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Hurricane Katrina
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Blog Entries: Sept 23 | Sept 22 | Sept 21 | Sept 20 | Sept 19 | Sept 18
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Rescue Blog Entries from Ron Dillon
Rod Dillon, a dedicated Texas RRI volunteer, has travelled to the Lamar- Dixon Expo in Gonzales, LA to lend a helping hand to the animals in need. He is also looking for any JRTs in need of assistance/removal from that shelter. A police officer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, Rod is donating his time to help these poor animals. He arrived at the shelter on Sept. 18, 2005 and has been hard at work ever since. God Bless Rod for what he is doing to help and his wife Marsha who spent countless hours making contacts for RRI at LSU and other shelters where there might be JRTs housed and in need. We are truly honored to have both of them as RRI volunteers. Below are excerpts of what Rod has told us about the situation at Lamar-Dixon.
Entry for September 23, 2005
Day six and it feels strange not to be reporting for work at Lamar-Dixon. I worry about the volunteers there, especially the ones that have been living in tents or their cars. A clarification on the FEMA tent; it will be taken down today (Friday) not Saturday as I reported yesterday. And while I’m clarifying, the name of the caterer providing meals for the volunteers is Classic Fare Catering an “Aramark” company. The quality and freshness of the delivered food was really surprising, or was I just that hungry?
I arrive to pick up the two little JRT’s entrusted to my custody and we take a little walk around the back of the shelter to prepare them for a long car trip. I’ve no idea how they will do in the carriers in which I’m going to have them. They walk well on leashes and put up no resistance when I lift them into their carriers. A little dish attached to their door is filled with water, my own bottle and we are off. I take 190 out of Baton Rouge and cross the Mississippi River on the old, narrow, rusted bridge that I remember from my youth and family vacations. I remember my dad trying to keep the travel trailer from scraping the guardrails. Somehow, in my little Honda it seems to have plenty of room. The journey down the Acadian Trail runs through interesting little towns and over the Atchafalaya River that looks just as impressive as the mighty Mississippi.
I don’t hit any traffic problems and get into Shreveport about 1:45 pm. My two tail wagers have given no problems whatsoever and have napped most of the way. We stop at Johnny’s Pizza (my favorite from college days) and order pizza and go for a walk. Both girls do well on a leash and take care of business. The longer haired rough coat has more tracker/hunter in her and the shorter haired broken coat likes to be loved and gives lots of kisses. After 20 minutes we are gassed up, pizza-up and ready for the final leg of our journey.
A completely uneventful trip all the way to Dallas actually gets us out from under the hurricane cloud cover and back into sunshine and 98 degree heat. We are greeted at Carla’s Grooming by Carla, herself and get the two little one’s checked in and make bath reservations. The veterinarian we use just coincidentally makes frequent visits to Carla’s and he agrees to give both my furry friends a complete check-up on Monday morning. We will now make arrangements for a foster home pending adoption to a “Forever Home”.
Thanks to all of you that contribute to Russell Rescue that makes this care of little lost ones possible!
Watching the weather radar, I am becoming even more concerned for the Lamar-Dixon facility. It will not be a good night for those there. I wish I could have stayed another week. Please keep all the volunteers and animals in your thoughts and prayers!
My journey into disaster relief is over for the time-being. Marsha and I have already discussed a second trip down in a couple of weeks if the need still exists, which I’m sure it will. In the meantime there will be an even more desperate need for a new wave of volunteers to clean up and take care of the animals after the storm finishes. Please contact the Humane Society of the United States or log on at HSUS.org to volunteer and for the latest info.
Rod Dillon
Entry for September 22, 2005
Day five and I start the day with a nearly hour long drive to the East Baton Rouge Animal Shelter in north Baton Rouge to meet with Dr. Marianne Fairchild and make arraignments for the release to Russell Rescue of two female JRT's that she spayed on Monday. I am greeted by two of the most friendly, enthusiastic little tail-waggers you can imagine. They are so excited to be out of their cage, they actually have to be held back so as not to rip out their healing stitches. They pose for photos and I talk with Dr. Fairchild about their history. Actually very little is known, as they are both strays with no prior owner history available. They appear to be about 2 years old, 16 lbs and have been fully vetted. There was a sad story from the shelter as a case of Parvo killed 4 dogs in the last two weeks. These two were never in a cage with or had direct contact with any of the animals that came down with Parvo. They still have one young dog being treated in quarantine with Tami-Flu. A solution that Dr. Fairchild says has had a great success rate in her clinic. It was just too late for the four that died. Introductions and photos out of the way, we completed the paperwork and I made arraignments to pick them up on Friday morning on my way back to Dallas. The vastly discounted bill from the shelter is one of those things that our dues and donations to Russell Rescue help pay.
