We Made It Here!

Hello from Louisiana State University

 

Gabby and I arrived late Monday night (September 12^th).  The Parker Agricultural Center is the temporary home of animals who were either taken from veterinarian offices in New Orleans or surrendered by their owners who are in shelters or temporary housing themselves that do no allow pets.  There are 1,100 cats and dogs here.  I heard there is a pig too, but I haven’t seen him yet.    

 

We are allowed to park our rig directly behind the building and have electrical hook ups.   We are very thankful for this as it will surely allow us to come and go as we please and not have to drive.  We also have a nice cool haven to escape to when we need it.

 

When we arrived on the scene last night I can only describe it as controlled chaos.  Can you imagine dealing with an influx of animals like this?  Luckily there are many systems in place and many volunteers who have worked for a week or so and know what they are doing.

 

Last night, I was not one of those volunteers.  Pretty much clueless, Gabby and I were sent to the “barn”.  The barn, when functioning is intended is for larger farm type animals.  There are hundreds of wooden pens and they are now homes for the large dogs.  There we found a volunteer who was also displaced by the hurricane Katrina.  She was unable to evacuate on her own because her car was in the shop being repaired.  She refused to go to the superdome because she was not able to take her dog.  So she stayed until Wednesday when she was able to leave with her dog safely. 

 

Stacey is the type of person who would do ANYTHING for an animal.  She was climbing the six foot stalls and rigging up box fans to keep the dogs cool.  There is no air conditioning in the barn or the building where the rest of the animals are kept.  I suspect they will have a huge electric bill when this is all over because there are at least 400 fans running at all times.  Stacey looked like she could use a hand so Gabby began to help her.

 

I was supposed to man a table and wait for things to happen which really didn’t so I wandered to a table off to the side of the barn where 4 cats slated to go to Lamar Dixon were in their cages.  Lamar Dixon is in Gonzales, Louisiana and that is where the animals with no known owner are being sent.  Remember, the animals here have known owners and some are even getting visits from their owners during the day and receiving love and petting and walks outside.

 

It’s obvious these 4 kitties are housecats who had once lived in a loving home because they were very unafraid of me.  It felt good to be able to clean their cages and give them fresh food and water and lots of kisses.  I want to take them all home with me. 

 

Kim and Joel have a bet going as to whether or not Gabby and I will bring a cat or dog home with us.  It’s too early to tell right now, but I am sure tempted. Who wouldn’t be?

 

We stayed well into the morning and I was put on assignment to take census of the small dogs in the Parker Coliseum, which is right next door to the barn.  There are 13 rows of anywhere from 17-26 smaller dogs.  Then there is an area for dogs that have no known owner (who will probably be going to Lamar Dixon), the biters (who are kept separate and only able to be touched by vets and vet techs) and the quarantined ones who are or might be contagious. 

 

I had to record how many dogs were in each cage and whether or not they were a small, medium or large dog.  All animals have their own cage unless they came from the same household and are more comfortable with their furry friend.  One pen in the barn housed a German Shepard family (mom, dad and 5 puppies).  While on my census taking detail, I was barked at a lot and I suspect this barking meant “pet me, pet me, pet me”.  I sure did pet a lot of them.  Rarely would I walk by a cage where a dog would not stir and come to the front to lick my hand.  Now, I know this sounds very sad, but you must keep in mind the other side of the story if this place was not in existence.  Sure being in a cage is no animals wish, but they are safe, dry, being fed and some are able to see their owners. 

 

After that, I passed though the outer halls of the coliseum where the cats are housed.  In cages stacked 3 or 4 high, these babies sang a chorus of meowing that was not matched by anything you have ever heard.  I met a few that I would love to have as my own.  I guess I’m not alone because some cats even with known owners have notes on their cages with offers to foster or adopt them. 

 

Early this morning I was working “the front”.  Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire.  With no real orientation myself, I was put in charge of opening the door for volunteers, vets and pet owners.  Nobody else is allowed into the building.  And it’s a lock down situation for some of the animals here.  There is a need for military police here because some of the animals are at risk of being stolen.  Dog fighting is rampant in Louisiana and some really horrible people have tried to steal some pit bulls.  They are locked in their pens with a chain and padlock to prevent this. 

 

So far in the few short hours of being here, I have seen a woman come in and surrender her dog because the hotel she was relocated to (with her 5 children) does not allow pets.  I can’t imagine how hard it would be to do that.  But people were very loving and sensitive to her situation and at least she knows where her little dog is and can visit until she finds a more permanent “pet friendly” place to stay.

 

I saw a woman pick up her two large dogs and leave for the place where they will finally be able to stay with her.  It was really wonderful to see that.

 

This morning several dog owners came in with leash in hand to walk their dogs.  I am sure it’s a great comfort for them to see each other.

 

When I was manning the phones (which I wasn’t really trained to do either), I received three calls from people looking for their pets.  I recorded their information in the many notebooks attached to a board titled “looking for cat” or “looking for dog”.  The information will be entered into a database where people will be able to search for their loved ones.  I think petfinder.com is heading up this charge.

 

Another man called to offer his services to do ANYTHING.  He is from Minnesota and is willing to come with one of his employees, truck and waders and walk the streets of New Orleans to rescue animals.  God bless him.  Like us, he wanted to help but has gotten caught in the system.  Gabby and I are on 4 lists to help but have not gotten calls from any of them either.  Gabby’s persistence brought us here and our help is surely needed.  I’m going to get this man’s name to the higher ups and hopefully he will be able to feel like he is doing something productive. 

 

At 7:30 am, I came back to the trailer to shower off the dog dookie, dirt and sweat and to catch a little shut eye.  I’m up at noon because I can’t sleep knowing there are things I can be doing.  I suspect the coming 2 weeks will be like this.  If I get any sleep at all, it will be a miracle.  I don’t want to do anything other than be with those animals.  I am sure you would feel the same way.

 

It’s amazing work these people are doing.  Gabby and I are so happy to be a part of it. 

 

Thanks for reading.

Carol & Gabby

 

PS  There are so much food and supply here.  It’s mind boggling.  And there are packages in the front of the building mailed from across the country holding more supplies and food from people who want to help.  My current suggestion if you want to help, is to send money to an animal welfare organization instead.  What is needed can be purchased on site and the money saved in postage can be donated too.