The Truth Is We Do Know
Doesn’t Take Much To Understand Tammy
Pics in case you have not seen this mess--
http://www.forpitssake.org/ednah.html
http://www.mhpets.com/hanson/
"Sheriff Montgomery's behavior is animal cruelty," she said.
--- Tammy Hanson
I don't think the jury needs to come back for me to understand the truth. Tammy is a classic hoarder. Hoarders come with great powers of practiced deception and are able to convince the unwitting and even the experienced that they are legitimate. They pray on our weakness to want to find loving homes for our animals. AND THEY ARE GOOD!!! Her initial emails to people described a Lakeside Retreat where animals swam daily. Anyone remember those? We bought it.
The hoarder is no different than the alcoholic who is skilled at hiding his booze or the anorexic that tells all that they did in fact eat dinner. It’s a mental illness and well documented. The hoarder rarely stops when caught and blames everyone but themselves for the mess they have created. I have seen reports of her coaching her supporters to blame this on a big conspiracy from the sheriff, the Humane Society and dozens of others. Tammy needs to get help. Her lawyer and her friends and supporters should intervene and help her. Tammy can’t see her disease (think anorexic and alcoholic) herself. To her the shelter she provided looks perfectly fine and if it isn’t well it is someone else’s fault. Her response is that she spent $98,000 on dog food last year. Being rich doesn’t make you a credible handler of animals.
Did she ask for help when things got out of hand? No she in fact hid her sanctuary knowing deep inside that legitimate people would see right through her. She has never requested help and in fact lied about the conditions as is classic in collecting. I hear that she would not let Pasado fully in? and now we know why.
Several people have stepped up to support Tammy and to say that “she loves animals.”
These folks are the unwitting dupes who just need to hear great things about animals from Tammy herself to support her. Not one has shown Tammy’s experience with animals. All have talked only to Tammy who continues to con them. In fact many such as a Winn Dixie volunteer who witnessed her as she came to take animals from them have told me that Tammy has virtually no skills or knowledge about caring for animals and no skills at dealing with aggressive animals. She seemed a bit odd and manic was one description. Tammy tells people, “I know this looks bad but it is the fault of…...” No Tammy it is the fault of a disease and your husband and supporters are enablers.
If you want to support Tammy close your eyes and imagine the conditions of those dogs 30 days, 60 days and 90 days from now. She didn't even have the skills to get the Pits out of the cages and she probably would not have.
Are we to think that the farm got that way overnight? Just since Katrina? The list of problems is to large to mention – no fixed animals, no shelter, no vets, no volunteers, puppies being born every day, tons of trash and maggots piled high, 75+animals running loose, 200+ Katrina animals in cages for weeks with no walks and no attention. This problem was not on its way to being “fixed.” Saying Tammy was overwhelmed is like saying the Titanic had a leak. It was beyond repair. She may have been "ok" before Katrina with 100-200 animals but the conditions were still not up to standard. During Katrina her instincts to "save at all costs" probably kicked in due to the imagery we all saw on TV.
Stop enabling her and get her help. She is not doing animals any good as you can see. She has a history of doing this in another state. I read the article and the police described her property in that state as a small scale problem of what they found in Arkansas. Tammy in an interview today say groups begged her to take animals. My information is that Tammy traveled from group to group begging to take animals. Then these groups called on her when they had no other solutions and were desperate. Tammy’s interview is showing today that she is ready to blame others and not herself.
I have had good dealings with Pasado to date. I have a few direct questions however.
Just as I asked the HSUS about several pointed issues I ask Pasado the same
Simple Questions For Pasado:
I have two questions for Pasado that deserve an answer. Who delivered the animals to Tammy? Did they not see what we saw? If they were not allowed onto the premises then why would they drop animals? Where were they left? Wasn’t your drop off essentially your check of the facility?
I am not sure who else transported to the compound but they should answer as well.
Second – Who was going to put the animals on Petfinder.com so that owners might find them?
Tammy was not on her way to turning this situation around as some have said. That is going to take a small army of experience Pit handlers, 10 vets, dozens of volunteers, a judge, a local sheriff who does care, and about $75,000-$150,000 dollars.
The sheriff from my chat is one solid and caring guy. Anyone who called him prior (especially at his house) should do like I did and send his office a basket of fruit or fax an apology letter. Part of the rescue effort of these animals is being hindered by the fear that the “entire world” thinks the sheriff the enemy.
Do not mistake the fact that this ordeal sits in the hands of a judge. This is not over and he could rule to do whatever he wants. Hopefully he will see that dedicated people can mount an organized (and non political) response to help them out of this situation.
Do not show up uninvited. The sanctuary will be heavily guarded. The sheriff has tasked reputable groups to organize help for these animals but it is going to be highly controlled and at the first instance of political infighting the entire thing could be wrecked.
Update - 30 skilled people are on the way!!! Supplies are being paid for by various groups and at this time they are pulling everything together.
DON'T FORGET TO HELP JACK FIND A HOME. TIME IS NOT ON HIS SIDE. IT IS GETTING COLD IN MASS.
posted by EricsDogBlog.com @ Tuesday, October 25, 2005
130 comments
130 Comments:
By ARMANDO RIOS
Bulletin Staff Writer
GAMALIEL — By Monday the situation had improved dramatically for the 400 to 500 dogs at a Gamaliel animal shelter. Volunteers from several agencies had worked feverishly throughout the weekend at Every Dog Needs a Home (EDNAH).
Volunteers from the Humane Society of North Central Arkansas and PasadoRescue cleaned cages, fed and watered the dogs and walked them Monday.
Barb Chambers of the Humane Society said 15 volunteers were on hand Saturday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
"Each day I keep thinking it will get easier, and it just does not get any easier," she said. "The problems seem to multiply, but we are doing the best that we can. We were asked by Baxter County (Sheriff's Office) to come in and help feed them in the absence of the owners, and we were happy to do that, but this is a sad situation."
Chambers said people wanting to help should call the Humane Society office at 425-9221 to learn what is needed.
Some of the organization's immediate needs include stainless steel food bowls, towels and blankets, as well as dog houses, Chambers said.
People are asked to call the Humane Society office and leave their names and numbers where they can be contacted, added Shirley Walters, another Humane Society volunteer. Callers should state whether they are physically able to do any work. If they want to donate items, they will be told what is needed, she said.
"We are just a little bit overwhelmed right now with the need," Walters said. "At this point and time, I sincerely do not know what we need. We are just running from one cage to another.