If anyone would like to drop Dr. Fairchild a "Thank You" note for their care of these two, please send it to:
Dr. Marianne Fairchild
East Baton Rouge Animal Shelter
2680 Progress Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70807
Once my JRT mission was complete, I headed down to Lamar Dixon for my daily immersion into disaster relief. A search for a reported JRT and I found the dog in Barn 5, but it was a case of mistaken identity. A toy Fox Terrier was identified in the field and on initial paperwork as a Jack Russell. Someone had already corrected the original form with the correct breed. The terrier was black and white and was very friendly. It was taken by a rescue group with "Fantasy" in their name. They also took an old, blind Labrador to be his "Forever Home". I got to photograph both along with their paperwork, before returning to my duties in Barn 2.
When I arrived at Barn 2, Allison, the Barn Manager told us that they had just received word that over 100 dogs were enroute from field rescues to our already crowded facility and we had to make room. I immediately offered to make lunch for all the volunteers from 5 peanut butter crackers and 3 fish sticks (some of you will get that). We devised a game plan and set to work removing empty cages and consolidated other dogs into stalls that had some scant room. We worked hard on this and by 2:00 had it ready. A meeting was called by HSUS at 2:30 pm with all the volunteers and we were given updates on Hurricane Rita. The update included predictions of tropical storm conditions at the Gonzales shelter. We now had to scramble to move all the dogs from the outside rows of each barn into the four interior rows of stalls. We had seen the skies darkening with the first rain bands from Hurricane Rita, so we knew it was coming. By 5:00 pm we got the first gusts of wind that blew around the few canopies still standing. Tents were quickly taken down and those living in their personal tents were encouraged to seek alternate shelter. The huge FEMA tent that was rated to 70 mph wind, and had been sheltering many volunteers would be removed at 8:00 am on Saturday and after that volunteers would need to make arraignments for their own secure shelter. The arena at Lamar-Dixon was suggested as an excellent place for tent campers, but we were told the National Guard would be using that facility. There was a palpable rise in the anxiety level of the volunteers, but what did they do?
Did they run for their cars and tents to get out? No, they went back to working, stacking donated dog food in animal crates to keep blowing debris to a minimum, cleaning up anything that might become a missile in high winds, and continuing care for the dogs in their barns. Some were making sure that the dogs all got a last walk for the day. Many animals were evacuated to rescue groups and we moved 150 dogs from Barn 2 alone. Many of those started to Ohio in a large horse trailer.
The large trucks and rescue vehicles and 18-wheelers were parked at the ends of the barns to act as wind deflectors for the anticipated storm. The Animal Planet unit took the east end of Barn 3 which contains the horses. Everything was stacked, tied down, or taken down. Arraignments were being made to rent large trucks to park around the barns.
As this was my last day at the center I bid my fellow Barn workers good luck and good bye. I have the utmost respect and admiration for the people who left their normal lives, took unpaid leave and lived in tents under difficult circumstances to help the truly innocent victims of Hurricane Katrina. I was living the good life in comparison with a real roof over my head at night, a hot shower at the end of the day and a comfortable bed in which to sleep. I said a few good byes to some of the dogs with whom I had bonded over the past week and assured them that they were in the best place and would have their best chance at a good life.
I feel naked now without my ever-present leash around my neck for quick use and my hands are drying out now that I'm not wearing gloves for 12 hours. I would stay if I could, they need us!
Tomorrow, I get to try to make it back to Dallas. I've seen the nightmare of traffic out of Houston on television tonight and may have to take an alternate back roads route. Marsha has told me that Dallas roads are packed. People are panicking and buying out grocery stores and gas. Katrina has affected the national psyche and maybe for good reason.
Stay safe and hug your fur-children.
Rod Dillon
Entry for September 21, 2005
I've now spent four days in oppressive heat, constant barking noise of 1000 dogs and, today treetop fly-bys of C130 cargo planes. It's great!
