Why this blog?

This is ericsdogblog.com, but don’t worry I like cats too….

I am on my way to Gulfport, Mississippi to lead the immediate rebuilding of the local Humane Society of South Mississippi’s (HSSM) main animal shelter, which was all but destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Read about them at http://hssm.org/about/.

I am spending a lot of my own money to finance my trip to help save animals left behind by the hurricane. I need your help to buy as many of the supplies I can, and to help find, transport, house, feed, care for and locate the owners of these helpless, starving, desperate animals.

Why this blog? One reason and one only: I can’t help these animals and people without my friends, family, co-workers, customers and others helping me (see later how to do this).

How it all got started. Owning three dogs, I understand the evacuees’ plight of having to leave behind the very last thing they had left in the world — an understanding pet. I see saving these animals as crucial to the “emotional” survival of people who have lost everything. Many are literally begging that the animals they left be saved. Many evacuees say “I would trade everything I owned anyway just to have my pet back.” Psychologists rank the death of a pet in the top five events for major life stress and depression. So trying to help these animals and their owners makes using my vacation days from work, and my time and money worth it because many have lost a cherished friend and pet and have nothing left.

The National Guard reports their troops are haunted by the eerie “howling” of dogs left locked in thousands of homes by people who thought they would be back in 24 hours. The police and Guard units on the ground are Pro Rescue, but they just have other stuff to do. They are desperate at this point as thousands of animals are still trapped inside houses. Many animal groups will take any person who can get down to hurricane areas with a vehicle. One of these groups’ biggest problems is transport, which the National Guard has the capacity to do but they are not allowed to help. So, these animals are coming out 1, 2, 3 at a time on small rescue boats and in peoples’ cars. You can get all the info you want here -- http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/ -- by reading the days worth of old and new posts.

The web is full of such posts, and most people have no Internet access, so many, many more pet owners have no way to ask for help. How can I just sit by when thousands upon thousands of animals and owners are literally begging for help?

Who am I? I help run a company called BulkRegister, a global domain name Registrar with some really good employees (www.BulkRegister.com). If you don’t know me, you can at least see who I am at www.bulkregister.com Click “About Us” and then Click “Team” (just for credibility’s sake). Most people at the company don’t know I am going to Mississippi to help rescue and care for stranded and abandoned animals. Most of them would do exactly what I am doing given the chance (this includes the “ala” folks as well). In the past I have been an ambulance driver, whitewater raft guide, ski instructor, ran a Maryland licensed day care center, train driver, ice cream salesman on the mall in DC, high school teacher, marketing VP and advertising agency executive. I have amassed a lot of friends and I hope they will help me now. YOU ARE NOT PAYING ONE DIME FOR MY OWN TRIP. Anything you contribute will go toward rebuilding the animal shelter, rescuing and caring for pets, and supplies!

Desperate 911 Plea for Help from Gulfport & Biloxi, Mississippi

This was the first headline I saw posted on Craigslist.com http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/
If you want some interesting reading into the “underground” animal rescue operations that are going on, spend some time reading these posts. It’s pretty interesting -- whether this is an issue you care about or not. The reality is that the government is going to have to deal with this issue sooner or later. It is the second biggest crisis behind what has happened to people as a result of Katrina. My guess is you will soon see the government within a few days say “we acknowledge this as a huge crisis and we know we have to handle it.”

Is it worth supporting me? See this post from Craig’s List and decide:

Dear friends:I am a Red Cross volunteer working at the El Paso shelter. I befriended a very broken hearted man (hurricane survivor) who's only family is his five precious dogs! He has asked me to help him find his dogs- if they can still be rescued- as quickly as possible. The rescuers had guns and forced him to leave the dogs. Understand please, they were not trying to threaten him, but it was urgent he rush as many awaited rescue. This only gave Greg a few minutes to leave very limited amounts of food and water for the dogs. Please help me to help Greg Heck find his dogs and bring them to safety.
Then, two days later, this post from the same person BLEW ME AWAY: – (at my first writing of this blog post, I thought these dogs were lost forever. Just 10 minutes ago, and hours after writing this post, I got this email (below) from the Red Cross Volunteer who I had spent hours trying to help by contacting anyone I could who might help her-

September 13, 2005

Dear Friend:

I want to thank you for your concern for Greg Heck and the 5 dogs who he had to leave behind. So many people have been hurt by the devastating effects of being separated from beloved pets during the Katrina disaster. Some will not be as fortunate in being reunited as others. Hopefully, for those pets who are orphaned, there will be many who step up and offer a new home to these lost ones. Yet I wish to offer some wonderful news which I hope will encourage you and reward your efforts.