"I have never in my life seen this," Walters said. "Everybody that comes down here, every hardened or softened volunteer, has tears in their eyes when they leave. There is no belief when you see all those animals in those crates and pet taxis. They look like they have not been cleaned out. We don't have a place to put them. We are hoping we can clean out a few of the cages that are unoccupied, transfer them and then put them back after we wash theirs, but that is a temporary thing."
They were waiting for a decision from a judge as to who would care for the dogs before being able to remove them.
"I am so overwhelmed I have not had time to go through it all," Walters said. "I don't know how two people could possibly say that they care for all these animals daily."
PasadoRescue volunteer Deborah Eizinger thought she had seen the worst conditions after spending three weeks in Louisiana rescuing animals after Hurricane Katrina, but then she came to EDNAH.
"It's deplorable," she said.
"Animal cruelty doesn't describe it," her husband, Dave, added.
Eizinger said she recognizes some of the pit bulls she helped rescue in Louisiana, and now they are sitting in their own feces and urine in small travel cages.
"We feel betrayed," she said. "I feel like they (the dogs) have been victimized twice over."
Winn Dixie -- same thing...I pulled up to this place to see animals leaving with ANYONE and i mean anyone with four wheels under them. It is one thing to be able to smash doors and round up animals. It is quite another to make sure the reputable people and shelters end up with them and that the scammers do not. This place had no interest in anything but the glory of the rescue. I'd ask them right now on this blog to list everyone that has animals?
And exactly where some 1200-1500 animals are being housed?
They have yet to PRODUCE ONE SINGLE SCRAP OF PAPER SHOWING WHERE THEIR ANIMALS ARE. Not one and funny enough the Nola.com crowd does not demand it of them. No for this crownd that knows nothing of the horrors of animals being in the wrong hands they simply needed to be told that all is ok. Go ahread Nola.com you have abused everyone else in this situation...make Winn Dixie produce some papers listing who has dogs...
Well they at least know where 60 of their Pits are...ON TAMMY'S FARM. That is for sure.
So is Winn Dixie going to get the dogs they took? Are they capable? They were not really a group...just a place to meet it seems like. Is it true they sent animals to whoever would take them...God where are they all now.
Who is the contact at Winn Dixie for all the volunteers to reach about the animals we are trying to locate for owners?
Eric ~ Can you post the area code for their HS and maybe mailing addy so stuff can get in the mail?
Look a this post on the comments of the blog in defense of Tammy:
1. Alerting our members and other humane societies around the country of this miscarriage of justice,and we are asking others to join us in protesting these actions; (
2. Traveling to Baxter County, to give emotional support to Tammy and her husband and to hold a series of press conferences on this issue,in order to show our solidarity on this issue and to fight for the continued holding or release of these dogs; and
3. Establishing a Canine Katrina Legal Defense Fund, to raise needed funds for the Hensons' defense.
Contacts for Winn Dixie and Mark and Shannon Martin and Richard Crook. Their forums are here: http://groups.msn.com/disasterresponseanimalrescue
In tammys defense...and its not that I support her...but I do remember reading a plea for help from someone named Tammy who stated she was receiving more rescued animals than she could care for and that she needed help...for the life of me I cannot find the post,but there are so many katrina rescue sites that I did not bookmark....fault lies on many shoulders.I'm going to tyr concentrating on getting help to those animals from this point on...
Is there an address for a central command post for this incident that supplies or inquiries can be addressed? Thanx again Eric
I would not mind seeing a plea for help from Tammy and some pics from before the storm.
if you go back and read some NOLA posts listed on this site(NOLA) you may find some interesting comments....there are many but if you start at 19955.2.1 and 19955.3 or just do a search with the word Tammy and go back to early Oct...it seems someone on this post claimed how wonderful she was ...and that Tammy offered to take 40 of Best Friends animals if they donated $15,000 for fencing...Best Friends declined....
I'm trying to find where the plea for help was by going thru my IE history-could be a while though
excellent, Eric. Pasado folks now seem to trust you; I hope they will read.. and take to heart... your questions. Their treatment of the sheriff (as well as the people who tried to warn them, and some of the volunteers) was frankly, despicable. They owe an apology to all... Sadly they still seem to be in CYA mode ("we was duped")
I support Pasado. I do. I support the HSUS. I have pointed questions for each that is all...
Oh and I didn't mention it but a direct apology by phone to those who told you goes a long way these days. It is amazing what picking up the phone and calling someone does. All these groups rely on the press release quite to often it seems. Folks talk!!! It won't kill you to apologize. Pasado has done good work. I have seen it first hand. One thing that this has shown is that if you showed up..you messed up in some fashion. I am not sure anyone escaped it.
I'm glad they trust Eric too.
IMHO, they did apologize, did ack that they have a HUGE amount of egg on their face and are working on correcting it. They, too, were duped. Along w/ a whole bunch of other people....who also "should have known better".
Sorry this one was me. Eric
I support Pasado. I do. I support the HSUS. I have pointed questions for each that is all...
Oh and I didn't mention it but a direct apology by phone to those who told you goes a long way these days. It is amazing what picking up the phone and calling someone does. All these groups rely on the press release quite to often it seems. Folks talk!!! It won't kill you to apologize. Pasado has done good work. I have seen it first hand. One thing that this has shown is that if you showed up..you messed up in some fashion. I am not sure anyone escaped it.
A couple of years back we had a legitamate rescue in this area - it was called Band of Mercy. They were a wonderful caring organization for many years. As the owners aged and started to have a decline in health, so did the quality of the care the animals were getting. I, and many others familiar with the original org., spoke on behalf of the operators when they were complaining of being "harassed" by neighbors. Imagine my surprise when I stopped by to check it out for myself and was greeted at the door by a half dressed and very unkempt looking owner and a wave of nauseating feces and urine odor. The owners couldn't take care of themselves, let alone the animals. Stacks of feces covered papers covered the floors of the house, filthy cat boxes spilled onto the floor. The dogs were crammed into incredibly filthy pens, were covered with sores and although well fed, were covered with mange and many were disease ridden. The majority of the animals had to be euthanized. The rescuers had turned into collectors. Even when you know the facility well - you have to keep checking up on the facility - things change and rarely for the better.
I'm the guy who took the pics at http://www.mhpets.com/hanson/ So far that page has been viewed 7000 times! The photos have been seen 64,500 times. Word of this atrocity is getting out there with all your help. I want to thank Eric for being diligent in all this.
What I don't get is how people can continue to defend this woman. It's not hard to see that she's got a serious mental problem. We've heard story after story of things she's told people that simply aren't true. We've heard of her talk about her picturesque lakeside refuge, her climate controlled kennels, her staff and many volunteers, her large, beautiful house, and on and on. The problem is that none of these things exist! She has told people anything she can to get them on her side. It is not only absolutely deplorable but also extremely sad. It's sad that her mental state has hurt so many otherwise healthy animals. It's sad that her coniving ways have duped so many around the country.