Today I suffered my first humiliation as a volunteer and dog handler. I got bitten for the first time in my life by a dog. Was it one of those mean Rottweillers? Was it a fighting Pit Bull trained and abused to kill? Maybe a tough Doberman guarding his food or cage? Nope, it was the least glamorous dog, a terrier/chow mix. Someone had placed a harness on her backwards and too tight and we were trying to get it off. One volunteer was holding her head on a leash tightly and I had just gotten the quick release buckle unsnapped. A quick flip of her head and a snip of teeth cut right through my latex gloves and got a finger and my thumb. We immediately placed her back in the cage and I memorized her ID number for the First Aid tent. I had read all the directions on how to handle the bites so that I could brief new volunteers. I was too confident that I would need them. As the dogs stay in these conditions, we are getting more bites everyday. A mix of semi-trained and un-trained volunteers and stressed out dogs invariably leads to some aggression (in the dogs, too).
The medic from FEMA and the doctor who treated me were great. The first aid tent is near Barn 1, so I was out of commission for about 30 minutes. The dog will be quarantined in place (stall) for at least 10 days to check for signs of rabies. She has no tags, although she was found at a specific house in the 5330 block of St. Anthony. So, there is no idea what she has been vaccinated for or what issues she had before the storm.
So after being bitten for the first time, what assignment do I draw? Maybe a nice admin job in the shade where I wouldn't worry about bites? Nope, wrong again! Moving and handling the aggressive dogs with a catch-pole. I quickly learned how to use it and was soon in demand by the vets who were vetting all the animals for all shots, worming, and flea treatment, kennel cough, etc. They are also microchipping every animal while they are being vetted. An absolutely great group of five headed by a veterinarian. They did marvelous, efficient work.I felt a little strange walking dogs with a catch pole, but most of them (not all) made it clear why I needed one.
There were more volunteers today in Barn 2 and all of the animals, including the aggressive ones were walked at least once and some twice. Several received baths as we brought them back from their walks if they were really nasty or muddied up. I don't remember if I explained how the barn details work, but usually half the team (1 to 4) walk dogs while the other half cleans out their cages. This results in better efficiency and rotating out the chores helps keep everyone happy and involved. Once again math is our enemy! If we take 20 to 30 minutes to clean and walk dogs from 4 cages in a stall (now averaging 4.5 dogs per stall) and there are 20 stalls in each row with 6 rows in the barn......how many overworked, hot volunteers does it take to walk and clean the rows twice? I hated my 5th grade math teacher for stuff like this! And this doesn't include the extras, like bathing a few or the aggressive ones that have extra time to move, or even just a couple of minutes giving one some rubs behind the ears or letting them know they are safe and loved.
A reunion was in Barn 2 today! A Chantilly vet was walking through the barn and recognized a dog, Topsy. He also knew where her owner was and ran to get her. Betty is a displaced homeowner whose house still has water in it mixed with an oil spill from a barge. She has not been allowed to go back into the area and had cried herself senseless. She decided to do something for all the other owners and displaced animals and came to Lamar Dixon and was working in the admin section as a volunteer. She cried and kissed Topsy until I thought she was going to squeeze the life out of her. The dog is a 14 year old spaniel mix and was caked in mud and other various gunk. We bathed and fluffed Topsy while Betty went back up front to send a request to the unit that rescued Topsy to go back by and see if her 4 cats had survived. Animal Planet photographers were present and captured the emotional reunion.
Tomorrow, I go first to the East Baton Rouge Animal Shelter to make arraignments for two little girls, JRT's to come back to Texas with me when I leave on Friday. They have both been spayed and Carla's Grooming in DeSoto, Texas has agreed to board them till next week at a greatly reduced rate. A very nice place that offers grooming, day care and extended boarding.
I'm hearing rumors of another JRT at Lamar Dixon and will be searching for that dog tomorrow.
For those that asked about sending contributions, I offer the following information:
All monetary donations should be sent to the Humane Society of the United States or Louisiana SPCA.
For shipping items to the Lamar Dixon Shelter:
Lamar Dixon Expo Center
Barn 2 Manager
9039 St. Landry Road
Gonzales, LA 70737
I include the "Barn 2 Manager" line to make sure the supplies get through to the point I considered most in need. The Barn managers rotate out every week or so and there is one for daytime and one for nights. The current daytime manager is leaving Friday and was trying to get me to stay on and assume the full manager duties. I must get back to work though and I have a couple of JRT's that I'm sure would like to begin life as "Texans". Their main number for the center is 225-621-1700. But by now there are dozens of phone numbers for various entities in service there.
