find. It is truly horrible. The animal population problem is beyond belief. Out of some 300 dogs Pasado Rescue pulled, only TWO males were neutered, and I think ONE female. There are dogs who were severely neglected prior to the hurricane, mange is very prevalent, and god only knows what else. Most of the Pits have had there ears cropped back to their heads ...."Home Jobs" done with scissors or knives. The whole thing is just surreal. I did not dream at all while I was down there, probably due to exhaustion - we were up at 6 am and lucky to get to bed by 3 or 4 am. The nightmares are starting now, and I can't get the images out of my mind. I try to focus on the ones we've saved, and pray they get into homes. Enough for now, this is too long as it is, and I'm starting to cry again. B. |
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"KittyyttiK" wrote in message
news THIS IS NO JOKE. Are you afraid to post this, so-called animal lovers? This is a heart wrenching, first hand account from a very brave volunteer. Permission to cross-post now granted! Get the word out because help is desperately needed. From a Connecticut shelter volunteer that just came back from New Orleans: September 19, 2005 Hi All, I got home late last night from Louisiana. I'm still trying to process everything I've seen and done, not to mention trying to get the stench out of my clothes! We went to the LSU temporary shelter, which is well run and organized. They really have their act together and it's a great place to volunteer. I'm suspicious about all of these "everything's screwed up and in chaos" and "the evacuees are ungrateful brutes" posts. They're showing up in all the newsgroups, posted by various people. I've seen this particular one in an off-topic group. The "brave volunteer" doesn't ever seem to have a name, either. Just initials. I would not be surprised if some emergency animal shelters are understaffed and in chaos. They've got one hell of a big task ahead of them, which they really weren't prepared for. But take a look at their website and make sure they really do need volunteers before you drive there with your tent. I've already read a bunch of crap over at Kos' site about a town in Louisiana that supposedly has received no help at all as of September 17, and that people are dying in the streets there. As I live within driving distance of that particular town, and I've been there nearly every day since the storm, I know that's a flat-out lie. FEMA and the Red Cross were there within 48 hours after the storm ended, and NOBODY died as a result of the storm. Not one single person. So the lefties are out in force, telling lies to make FEMA and, by extension, Bush look bad. I would suggest that since this Shelter Horror post has been previously posted to off-topic newsgroups, it may not be true. flick 100785 Next stop was the Lamar Dixon Expo Center(aka Gonzales), the large "clearing house" facility. LASPCA, HSUS, ASPCA, and VMAT are in a power struggle over who is in charge. It is total chaos. They don't have anywhere near enough people to care for the 2000 animals (average) and are turning away rescue groups bringing more animals in after sitting in line for hours. This place is HUGE, and the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Dogs and cats sit for days waiting for vet care even if illness is obvious. Many do not get out of their crates for 2+ days. There is no leadership, no system, and the animals are suffering. Vet care is obtained when they get the chance, and only after a request is put in the "inbox", which happens to be a bucket. Volunteers are so burnt out they are in tears. There are some very sick animals who are put in makeshift "wards" in the barns. No bleach bucket outside for shoes, and no where near any acceptable level of sanitation. "Triage" doesn't happened regularly, not enough vets & vet techs. The Parvo stalls are in the middle of everything ... people in & out of them constantly, and going directly in stalls with "healthy" dogs. All dogs & cats are kept in crates of all kinds. We got yelled at by VMAT for moving a puppy into a wire crate instead of a veri-kennel after being told to do so by HSUS. Don't know if it was because she was a pit pup and therefore most likely not going to make it out of that hellhole after all she'd been thru- she was air-vacced off the 610 bridge- or what. There are huge buses, vans, RV's, tents everywhere, representives of different states for each large group. Animal Planet had their bus there, and PETA was driving in as we were leaving. That's all well & good, but the "negotiations" for control is disgusting. Whoever gets the government "grant" (aka "Contract") runs the show, and makes some nice $$. There are pallets of food, water, crates, etc from Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, and a bunch of others. They just don't have enough people to clean & walk all these dogs, let alone feed, water, and med. They DESPERATELY need more people to do the basic stuff. We hooked up with Pasado Animal Rescue & did door to door searches for animal survivors in New Orleans. It is mind-blowing how many pets are still alive, though many are going down hill fast. Wednesday we did water rescue in an area that was still flooded, and pulled over a dozen dogs out of houses where they were trapped. We found animals alive in homes that were boarded up & barricaded, having to break in using any means necessary to get to them. The stench is unreal, and most homes are booby-traps- furniture and appliances thrown everywhere by the flood waters, the mold, sludge and god knows what makes walking in very dangerous. You DO NOT want to fall and get that stuff on you. The situation changes hour by hour, let alone day by day. They are beginning to release animals to rescues at least from what I saw, at least 50% of the dog population is Pitbull/Pit-mixes, approx 25% Rotties & Chows, and the remaining 25% every breed you can imagine. Some of the rescues are taking Pits & Rotties, though Lamar Dixon may not be allowing them out, Pasado & LSU are. I know there are other groups as well. Save A Dog is still there and flying in volunteers. They are also doing door to door rescue in the city now. IF ANYONE CAN GO PLEASE GO! Hotels are not an option. If you go, plan on sleeping in a tent (bring your own), or your vehicle. Personally, I recommend the vehicle ... Fire Ants are everywhere, and from personal experience, they will find you. I spent 2 nights sleeping in a horse stall before they realized I was there (the ants), but once they did, it was all over. Their bite is EXTREMELY painful and leaves blisters that turn into something resembling a pimple. Nothing seems to kill them. Showers are a luxury, if you can get one. Bring your own food & water, medical supplies, Rubbing Alcohol, bleach, etc to decontaminate yourself after handling the animals, who are still covered with dry toxic sewage. This effort will be going on for months, and people will be needed all the way thru. Right now, the dogs & cats (and every other creature you can imagine) are critical. Many are dehydrated and starving, and it is a VERY ugly scene. I hope things will improve. If anyone goes now, be prepared to separate your personal feelings from what needs to be done just to get these animals some help. Hopefully it will improve over the next few weeks/months, and someone will be in charge and get things somewhat organized. For those who can't turn off their feelings and just do the job as best they can, don't go now. Wait until it gets better. If you have a strong stomach, and can stay focused on just taking care of one at a time, you are needed now. Feral dog packs and cat colonies were well established in New Orleans prior to the hurricane ... now they are feeding off each other, and whatever they can find. It is truly horrible. The animal population problem is beyond belief. Out of some 300 dogs Pasado Rescue pulled, only TWO males were neutered, and I think ONE female. There are dogs who were severely neglected prior to the hurricane, mange is very prevalent, and god only knows what else. Most of the Pits have had there ears cropped back to their heads ...."Home Jobs" done with scissors or knives. The whole thing is just surreal. I did not dream at all while I was down there, probably due to exhaustion - we were up at 6 am and lucky to get to bed by 3 or 4 am. The nightmares are starting now, and I can't get the images out of my mind. I try to focus on the ones we've saved, and pray they get into homes. Enough for now, this is too long as it is, and I'm starting to cry again. B. |
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