I want two simple things: for the animals to be placed into loving homes (where possible) and for her to be genuinely prevented from doing this again -- either by qualified mental help and rehabilitation or by long-term incarceration.
> I want two simple things: for the animals to
> be placed into loving homes ...
Yes, we wish that for all doggies.
> and for her to be genuinely prevented from
> doing this again -- either by qualified mental
> help and rehabilitation or by long-term
> incarceration.
I think there's enough evidence against her that a judge will bar her from ever doing animal hoarding, uh, I mean rescue. Her conspiracy claims are just to out there.
Ms Hansons plea for help with the animals was on her website I believe....which is no longer up. I'll keep searching my history to see if I am mistaken though
Eric, what kind of logistics are the rescue groups providing? What kind of supplies are they getting?
I am speechless! I am finding this information out so late as I haven't been here in some time. I, too, am going to callt he HS to see where I can send supplies. I wish I could go physically, but the supplies will be needed as well.
Eric, I don't know you and haven't followed your blog, but I am not leaving until I get through it all.
Thank you to you for all you have done thus far!!! And to all the other rescuers and volunteers.... Angel wings!
Missy
To the home page of HARC, the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium. We have assembled the resources on this site to increase awareness about a complex disorder which has until recently not received serious attention by medical, mental health, and public health professionals. Known to animal protection groups or SPCA's for many years as "collectors", the depth of the pathology underlying this behavior is just beginning to be uncovered, and shows striking similarities to other forms of hoarding behavior which are better understood.
Good site-
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/index.html
Driven to collect
On her street in Norwood, Ms. Gamstetter's 84-year-old mother was known as “the cat lady.”
Experts prefer the term “animal hoarder.”
Psychiatrists are just beginning to study the phenomenon, but humane societies have struggled with hoarders for years. Their behavior is one of the most perplexing mysteries of the human condition.
Animal hoarders are driven to collect many more pets than they can handle. They often live in tremendous filth, endangering not only their animals but themselves and neighbors. The quality of life on entire streets can be destroyed by the foul smell and the insects that hoarding attracts.
Public agencies are the first to admit they're often at a loss.
“Nobody's really sure what to do with these cases,” says Chuck Vaughn, an assistant Kenton County attorney. “It is such a large problem. If you do shut down (a hoarder), what do you do with the 100 dogs you've got?”
To better understand the problem, a national consortium is studying the motivations and thought patterns of these unusual people.
They tend to be female, older and solitary, perhaps with compulsive personalities or a strong need to nurture. They consider themselves especially in tune with animals, but they fail to recognize when their pets are suffering.
Their behavior may be a warning sign for dementia or other mental illness, says Gary Patronek, a veterinarian and epidemiologist at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass.
In Greater Cincinnati, no one knows for certain the extent of the problem. Twenty-one hoarding cases were investigated last year by Hamilton County's animal-control agency. Dog wardens in other counties report two to three cases a year. Others are handled by police or health departments, which don't keep statistics.
Nationwide, about 1,600 hoarding cases are reported each year, Dr. Patronek estimates.
“A great majority of communities have hoarding going on. It's one of the hardest things to uncover,” says Phil Snyder, a regional director with the Humane Society of the United States.
"And then when you uncover it, it's not very easy to do anything about.”
Secrets behind the door
If the numbers are unclear, the consequences are not.
While denying the squalor, hoarders attempt to hide it from prying eyes. They frequently manage to hold down jobs, pay their taxes and keep their lawns mowed — just enough normalcy to conceal the nightmare within.
Cases in Greater Cincinnati illustrate the link between animal problems and the well-being of their human owners:
• In October, Bonnie Sarakatsannis died after arriving at a hospital with bed sores and a broken hip. While investigating her son for neglect, authorities found 75 cats and wretched conditions inside a house the woman owned in Fort Thomas. It was condemned.
• In April, a Cincinnati woman temporarily lost custody of her adolescent daughter after the girl's depression and body odor alarmed a counselor. In the house, police found 50 cats and “feces and urine all over,” court records show.
Some of the kittens had no eyes, says Terri Baker, a Northern Kentucky veterinary technician who visited the home.
“Their infections had been untreated for so long, the eyes just ruptured and turned to big masses of scar tissue,” Ms. Baker says.
• Last spring, housing inspectors were horrified to discover a disabled man lying motionless inside a squalid, animal-filled home on Ishmael Road in rural Kenton County. He survived, but his mother and sister were charged with second-degree wanton endangerment. Their house was condemned and burned to the ground.
• In an ongoing case, Norwood health officials are attempting to work with another elderly woman suspected of hoarding cats. She occasionally has scratches on her legs, her hair is matted and she reeks of animal waste, Norwood health inspector Jesse Layne says.
“I'm concerned about the woman,” he says. “She's in pitiful shape.”
"I stuck to that thought'
Most hoarders start out with good intentions. They get a few animals and can't afford to sterilize them, or they take in strays to keep them from being killed.
The case of Ms. Gamstetter's mother is an example.
At Ms. Gamstetter's request, the Enquirer is not naming the woman. She has been diagnosed with age-related dementia and placed under Ms. Gamstetter's guardianship. To get her side of the story, the Enquirer obtained a transcript of the guardianship hearing.
In court, the elderly woman accused Norwood health officials and police of stalking her, pushing their way into her house and telling “bald-face lies” about the conditions there.
But she also acknowledged, grudgingly, that she had a cat problem. She started with five that quickly multiplied. She wouldn't take them to Hamilton County's shelter for fear they would be euthanized.
“I'm not for death in animals or people, and so I put that off,” the woman said.
She denied that she was mentally impaired.
“It was lousy planning. It was a lousy situation. But it did take thought, it did take planning, just to live up until the day (the authorities) came in. And it took a lot of, I think I have perhaps an oversupply of, it's not stubbornness, it's just a will to do something.
“I thought if I worked hard enough it will come out right, and I stuck to that thought, and I guess I stuck to it too long.”
Freedom before safety
Ms. Gamstetter had suspected her mother was living oddly, but she couldn't get inside to see. In February, she began calling agencies for help.
It was slow to come — a common problem with hoarding cases.
To protect people's civil rights, most laws restrict agencies from intervening unless others are being harmed.