HSUS is the main organizing body there in conjunction with FEMA and the Louisiana SPCA.
Please forward this shipping info to everyone that asks.
Let's hope Hurricane Rita doesn't cause as much destruction as Katrina!
And the evacuation of the human evacuees at Lamar Dixon was put on hold as Rita seems bent on slamming Galveston.
That's today's report from the front lines in Gonzales.
Entry for September 20, 2005
Greetings from Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA.
I've worked three 12 hour days in nearly 100 degree heat, so my message for today will be short. First, my admiration for those volunteers who came here and are living in tents in this incredible heat. The women only have access to 3 showers and two bathrooms where the tent camping is designated. Under such conditions they work long and hard each day and never complain. I have it easy, staying in a nice house with my parents and driving in each morning.
Thanks to Coca Cola for sending an 18-wheeler loaded with sport drinks today. We had run out of sport drinks and our bottled water pile was dwindling. We are now stocked up and things are looking better. The catering company being used by HSUS provides the volunteers with excellent lunches and dinners; I wish I had gotten their name today. It is an "Arawak" company. The official work vs. rest chart prominently displayed for this heat and humidity for outside work is being completely ignored by the hardworking volunteers. A 10 to 15 minute work schedule with a 50 to 45 minute rest break would result in no work being done and difficult conditions would rapidly deteriorate for the animals. Several people, including some vets have ended up in the First Aid tent with heat exhaustion. It's simply a matter of not enough people to do the work required, so everyone here is trying to do more than they should. It's just hard to see animals that need their cage cleaned, or water in their bowl or food in their dish, or a walk to the rest area and not try to help them.
I have been asked to stay longer and assist the Barn 2 Managers with orienting new volunteers and "trouble-shooting" any problems or situations that come up, in addition to my previous duties as a cage cleaner and dog walker. The Barn Managers in barn 2 have been great given the limited volunteer resources they have, especially Brad, Allison, Scot and others. It has been a pleasure working alongside such dedicated, tireless workers. Today when I arrived, Barn 2 had only five volunteers and over 400 dogs for which to care. As the morning wore on, more volunteers arrived and we were able to get every dog walked at least once, fed, watered, and their cages cleaned. Ideally, we would like to get each dog walked once in the morning and once in the afternoon/evening, but that has proven to be the biggest stumbling block when faced with the sheer numbers of dogs versus the number of volunteers.
Every day a delivery or donation makes an impact here. Today's impact was courtesy the HSUS personnel who, upon learning that there were no tables or chairs for volunteers to use for breaks, had one person go to Wal-Mart and buy ALL of their camping chairs and brought them into the break tent. What a relief to be able to sit in a real chair for a few minutes and re-hydrate and be able to eat on a table instead of sitting on top of pallets of cokes!
FYI, Cokes and other carbonated soft drinks are not that popular in the heat here. There are several pallets with canned soft drinks that have barely been touched in favor of water and sport drinks. The first thing I tell all volunteers is to drink at least one bottle of water an hour and take frequent breaks. Breaks actually seldom get taken, but most people are drinking their water.
We found out today that two Jack Russell’s will be coming back with me. I will be picking up two females from the East Baton Rouge Animal Clinic & Shelter that have been spayed and treated by Dr. Fairchild. The final details will be worked out tomorrow.
For those who ask, "What can I do to help?” I suggest, if possible that donations of time and work are now more valuable than anything you could buy or send. But, since many people are not in a position to be here physically, there are some things that are needed here.
1. Disposable, latex gloves are always needed as we try to keep from contaminating ourselves or others, including the animals in our care.
2. Small, plastic sacks "poop bags", such as are used in grocery stores for produce or the smallest bags from Wall-Mart/Target type stores. There are even boxes of dedicated "poop bags". I put out 400 such bags this morning and they were gone by noon. We have to pick up after the dogs immediately or the area would very quickly not be useable.
3. Sport drinks will be needed after a couple of days when this supply from Coca-Cola is exhausted.
4. Dog groomers are needed to help some amazingly tangled, matted dogs regain some sense of dignity. Some are so matted and tangled; they have difficulty with bodily functions.
5. The dog walk could use free standing canopies/tent covers for shade or protection from rain while the dogs are "taking care of business". It is blazingly hot right now out there, as there is no shade for this rocky, fenced -off area. I'm sure eventually there will be more rain. We actually only walk the dogs for very short time spans during the afternoons now because it is so hot. No more than five minutes and then back in the barns.