I just got news that Greg's 5 dogs were rescued. As I write this, there is a rescue worker on the way to pick up the dogs and bring them back to Greg. In addition to this good news, through the kindness of another fine person's heart, a new place to live has been provided for Greg, where he will be able to keep his dogs! Miracles still happen. Keep up the good work, because even miracles wrought in the heart of God, need willing hearts and hands to make them materialize!

I will continue to thank both God and people like you. -- Kathy

TRUE STORIES LIKE THIS ARE WHY I AM WRITING THIS BLOG. I NEED HELP WITH THIS. THE PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI NEED STORIES LIKE THESE.

Ok one more. This is the 4th post or news story I have seen of a blind person looking for a seeing eye dog—
It was on www.nola.com under the Pets section.

“I am helping a blind man staying in the shelter near our church find his seeing eye dog. The dog is a yellow lab who was last seen in his house wearing a collar and a rabies tag. He has a microchip under the skin behind his ears above his neck. I hear they aren't scanning any animals that are picked up though. He answers to the name of Jake. I have a picture. He has kind of a two-toned nose-- pink on the top and black on the bottom.”

Last Post- http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/97422172.html This one is new just to show you that even 14 days after the storm time still exists to help. Go if you can.

If you need a more practical reason to save these pets, they are becoming a problem for all kinds of reasons: health issues, aggressive dogs, packing up, and other reasons. The problem needs to be solved. I hope I can bring real attention to their cause. There is a crisis here.

The reality is we all specialize in certain things in life and rescue is no different. I don’t have the skills to be a firefighter or Paramedic. However, I have a skill with animals that many do not. Most importantly, they like me and I like them.

You should know that thousands upon thousands of do-gooders have converged on New Orleans and the vicinity and are doing the best they can, but they are losing. They are waging a guerilla and do it yourself war to get in and help any way they can. Several organizations are simply working around the clock, check out www.noahswish.com www.bestfriends.org or http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/NEWS/NEWS.htm

The internet is an incredible medium. Recent Post on craigslist:

From the front lines: You CAN get in along protected, non-flooded
route to new staging area at Winn-Dixie. Directions below. Rescuers
need boats (inflatables needed to hold full crates on the water),
people, trucks, SUVs and sticks with loops to get reluctant dogs!
They need volunteers at the staging areas. Many dry areas where you
can walk, just bring rubber boots!

Many people are needed to get dogs off porches, etc. These are NOT
the water dogs. Teams are getting those, too. These are sweet,
docile, loving...one came in with pink bows still on her ears! Lots
of sheps and pits, all friendly and well mannered. NEED RESCUE GROUPS
to come get them. You CAN and WILL get in. See below

Anyway, I decided to go down to Gonzales staging area where they are bringing the rescued New Orleans pets. I was going to simply walk some dogs, clean some cages or do whatever I could. They have over 1500 dogs alone in the place now. I contacted some groups and they said come in a few weeks when everyone forgets about us. SO I WENT TO MEXICO KAYAKING FOR A LONG WEEKEND thinking the powerful HSUS would have it under control when I got back. They didn’t.

I got back and saw right away that things were not getting much better. In fact I soon started seeing posts from Gulfport & Biloxi, Mississippi that were totally incredible to me. New Orleans has it bad, but Mississippi hasn’t even been able to mount a response in some areas -- even thirteen days after the storm. The Mississippi coast was in dire straits still and not getting the coverage like New Orleans on any major network. In many parts not a single animal (and sometimes not a people one either) rescuer had shown up. One town had every citizen left living in the fire department and over 50 dogs tied up outside with nowhere for them to go (people or animals) and no help from the government. This storm is causing a humanitarian crisis like we have never imagined.