Health and building inspectors can't enter homes unless they have search warrants, which require evidence of crimes or code violations. State social workers can't get involved unless people are deemed mentally incompetent. Poor housekeeping skills — even horrendous, health-endangering filth — isn't enough.
“It's freedom over safety, if they're competent,” says Dianne Mulholland, an adult protection supervisor with Cincinnati Area Senior Services.
The Norwood case finally broke in June, when a neighbor reported the smell of rotting flesh. A police officer and Mr. Layne, the health inspector, visited the home. Finding a back door ajar, the officer went inside.
“There were several cats (about five to 10) all over the kitchen, to include in the cabinet and the sink. The floor was covered in hair and feces from the cats,” he wrote in an affidavit.
The elderly woman discovered him there and ordered him out, but what he had seen was enough. On Aug. 14, a team of social workers and others gathered at the house.
Confronted with so many officials, the woman reluctantly agreed to go to a hospital for medical observation. The property was deemed unfit for human occupancy, and officers began trapping cats.
“They were like something out of a wild horror movie,” Ms. Gamstetter recalls. “They were frightened of me, but they were vicious. Their eyes were just blazing.”
Delayed reactions
Hoarding cases cross many jurisdictions — police, social services, health and building inspection, animal control. The agencies don't always communicate effectively, and few have expertise in the phenomenon.
The result: delays that frustrate everyone.
“I think what happens is, we're kind of ignorant of what to do, and we get lost,” says Police Chief Tom Collins of Ludlow, a Northern Kentucky river town.
His city struggled for years with the problem of Walter Schill and his dogs.
Five years ago, the retired chemist started keeping his seven pets inside all the time because neighbors complained about the barking and smell. Now people say his entire house stinks, preventing them from enjoying their front porches in the summer.
In January 1999, Mr. Schill accidentally shot his adult son inside the house, police records show. The injury wasn't life-threatening, so Officer Jack Prater refused to enter because of the smell and feces.
“It just amazes me how someone can live like that and let those dogs do that,” Officer Prater told the Enquirer.
Mr. Schill, 65, objects to Officer Prater's description of his house. It wasn't full of feces, he says, but rather mold, mildew and ashes from his adult son's cigarettes.
Nevertheless, Officer Prater reported the situation to the city's building department and the state's Adult Protective Services division. But nothing happened until 1 1/2 years later, when Kenton County animal control officer Dan Evans took an interest in the case.
Although he doesn't officially cover Ludlow, Mr. Evans obtained a search warrant after observing a 2-inch layer of fecal matter on the porch, records show. He also saw two dogs with severe skin problems and toenails puncturing their footpads, his affidavit states.
All seven animals were confiscated, and Mr. Schill was charged with animal cruelty. Plea negotiations have stalled because he insists on keeping his dogs. His trial is scheduled for later this month. In the meantime, he is paying $500 a week for his pets' care at the county shelter.
"My babies'
Hoarders often can't stop, experts say.
Out of 54 cases in a nationwide study, 32 involved people who were investigated multiple times, says Dr. Patronek, the Tufts University veterinarian.
Beverlee Van Herpe knows all about the revolving door. Since 1992, she has been in and out of Kenton County District Court over her possession of cats.
Mrs. Van Herpe and her husband, a lawyer, live in Villa Hills, an upscale Northern Kentucky suburb that limits households to five animals. At one point, Mrs. Van Herpe had 70, she says. A judge banned her from having any, but she kept getting caught, records show.
In 1994, the city of Covington accused her of creating a public nuisance by renting a vacant house just for the purpose of storing cats, records show. The situation was so complicated that probation officers asked to be taken off the case.
Two years later, a police officer found more than 15 cats, waist-high piles of garbage and urine-soaked floors while searching the Villa Hills house for unauthorized pets, his affidavit states. Mrs. Van Herpe eventually spent several days in jail.
In an interview with the Enquirer, she says she turned to cats when her three sons grew up and moved out. She missed her role as a caretaker, she says.
Her problems started when several strays were dropped off at her house, she says. One had nine litters over four years. Mrs. Van Herpe says she tried to place some for adoption but found herself rejecting potential owners as not caring enough.
“I thought of them as my babies,” she says.
She hates the label “hoarder” because it sounds cold, as if the animals were thrown in a building somewhere. She acknowledges, however, that her efforts to protect the cats “did kind of become a compulsion.”
They destroyed her house, she says. She replaced the carpet with tile and threw out furniture. Now she's back up to the legally permitted number of pets, she says.
Besides those, “I do have some neighbors' cats that come to my house — we've bonded, I guess — they've come and they'll eat and sleep a little, and then they'll leave,” Mrs. Van Herpe says.
When an Enquirer reporter stopped by last week, she cracked her door slightly and two kittens tried to run out. She said her house was in too much disarray for visitors.
The kittens belong to a stray cat who brings them to her house, Mrs. Van Herpe says. She leaves food outside for the stray.
“I just can't starve the animal,” she says. “It's depended on me.”
Hurricane Katrina/Rita Veterinary Relief Assistance
Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine
263 Third Street, Suite 104
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Ph (225) 342-2176
Fax (225) 342-2142
admin@lsbvm.org
For immediate release - 10/25/05
NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-43
Veterinary Relief Assistance in Hurricane Aftermath
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine (LBVM), provides this Notice that Executive Order 05-43 (which extended the terms and effect of EO 05-35 through October 25, 2005) will not be renewed or extended. Therefore, registration issued to out of state veterinarians pursuant to the Executive Orders will automatically terminate effective 12:01 a.m., Wednesday, October 26, 2005. Please be advised that anyone practicing veterinary medicine in Louisiana pursuant to an expired registration after the termination date will be in violation of the LA Veterinary Practice Act and the Board’s Rules, and will be held accountable for such conduct. Should you desire to practice veterinary medicine in Louisiana after 12:01 a.m., Wednesday, October 26, 2005, you must apply for, and be first issued, a license from the LBVM. The LBVM also wishes to thank everyone (veterinarians, support staff, private individuals, associations and governmental entities, as well as animal humane groups and concerned persons in general) that assisted in the relief efforts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Thank you for your love and concern for the animals affected by these disasters. Should you have any questions, please contact the LBVM office atlbvm@eatel.net, 225-342-2176, or fax 225-342-2142.
Yeah, I got questions. I hope you do too. Please call!
http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=105195
found this old article and photo of Tammy Hanson, just fyi.