I can't think of anything else right now, but there already are plenty of cages, kennels, toys, collars, leashes, etc. There is plenty of food for the all the animals, as they really aren't eating that much because they are not using up many calories. They need their water as much as we do.
Thanks for all the kind thoughts,
Rod Dillon
PS. I've just seen on the news that the Lamar Dixon Expo building housing the evacuees from Katrina is being evacuated due to impending Hurricane. I haven't seen the news or TV for several days, so I'm kind of out of touch. No plans for the animals have been announced yet. I would not expect anything other than a predicted direct hit from a strong hurricane would affect the housing of the animals. More as it develops.
Entry for September 19, 2005
I am working in Barn 2 on row C. Each row has 20 horse stalls in which an average of 3 dogs per stall are kept. There are some stalls with 5, as any dogs rescued together are kept together if at all possible. There are a total of 120 horse stalls in each of 6 barns. There are about 3 and 1/2 barns full of dogs (120 X 3 X 3.5 = about 1260 dogs). I usually have 60 dogs to care for, walk, clean, and feed. Today (Mon Sept 19) I had two very nice girls working with me. They worked completely without complaint in the heat, doing the grunt work of cleaning cages, and walking the dogs. Great girls. One of them has been volunteering here for eight days and lives in Baton Rouge. The other brought a tent, but is looking for a hotel room. She may pitch her tent inside the very large, circus type tent that has been set-up in the front of the Expo Center. This facility is air-conditioned and they were making announcements today, trying to get all the people living out in tents to move their tents into the large facility.
When I left tonight at eight o'clock, the nightly procession of rescue vehicles was lined up half-way around the Expo grounds with new arrivals that have been rescued from New Orleans and the surrounding area today. Evidently conditions in St. Bernard Parish are very bad as the rescue vets were concerned they did not have a uniformed, armed escort as they have had in the past. I have volunteered to go out with them if they go back in. I brought my gear, might as well use it.
Still looking for JRT's, none today, but today seemed to be many more small breed dogs coming in. Lots of small beagles.
As far as who to contact for info on volunteering here, I would go with the Humane Society of the U.S. They seem to be in charge of most things, including logistics and volunteers.
I'll try to send some photos tomorrow.
Rod Dillon
Entry for September 18, 2005
I am here at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA. It is an overwhelming scene of thousands of dogs, hundreds of cats and a couple hundred horses, not to mention the birds, and other small mammals. FYI, This is not just an animal shelter, in the one of the big exposition buildings (enclosed and a/c) there is a large number of human evacuees, whose homes are still flooded. Military helicopters come and go on rescue missions along with search and rescue ground troops. The center is protected by National Guardsmen, police officers from Ohio and local law enforcement, along with Expo security guards.
There is a huge tent and rv campground set up for staging personnel and for the volunteers that have come from all over to help the animals. I worked with one lady from California today who has been living in a tent for the last eight days and will be going home tomorrow. Another lady was from Hawaii, entire rescue groups from the Northeast and Canada. I am working 12 hour days and the conditions are pretty hot and humid. I've never consumed so much liquid and just sweated it all away!
They desperately need volunteers on the ground here, willing to clean cages, walk dogs, and feed and water all the animals. National reports of volunteers being turned away are not true. There is still an element of disorganization, but it has evidently gotten better. They have plenty of supplies here, cages, kennels, food, etc. But could really use a shipment of surgical gloves, with talc in medium and large. Food is provided for volunteers working the barns and there is plenty of water, sport drinks, etc. Witnessing a couple of true reunions with owners today was very emotional!
I have only found one Jack Russell here and his owner is also here in the human shelter. A very nice dog named, Eddie. He is in the section I am working in Barn 2. I walked through the entire dog facilities here and that is the only JRT here on Sun Sept 18. There is a constant flow of animals in and out, though so I am keeping my eyes open. I will contact the vet in Baton Rouge tomorrow about the JRT's there. If they have been exposed to Parvo, I will discuss the quarantine period with her. If there is anyone that could get by the LSU coliseum, there are supposed to be 2500 dogs there.
Really tired now. Feel free to pass on the info and request.
Rod Dillon
Posted September 13, 2005
Connecticut RRI Rocks! A group of RRI volunteers and RRI friends have put together a huge donation of supplies going to Louisiana via the Connecticut Human Society in Newington, CT. Leaving on 9-12-05, supplies are on their way to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA and also to stock the Humane League’s Mobile Medical Center. Many thanks to Reliance Automotive who donated the truck and driver!