(post from Craigs List on day 13 after the storm)

California Rescuers Network based in Los Angeles, CA is on site in Biloxi, MS and see thousands of animals and they are only with another very small aussie group. The woman from Cal. Rescuers tells me that her group has NO SUPPLIES there. NO food, NO water, NO bowls, NO crates, NO leashes/collars, NO place to house these animals, and NO veteranarin help & NO boats!
I emailed the poster.

When I investigated more, I discovered how bad it was. This area was not even getting basic essentials filled for animals or people. Most of the employees of the shelter lost the houses they live in themselves. The main facility that housed 300 animals was destroyed in terms of usage until help arrives to repair it. Nothing exists. They can’t take animals until they fix basic stuff. They are weeks behind New Orleans. AND THEY STILL HAD NO IDEA WHO WAS GOING TO HELP. Thirteen days must have seemed like an eternity to Mississippi. When I said I will come and help they basically put me in charge of rebuilding the shelter (all done via emails). I was floored. How bad could it be if they grabbed the first stranger off the internet who said he would help? SO BAD that I am coming to learn from Tara High, The President of the Humane Society, in my several short phone call. Other posts on the web showed me that much like the evacuation of people a week before, this was a guerilla operation. Nobody from the government was going to waltz in and save the day. Just like the “people” a week before who had saved themselves, action needs taken by ordinary folks.

Rebuilding the Shelter--Then I got the 911 Document from the shelter and I now know what kind of trouble I am in for. I honestly don’t know if this can be pulled off – no electricity, a list of needed items a mile long, no other help, no shelter, food, water and no money. The employees have NO homes. But I am going.

Read the entire 911 (read the Post to this blog prior to this one).

So we come to the blog. I don’t like this kind of self-promotion. It embarrasses me but I have NO choice. I need funds to pull this off. Thanks to all the people that have already given me some.

If you can donate anything, even $100 (or add a zero) dollars, then here is how you do it. Any time you make a donation you must email valeriegrecohomeoffice@yahoo.com, because I have no way of knowing what money is coming in. She will track everything and let me know how much I can put on my Credit Card on top of my own funds. (I prefer pay pal). Folks this is risky for me. If you say you are sending money I am taking your word for it and spending it. Please just don’t say you will send and then don’t because I will have spent that amount on my credit card never to get it back. I am going to spend a lot, but I don’t have unlimited funds….Please be honest and do what you say. Please give Val the amount and how you sent it and/or what you bought if we can work the Home Depot direct pay. Don’t all do that as we need lots of things that are not at Home Depot, so hit my Pay Pal account some. THE KEY HERE IS WE NEED THE MONEY NOW PREFERABLY, NOT DELIVERED BY CHECK later.

1. Pay Pal -- my email address is erice@bulkregister.com if you have a pay pal account you know what to do.
2: Direct “wire transfer” to the Humane Society Bank Account
3. Check Via overnight FEDEX

4. In coming day (s) we hope to have a list all ready to go at the Local Home Depot you will be able to call in and pay for something that we need by credit card. The Home Depot phone # is 228-867-9925 We will alert you when we have that live. Keep checking back. This is critical as we need the items now. The 3 fridges, 3 washers and dryers are key to getting the shelter open after we get electric and AC.

I am paying for shots (this is a good racket…it was over $500, lots of upsells once you get to the office….disposable toilet paper, super bug spray, extra pills for everything you could ever catch, shots for diseases that have been abolished for years just in case they come back. I am sure they are the only nurses in the world on commission. But I bought it all) I have the rented truck, the airline ticket. Any money you contribute will simply be used to buy the things that they need to get up and running. You can see them on the list. I am putting in much more of my own money for supplies, but it won’t be near enough.

9:00 pm Tues Sept 13th.
So I am going now to Mississippi to a shelter that is destroyed, to do a job I have no experience in. Those that know me know I am a bit “resourceful” … overly so sometimes. Well I just got my way through my first problem – a vehicle. NONE AVAILABLE IN ANY NEARBY AIRPORT. No trucks either. But I got the name of the lady that does the scheduling for Budget Trucks in Jackson. Called her about 13 times and finally got her live. She said she was hiding because everyone wants a truck. But she is holding me one for tomorrow morning because she has two cats. Persistence and a small victory.