Shutting down outside vets is to be expected. I sit on a conference call every other day about the status of rescues and what is needed. All great people helping each other with resources and idea, run by Capt Ron who basically managed Florida's response to disasters. Marsha Littlefield got on the last call and sounded like a desk jockey with no idea of what is going on. Her comments were behond stupid. AND WORSE SHE OFFERED NO SOLUTIONS NONE. She said LASPCA would handle everything even though they are nonexistent for the last 30 days. Animals will die from this disrespect of others with information to share. The call info is not to be written about specifically but I don't care at this point. She has proven herself beyond ridiculous. Eric Rice
"Hanson says Talitha suffered kidney failure due to antifreeze poisoning at an entrance gate leading to the Hanson's sanctuary for abused and chronically ill dogs"
More than likely the dog was allowed to run loose and the leak was from Hanson's own car.
I was volunteering at Winn Dixie and Mutt Shack on at least one of the days that this woman came in and picked up loads of dogs. She came with a trailer and a truck and a few minutes later she was gone with about 40 dogs!
I am sick now to think that if I had known....
What would it take to have a data base of offenders like her?
It is done for sexual preditor, could it be done in this type of a case?
Yes lists are kept and most places knew NOT to give her animals. She was on HSUS's and best Friends list to not give animals to.
Thank you for the response Eric, but I just don't understand...
Will Jane be able to continue rescuing as well as the other groups? What about the feeding programs?
I've been trying so hard to get there (long story, no car) and I know people are planning to go... What, they show up and no one's there?
Eric
Can you help us make some sense out of what to do now?
I'm very confused as to who to trust. I would send some money - can't do the physical - and I'm sure many others would also IF we knew who to send it to.
For many reasons, your voice has become a trusted one. There seems to be a lot of infighting - perhaps justifiably - within the rescue community and those of us who are not part of the community but got involved because of the Katrina disaster need some guidance.
TIA
Susan
you can cantact me if necessary at
psych np @att. net (just eliminate the blank spaces
The reality is this won't stop anyone I doubt. The situation on the ground is that normal rescue operations have about been exhausted. Not many animals will "come" to you and not many left alive in houses.
The response has to be feeding and watering (being done by Jane) and trapping...being done by only a few. You can imagine the task of trapping thousands of animals.
It is hard to get much done when the state themselves puts roadblocks up and then says "we are handling" but doesn't seem to handle. I'd give to only those groups on the ground. The HSLA is in Tylertown and does need donations and manpower. People are doing what they can.
oops...the above was from me...Eric
Tammy and her husband are animal collectors. I believe they intentionally wanted to help the animals but just did it in the very wrong way. They let the animals sufferred. I saw (the pictures)water buckets in the crates, food is placed all around the places. Did they do that?
My friend is an animal control officer, he said they have encountered lots of cases like these. Majority is involving the cats. Cats collectors, they thought they are helping the cats or nobody can do better than them when it comes to caring for the cats, so they keep on collecting. He felt sad for these people when they are charged as a criminal. What they need is couselling or educating them. I don't think they should be treated as a criminal.
"Look a this post on the comments of the blog in defense of Tammy:
1. Alerting our members and other humane societies around the country of this miscarriage of justice,and we are asking others to join us in protesting these actions; (
2. Traveling to Baxter County, to give emotional support to Tammy and her husband and to hold a series of press conferences on this issue,in order to show our solidarity on this issue and to fight for the continued holding or release of these dogs; and
3. Establishing a Canine Katrina Legal Defense Fund, to raise needed funds for the Hensons' defense.
10:28 AM "
WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP...PPL WHO SUPPORT THIS WOMAN ALSO SUPPORT HOARDING WHICH IS A SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUPPORT ANIMAL ABUSE. IN FACT THEY SHOULD ALL BE PROSECUTED FOR DOING THE SAME..I HOPE THEY ARE TOO!
HOW CAN ANYONE CONDONE ANIMAL ABUSE...???
I DON'T KNOW WHO WOULD SUPPORT HER, BUT HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO BET THOSE SUPPORTING HER ARE DNA'S AND HAVE ANIMALS KEPT IN THE SAME CONDITION AT THEIR HOMES?
Jane managed to rescue 39 animals yesterday. From her site:
ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS UPDATE:
October 25, 2005
Today was another incredible day...we rescued 20 dogs and 19 cats.
One of the cats is a beautiful white, fluffy cat whose guardian died in the hurricane. A neighbor notified me that he saw the cat when he was there trying to salvage some of his belongings. This neighborhood was one of the hardest hit areas of the city and she was just hanging around the damaged house waiting...
She was so frightened after not having any human contact for over 7 weeks, that we had to trap her. Now she is safe and loved and will never have to worry about looking for food and water again.
We are quickly moving through the remaining addresses in our database and are preparing for our phase 2 of this rescue mission. There are lots of animals on the streets who need to be rescued. Most of these animals are incredibly frightened and run when they see a human.
New Orleans, like most cities, has always had a stray animal problem, but clearly the hurricane has placed hundreds (if not thousands) of companion animals (who have guardians searching for them) on the streets. We will not turn our backs on those animals. Therefore, we must start trapping these animals. Once trapped most of these animals (with the exception of feral cats of course) quickly accept love and comfort from humans again.
Last night, one of our rescuers was able to trap a dog who is part of a pack of 6-8. This pack has been running together for several weeks and will not let humans get anywhere near them. One of the dogs is VERY pregnant and we fear she will give birth any second. Last night we succeeded in trapping one of the dogs who we believe is the alpha. Once this dog was out of the trap and on a leash it was like he remembered "his old life". He rolled on his back and wanted his stomach rubbed. It was hard to believe that he was the same dog who was running away and barking at everyone! The fascinating end to this story was that once the other dogs saw the love and attention their buddy was getting they all came over to our rescuer!
Logistics:
The following is how phase 2 will work:
We will make three key teams:
* Feed and Water: responsible for keeping the animals alive until they can be trapped. Does not require any experience or special skill...just a strong desire to help!
* Rescue: rescue animals who are called into our dispatch number as "animals in need". These teams will also comb the city and pick up any animals who are on the streets who come to them without being trapped. Animal handling experience necessary.
* Trapping team: This team will consist of Animal Control Officers, DVM's, vet techs or individuals who have experience with trapping dogs or cats. These individuals will be encouraged to spend at least a week in New Orleans and will have their travel costs covered.
We hope to work with all national and local rescue groups who want to participate in this phase. We are fortunate to have secured a very experienced dog trapper from the west who will train some of our key people.
Best Friends Sanctuary has been unbelievably supportive in their desire to care for these animals, reunite them with their guardians and find homes for those whose guardians can no longer care for them. They informed us tonight that they will continue to keep the Tylertown, MI temporary shelter open to assist with our operation. Thank you Best Friends!! The animals of New Orleans are lucky to have you!
