More News Before the Next Storm

Update for Thursday September 22nd.

Note 1: Several people have said that they want to volunteer but don’t see themselves roughing it is as I have. Please let people know that I have chosen to “rough it “ - live without the standard amenities so that I can get more done each day. You DO NOT have to live like that. The staging area in Gonzales is like a military base. Hot showers, food, ac, tents, very nice. You can go in and out of the city daily from there – that’s what most people do. I go out there every other night too.


Note 2: If you are a rescue group reading this - Use www.infospace.com to search for owners’ names when you have the address or phone number from a pet tag. One piece of info and you can get started. And notes can be placed on owners’ homes letting them know where their pet is.

More people! HSUS has more volunteers today. Our campaign is working. The new storm will shut us down for just 2-3 days – then we can ramp up to full force again. HSUS finally, after weeks, has delivered the list of owner call ins – rumored to be over 18,000. HSUS will have lots of explaining to do. This is the first time this list has been touched and it’s still only a rumor that they have it out to rescuers. Let’s hope it’s true. HSUS is virtually a database marketing company. How could they set up an entire call center, promote that center as the place to call and then drop that list?! They should have been able to massage that list and had it out into the field right away. Have they heard of technology? I personally told them about this the second day I was here. I won’t say who it was but she was high up. A simple database scrub/analysis and mapping software could have had that list in the filed to rescuers much more quickly. If they are still having problems with this list then they need to get a professional database person on it immediately. Wayne Pasillie’s colleague Bernie was to give me a call – he didn’t. These people have a lot to show me. We had a great idea on the corporate marketing thing and Wayne actually posting on craigslist.com about what's going on and to defuse some of the rumors. Wayne said it would happen but I made multiple phone calls yesterday with no returns.

I have 50 volunteers committed for next week. Today, I recruited 8 volunteers out of the local pop of Jefferson parish. Billy and I took two cute little dogs that we rescued to a biker bar to have a quick beer – the first in a while - and people were all over us on how to help. Two off duty police and other locals are going to help to check on the animals tomorrow before we have to leave town for the next hurricane.

Yesterday's rescues! Akita mix that was guarding a 6 month old yellow lab from other dogs that were following them down the street. They literally came running over to us from 200 yards away. The yellow lab has burnt feet from all the chemicals. He is so cute. Many of the dogs have this problem. Why don’t I have a video camera? The akita with no help jumped right into the truck and into a kennel on his own. We put the y lab in with him.

Found a lab mix behind a house, perfectly healthy but there was another dead dog in the back yard, he wouldn’t come all the way to us but we will try again today. He does have food and water.

Several more rescues yesterday. But for the most part we are feeding and rescuing in the area before we leave for the hurricane.