1:00 AM. Wed August 14th.
At the last minute here I have secured my carpenter to go with me. His name is Billy Hauck. Now I didn’t tell Billy much except that I would pay him for 10 days work and give him a Southwest Air ticket and we were going near New Orleans. You gotta know this guy to get this. He has no car, no house, smokes 2 packs a day and disappears for days at a time doing who knows what every time you give him his paycheck. He makes me bring him Harley shirts from around the world. No doubt he may have never even heard of Katrina and thinks we are going to Bourbon St to have a good time. Probably thinks I am trying surprising him for his B-day or something. He is living in one of my rental houses right now until he finds a new permanent residence but his clothes are over at another house. I asked him if he wanted to go pick up some clothes and he said “no I have two pairs and my toothbrush” but asked me to bring him a trash bag to put his clothes in. He is that amusing.

2:00 AM Wed August 14th.
Dogdetective.com called me to request that I swing into New Orleans first before going to Mississippi and go to the YMCA. They have 50 dogs at the YMCA from today that they can’t get out. They will have 50 more tomorrow but nobody is coming to take them out. They are giving the National Guard leashes and the guard is bending the rules and bringing them into the YMCA left and right. Go to that site and sign up. They will call you and tell you exactly how to get into the city and past any National Guard. Basically you take Liquid Chalk and write “ASPCA/HSUS Animal Rescue on your truck or car. They let you in. The Guard knows how huge this problem is and they are trying to get the dogs and cats out as well and not doing much to stop people. Many people are also getting signs made at kinkos saying the same thing. They are calling it the “underground railroad” for pets. People are good in the end. Thousands are turning out to help people and pets from this disaster.


4:00 AM Wed morning
This post just came up http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/97422172.html
There are hundreds of areas that are getting no media attention. People and animals are literally on their own.

5:00 AM wed : Packed Just saw this post http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/97399192.html
Government to mount biggest Pet Evacuation in the History of the United States (possibly the World.). Hope it is true.

5:30 AM Wed Sept 14th
Posted on www.nola.com click Pet Rescue to read a dozen others like this.
Original Message ----- From: Keri Toth
Hi,
Please send this to your reporter friend..
I am Keri Toth with the Humane Society of Central Louisiana.. also with Labs4rescue... I went to Waveland, MS after reading this report... I found the vet there after searching endlessly for animals.. I saw a few cats and some dogs that were so far gone and crazed from hunger we could not do anything for them.... I could not get near them.. When I tried to approach and touch an old golden/lab mix.. he turned drooling and growling... I found the vet there he has been there since the beginning trying on his own and based out of a tent in the K-Mart parking lot.... Stephanie and I got there Saturday night... due to curfew we had to stay in our truck parked next to Wal-Mart.... It is horrible there, not only for animals but people as well... People are sunburn because they have no Shelter...they are having to stay in tents in parking lots.... When we did find the vet however they had dogs leashed up to washed up cars and under flatbed trailers in the parking lot... they were doing the best they could with what they had... while we were there they pulled up with 2 Akita's they had pulled out from under a house... We had to leave immediately and head back to Louisiana... the one Akita was hurt badly, we had a cocker with a bad UTI and a jack russel with a broken shoulder... Not to mention the others... I am so glad we went... we crammed the Explorer with animals in the crates we brought... I even rode 4 hours with a rott mix on my lap, I just couldn't leave him... We left in tow with all the animals they had with the exception of one we did not have room for

6:00 Am wed

I do not know if I will be able to post after this. I hope to so keep checking back. I hope I have convinced you that rescuing these pets is a noble and worthwhile cause and HELPS the victims of the hurricane. I will try to take pics and to post. Heading to airport. If your not into helping pets go do something else. This area is destroyed beyond what anyone would ever imagine. I have seen people who went to the Tsunami say that this is worse in some ways because area are devastated for miles and miles and miles not allowing access. At the Tsunami site they were able to quickly set up camp within a few hundred yards of where the devastation occurred. If you think about it this is pretty amazing – An entire US city is totally evacuated.