At this point, we are planning up to the end of November so make your travel arrangements accordingly. At that time we will reevaluate our situation.
And it goes on. PLEASE see Animalrescueneworleans.com
They still need help and supplies!
I assume her word is good and she WILL remain there no matter what?
Someone I know is trying to locate 2 pits she cared for after rescuing them in La. We have no idea where they went but we have a description and their numbers..Any idea how to lcate them..Leah at Spindletop took in a bunch but she never returns emails or calls...thks
PLEASE CROSS POST AND SHARE WIDELY.......
Dear TAT, KCAT, KCRescue & Concerned Friends for the Tammy Hanson Dogs inArkansas -
Below is a link to the newspaper article which appeared in today Baxter newspaper in Arkansas regarding the situation with Tammy Hanson's "sanctuary" for dogs in Gamaliel, Arkansas (which is near Mountain Home, Arkansas):
Article title:Local News - EDNAH owners --- "We know every name of every dog."
To view the contents on:www.dnj.com,go to: http://www.baxterbulletinonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005510250309
Last evening, I talked with the HSUS representative who was headed to the site to assist. I am going to call her late this afternoon to get an update on what has transpired today.
As of yesterday evening, no dogs were being moved from the property until an Order was issued by the Judge. Sheriff's deputies continue to patrol the site. The Hansons are still barred from going onto the property.
There are local volunteers who are at the site feeding and watering the dogs and assisting in whatever way they can.
Numerous concerned rescue individuals and groups across the country have written me asking to help certain dogs, or any of the dogs in general, and I am compiling a list of those people to provide to the designated person when the time comes for dogs to be moved from the site.
The e-mail generated asking people to contact the Sheriff and the Prosecuting Attorney is only serving to burden and bog them down. There is no mass euthanasia planned. Taking care of the dogs' basic needs is the high priority for the hands on people at the site.
For those of you who have seen the photos of the deplorable condition of these dogs, the headless dead dog, the dog with the broken back, the dogs kept in their small travel kennels for two weeks' time since arriving at the "sanctuary," know that the Hansons' voices declaring they are the victims is untrue. Tammy Hanson deliberately went to the Katrina rescue sites asking for dogs; contacted vets asking for dogs; and has posted on various web sites and groups offering to take in dogs. Three years ago, in Cass County,Missouri (city of Belton, outside of Kansas City, Missouri) she had dogs seized. History has repeated itself. But let's hope charges are pressed this time and the Hansons' are found to be guilty of animal endangerment, neglect and cruelty.
The people who have recognized their dogs, and the Katrina volunteers who have recognized some of the dogs in the photos as dogs they personally cared for and nurtured, are obviously devastated by this turn of events - as are all of us who are genuinely committed to animal welfare and rescue.
The following links show the horrible conditions of these dogs - but the stench, feces, filth and swarming flies have to be imagined. For anyone who feels that the Hansons are being persecuted, maligned or are being wronged, please look at these photos long and hard. I think you'll change your mind.
The links are:http://www.forpitssake.org/ednah.htmlhttp://www.mhpets.com/hanson/
The people currently on site and the dogs need our compassion and prayers. I have no doubt when we learn more of what is actually needed, the caring people will surge forward to do whatever they can.
God bless the animals and the people who love and care for them.
Judy BishopTopeka Animal Talk web group andFriends of the Animals in KansasTopeka, Kansas(785) 862-0234 home(785) 633-7002 celljbishop_1@msn.com
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can changethe world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
Martha Littlefield and her Coffee
by shell033, 10/25/05 17:12 ET
I am reminded of Martha Littlefield's email solicitation, during the worst times of this disaster, soliciting expensive coffee donations from companies for her paid Dept of Agriculture staff sitting in offices.
This was during the worst- when people were struggling to get dying animals out, and rescue was about to be shut down temprarily due to overload. And OUT-OF-STATE rescuers, getting NO salary, were lucky to get clean water to drink.
I might note that on one forum, someone called the number she gave, and Martha flew into an angry rant about being disturbed at her son's PTA meeting. This is while rescuers from OUT-OF-STATE were wading through oil slicks to save animals, etc.
Another disgusting thing is the attempt to solicit funds for her friend veterinarians, who of course have business insurance and will receive aid as well.
No need to wonder why the animals in Louisiana were in such rough shepe even before the hurricane.
(And, by the way, isn't it against the law for government officials to solicit donations?) And you gotta love Martha's claim that they have been rescuing animals. Sure. What a crock.
"I have a building full of foresters, brand officers and other veterinarians from all over the country camping here at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture. The one thing they DO need is introduction to the best coffee in the country. I grew up smelling CC dark roast! Although I am a tea drinker, I am only one of a handful, most here are hard core coffee drinkers. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Dr. Martha Littlefield Assistant State Veterinarian Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry 5825 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70806 225-933-8121 cell Monetary donations are accepted at (removed) - you can mail in a check or credit card donation using the form at this website (WJE Memorial Foundation, (removed) Baton Rouge, LA, 70809) or send in a donation on-line. Donations are tax-deductible. The Tax ID Number is 721507753. You can call (removed)during regular business hours and charge to a credit card. Please remember to clearly mark the donation “Katrina” and it will go directly to the relief efforts for the rescued animals and/or veterinarians who have been displaced as you specify. Thank you for your generosity. Due to the overwhelming response of the American public, we are not currently in need of supplies. Thank you so much for giving so much for the care of these animls! Please accept apologies for the lateness of this response. We have been busy rescuing animals. Thank you for understanding The Phones are very busy. please be patient and either call later or we especially recommend using the web site. For Hurricane Katrina information, questions, donations, opportunities to volunteer, etc. please go the website for more informationwww.vetmed.lsu.edu, including email addresses. (888) 773-6489 225-237-5665 fax We have centralized calls to this spot. "
is that coffee email F*** real?
I remember that email. When I worked for the USG I was told it was illegal to solicit money from the public. It is insane that anyone should get a tax deduction for state employee coffee consumption. Any legal eagles out there that can nail her on this?
And as far as this coffee thing goes...
I think I can speak for most everyone who WAS IN NOLA wading through that toxic crap and entering houses that were so disgusting from mold, stagnant water, (and sometimes human remains) that at times it was almost more than we could bear (not to mention the heat!)
I didn't drink a cup of coffee the entire time I was in LA. And yes, at times it wasn't easy at first getting bottled water...many of us also ended up with the New Orleans "hack" (Coughing from mold inhalation)
I take great offense to this woman's priorities during a time when we came from every corner of the country to help these animals (and thier owners) while she sat in an office writing e-mails like the one posted here. I find it absolutely infuriating! I do hope a lawyer gets ahold of this and runs like hell with it!