Our volunteers and friends put together an unbelievable amount of supplies that filled at least 2 SUVs and then some; including crates, a large dog run, over 250 pounds of dog food, leashes, collars, food bowls, tie outs, medical supplies, toys and treats, blankets and bedding and even cat supplies. The list goes on and on. There was also close to $200 in cash collected for Russell Rescue’s needy terriers. Great Job! Everyone worked so hard on this and got so much together. Our hats are off to you!
In further updates about Katrina, we are still waiting to take dogs from the affected areas. The shelters are tightening security with so many people trying to get in and take dogs. They are also trying to insure that pets are vaccinated and micro-chipped before being moved. It is a difficult situation at best. We are currently working on buying and collecting supplies to be delivered to the Houston SPCA who is housing so many Katrina dogs and expecting more in the coming weeks. As we have said before, this is going to be ongoing over a long time period. The animals are going to need help for many months to come.
RRI Board of Directors
Posted September 6, 2005
On behalf of the RRI Board of Directors, we wish to thank everyone that has come forward to help JRTs in this disaster. We have been getting many volunteer applications and offers of assistance. (Keep them coming!)
At this time, the animal rescue organizations going into the devastated areas are in the process of assessing their needs but at least they are now starting to be allowed entrance. Shelters are going to be holding dogs for 15-30 days to see if they can be reunited with their owners. We would hate to move a dog half way across the country only to discover the owner has been searching for it. For this reason, as we get JRTs into rescue, they will be posted on our website with pictures and any information we have about the dog in a special category. We will open up that portion of the website as soon as we have JRTs coming in to us. However, we also understand that it could be several weeks until we see any influx of JRTs. Please be patient! We will be in touch when your help and assistance is needed. Our Texas, Florida and Georgia Senior Rescue representatives are in constant contact with us and we are poised to react to the need when we are notified.
We have had some contact with people asking us for our help and we have offered them foster care for their JRTs. Unfortunately, with the phone lines down, little Internet access and the cell phones overloaded, we are having a difficult time remaining in contact with the owners and getting the messages back to them with specifics. If anyone has had contact with an owner/shelter/disaster rescue needing help with a JRT, please either forward their message to us or have them contact us at RRI@russellrescue.com.
We know it is frustrating to just sit and wait; we all want to jump in our vehicles and take a road trip. However, this isn’t going to be over today or tomorrow. This is going to be an effort for months. We intend that every JRT needing our help will get it!
Updates will be posted to the site as we have new information.
RRI Board of Directors
Posted September 2, 2005
Russell Rescue is responding to the needs of animals in areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina. We are doing what we can to assist not only displaced Jack Russell terriers but all animals who are homeless and in need of care. While we do not have a large physical presence in that area, we are assisting through sending supplies and donations to organizations that are mobilized and deployed into the affected areas. Our hats are off to our volunteers in Texas, Georgia and Florida! Already overburdened, they are doing a tremendous job assisting the now homeless Jack Russells from the hurricane areas. And our thanks to our rescue volunteers all over this country that have offered assistance!
Currently a shipment of crates, carriers, leashes, collars and poop bags are on their way to Louisiana from RRI. We want whatever we do to go to directly affected areas and directly to the animals. The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA), the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA), the Louisiana Animal Control Association (LACA), and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) are managing animal evacuations and recovery plans for New Orleans pets and displaced animals. There are other organizations that we are looking to help but they are unable to get into the hardest hit areas as of this point and they have not put out advisories about their immediate needs.
If anyone can take in a Jack Russell terrier from these affected areas or assist in transporting (if there becomes a need to move dogs to foster locations in other states), please fill out a volunteer application. Please open your heart and homes to help - just imagine if it were your own dog - you would want people to help your beloved Jack Russell. If you can't help with foster care or transporting but would like to contribute, there are many good agencies. LVMA, the United Animal Nations/Emergency Animal Rescue (EARS) and Noah's Wish are but a few. If donations are made directly to RRI, we will make sure the monies go to JRTs in need from this disaster. Mark your donations for Hurricane Katrina Relief.
If you are a Jack Russell Terrier owner affected by Hurricane Katrina and you are seeking assistance, please email us at RRI@russellrescue.com.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this disaster, people and animals alike.
RRI Board of Directors
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