"Hanson said rumors about her providing pit bulls for fighting are untrue. She said she does not know if the dogs were in fight rings before being brought to EDNAH.
The Hansons said they would like to continue an animal rescue operation after police conclude their investigation."
REALLY SCARY, THEY PLAN TO CONTINUE HOARDING...AND ADMIT IT PUBLICALLY.
Hoarding NEVER stop unless the law stops them. They think they really are "saving" an animal..saving it from what? A more humane death?"
Marsha,
The LASPCA is nonexistent. Garo who has 5 animal control officers called for 12 straight days with no working phone number.
It isn't the LASPCA's fault, they are small.
Nothing has happened on this front since Sept 30th.
Not even a thanks you. In fact you have no respect for what people did for YOU and your state.
Is the state doing a single thing to reunite these owners or is it all the over 300 private Internet volunteers? One public service announcement telling
owners who have lost houses, jobs and family to go to www.petfinder.com?
How about a solution to a problem Marsha instead of a consant asnwer of "you can't do that."
Leave your office for a day and I will show you what is happening in the field. Normally the direct opposite of what I hear.
And the only time I spoke to you you were quite the rude Vet.
I inquired as to why I sent 11 people to Lamar Dixon who were not able to find animals.
Your reply was that "all was fine with the tracking." Well with a less than 15% reunitication rate all is not fine.
Also, you are out of touch and have been lied on many fronts. Example: The list of your states pet owners who called 1800humane1 WAS NEVER USED UNTIL AROUND 4 WEEKS INTO THE DISASTER.
Good luck with the coffee you requested.
I'm a fair person. I try to look at all sides but the biggest problem is your information on what was happening in the field was consantly wrong.
How would you like your dogs to be out on the street right now hungry and cold with one chance of getting saved, socialized and back to you?
That chance being that we all work together to save animals.
If would be a different story if they were your dogs. But you don't have to ability to put yourself in these desperate owners shoes. We do and that is the difference between us and you.
Did you go on one single rescue? I think that is the key to the entire problem.
Regards,
Eric Rice
Regarding the question about Jane Garrison's word being good and her remaining as long as she says she will: We were at Lamar-Dixon for a few days, when Jane was sending out rescue teams every morning. I don't know her and we were there just a short time, but she struck me as being very professional and reliable. If she says she'll be there, my guess is she will be there--unless something unforseen happens. You never know if the government of NO might decide to kick them out, or something.
The animals were hard to get to, or even find, when we were there, and that was in early October. If they are still getting that many animals in a day, I think they must really know what they are doing. We were doing well to bring in two a day at the time we were there--the ones on the streets wouldn't come to people any more, and the houses we were checking had already been checked by the LASPCA.
It's too bad Anderson Cooper on CNN doesn't come in and do a "follow-up" story on this continuing Katrina tragedy.
It's about time to put animal hoarding on National TV, just as alcoholism and spousal abuse used to be swept under the rug, the nation needs to wake up and realize that "collecting" dozens and hundreds of animals is NOT NORMAL, HEALTHY, OR IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ANY COMMUNITY!!
People need to learn it's OK to speak up and alert animal officers of the situation, and not wait until it's too late for these poor suffering creatures. People need to understand that it IS A MENTAL DISORDER and that these people desperately NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP AND COUNSELING ASAP.
At least there are hundreds, if not thousands of supporters all across this great country willing to take on this continuing saga and help all these poor creatures all over AGAIN (unlike the LA state vet who seemingly couldn't be bothered in the 1st place. You know it occurs to me, if she would have gotten off her butt and done something more than "worry about her own inconveniences", we might not have had such a terrible nightmare to begin with and animals being released to anyone with wheels and out-of-state groups trying to find places for too many animals that ended up in their care because they WERE willing to go in and save Katrina pets in the 1st place in too short of time!! Maybe the REAL criminal in this whole deplorable situation is the "Where's My Coffee, Don't Bother Me Now or Ever, Cuz I'm Too Busy, Official Vet Blip Lady")
Thank you isn't enough for those who are on the ground at EDNAH's, nor to those who gave up their own lives and risked their health to rescue Katrina animals in the 1st place, and to ALL the legitimate compasionate, caring groups across the country who stepped forward to take-in and foster animals, and to those of us who give our support and donations, to try to continue to save these poor still suffering animals, let us learn from all the mistakes that were made from the onset and move forward FOR THE SAKE OF THE ANIMALS EVERYWHERE.
Awesome letter, Eric. Can I please email it to her and say, "yeah, what Eric said,"?
Someone on NOLA said some company shipped 200 pounds of coffee to her, though I think some went to LD. Nice tax write off.
Thank you Thurbersmom. I've come to think of Jane as being like the Coast Guard; "We rescue 'em first, ask permission later." At least that is what one of them said when asked how they could rescue so many people in such a short time. I trust her word, I just don't trust old Martha. Then again, can you imagine what would happen if they threw Jane in jail?
Tortoiseaid Annie: I've tried to email you about you returning to NO. The email either went to your org, or someone who is now very confused.
Lisa
I'm trying to locate a black female pit bull that I took to Winn Dixie along with a female golden retriever mix. It was the night of Oct 11. I'm worried that she might have been one of the pit bulls taken to Tammys. Any suggestions or help finding would be greatly appreciated.
Paging AnimalRescue&Relief.
How do I contact you? We have 38 pit bulls (including the black ones)from Gonzales.
Our shelter ID is VillaLA75453 at this link Animal Emergency Respond Network
http://disaster.petfinder.com/emergency/rescue/search.cgi?id=46463&idWildcards=left
You can ID them from Animal Emergency Network.
New Leash On Life/Los Angeles has dogs also from Gonzales (non pit bulls). You may want to check there also.
THANK YOU! I know most ppl will never see their dogs again, and finding one is like finding the perverbial needle in a haystack.
This is what the lady thinks...oh I found out she worked in NO and these were dogs she took care of..maybe if they're located she would want them?
Pits:
10/9/05 went to St. Francis/Best Friends – "Olive" - Invoice# LA 75072
10/19/05 went to St. Francis/Best Friends – "Choc/White Male" (he was
very sick) – Invoice# LA 75379
------------------
Olive- Inv# LA 75072 (Owner Surrender)
Pit-Boxer Mix
Sex: Female
Age: Juvenile
Size: Medium
Color: Solid White with ticking / Fawn on both ears
But half of her left ear has fawn spots and the other is solid fawn
She just LOVE'S EVERY PERSON!
Rescued from: 3326 Hamilton, N.O., LA
Invoice has all my contact info listed: R. Ruffino, PO Box 686, Abita Springs, LA 70420 (985) 892-0965 or (985) 630-1968
Big Boy- Inv# LA 75379 (Owner Surrender)
Pit Bull
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown
Size: Med-Large
Color: White/Chocolate; has the lighter green/yellowish color eyes and a chocolate/red nose
He had been very, very sick and was well enough that day (10/19/05) to travel…one side of
his poor nose was just running terrible; but through it all he was still the SWEETEST guy!
Rescued from: N.O .
Invoice has all my contact info listed: R. Ruffino, PO Box 686, Abita Springs, LA 70420 (985) 892-0965 or (985) 630-1968
THANK YOU!!!!
She's supposed to email pics but I haven't gotten any from her. She's worried sick...
Tortoiseaid Annie,
OK, I've tried again to email you again. Wonder who got the last one, it wasn't returned. If this keeps up the turtle community will soon think they're being stalked by a crazy woman.
Lisa
972-488-2964
Fax: 972-488-2965
This is the regional info for the HSUS that covers Arkansas. Perhaps it may help if we contact them and ask if they are responding to help with the hoarding incident. Baxter County is quite rural and very smal and does not have an animal control housing center at this time. The sheriff may be open to letting the HSUS step to the plate if they haven't done so yet.
Eric, it's Martha, not Marsha.
Annie, i sent the ASPCA a long list of corrections to their shelter listings at http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hurricane_foster
But they haven't changed anything.
If you want reliable shelter contact info, go to www.findkatrinapets.com
Most of the information is current,, and if it isn't someone will fix it asap. And we're just a few volunteers doing that work. These big groups are a national disgrace, as far as I'm concerned.
- shireen
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Again, there were 138 animals
relocated to Jackson, Wyoming and
Driggs, Idaho (just over the mountains) There were 88 dogs of all breeds, 50 cats, and a rabbit.
Contact email:
midelange@tetonvalleyhumanesociety.com
or go to their site
http://www.tetonvalleyhumanesociety.org/
These are supposed to be animals that were signed over (probably forced to) or that were about to be euthanized. Michelle Lange, or Rebecca Tinnes
Good luck!
Please cross list this, I have no idea how to do it.
Thanks
If nothing else, Katrina has served to create an invaluable network of people who are not only devoted to animals, but will ACT on that devotion; who are willing to go the extra mile for the love of them. Look at the blogs, the information, the resources that have come together ever since August. Quite frankly, after the experience of animal rescue in NOLA, I needed to read and share other’s experiences to know I wasn’t alone—that someone else experienced the horrors that we did down in New Horrorleans (That name brought me much joy, Eric). The EDNAH incident is a perfect example. Look how quickly this came to light and how quickly a response was formed, along with a call for help and action. The spotlight is on local officials to handle this appropriately and swiftly. My point is this: We should not let this network dissolve after time. We should read, write, and inform each other from now on. I’m in the information business, and it’s true, “Information is power”. Along, of course, will a nationwide group of incredible people, willing to act on that information, and the heart and soul to change what’s wrong about this world and the way animals are sometimes treated. We've been united by something terrible, but we can, and should, STAY united for a common purpose: The well being of as many animals as we can possibly help make safe, happy, and healthy from now on.
IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP OUT DOGS AT EDNAH/TAMMY WILSON, HERE IS YOUR CHANCE.
-----------------
Forward
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 09:40:35 -0700
From: Kristine Crawford
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: EDNAH Response
A lot of information has been circulating around the internet about the incident in Gamaliel, Arkansas regarding Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH). The following is the official update about the situation:
Please remember this is a fluid situation. Types of experience and number of volunteers and supplies needed could change quickly. Our goal is to stabilize this area over the next week and then work to make decisions on a broader scale. Given the state of the facility this situation can’t be turned around overnight. We will win this battle one day at a time.
The Sheriff has tasked us to manage the volunteer program. We are experienced in this and have the authorization of the Baxter County Sheriff and the Humane Society of North Central Arkansas.
VOLUNTEERS
Requests for volunteers were not sent out until today (Wednesday 10/26) because the search warrant expired at 4:30pm on Tuesday October 25, 2005. Until that time, it was not known whether or not the dogs were going to be turned back over to Ms. Hanson or released to other agencies.
If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to volunteer@forpitssake.org with the following information:
Name
Date you can arrive and how long you can stay.
Area of expertise -- veterinarian, vet tech, "difficult" dog experience, animal shelter experience, etc. We also need volunteers willing to pick up trash and clean and organize the facility so the animals can be properly cared for.
Please come prepared to take direction of those on site. This is a delicate situation with two volunteers having been bit yesterday. We can’t afford to be seen disputing among ourselves. This is going to be a stressful and confusing situation at times.
Approved volunteers will receive and email explaining airports, directions and what to bring.
Due to the fact that incident is a criminal case and there is an ongoing investigation, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE PROPERTY UNLESS YOUR NAME IS OUR LIST. This list will be with the guard at the gate and if your name is not on the list. You will NOT get in.
DONATIONS
We have many needs and will continue to update this list with ways to help with supplies.
Donations of cash and supplies should be sent to:
Humane Society of North Central Arkansas
2656 Highway 201 North
Mountain Home, AR 72653
Supplies needed:
Hay, cedar chips, dog crates, dog houses, leashes, collars, blankets, towels, tarps, kennels, fencing, catch poles, dog shampoo, hoses, bleach, circus tents, propane heaters, hand sanitize, gloves, strong plastic bags, shovels, rakes, pooper scoopers, stainless steel bowls (No plastic-hard to sanitize). Walmart gift cards, etc.
In need of catch poles to be drop shipped to the above address ASAP.
Updates
Daily updates regarding the situation at Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH) can be found at http://www.ericsdogblog.com
Thanks!
Kristine Crawford
* - * - * - * - * - * -
Kristine Crawford
For Pits' Sake
www.forpitssake.org
Animal lovers following plight of dogs
CHANDRA HUSTON
Bulletin Staff Writer
Animal lovers worldwide are watching Baxter County.
Web sites, message boards and chat rooms are filling up with people wanting to know what is happening at Gamaliel animal sanctuary Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH). Police executed a search warrant on the property Friday and discovered more than 400 dogs living in filthy.
Owners William and Tammy Hanson were arrested for animal cruelty. The two were released on $1,000 bond each.
Nothing much changed Tuesday with the dogs. Volunteers still are caring for the dogs while awaiting word when the dogs can be moved.
The Bulletin has received e-mails from readers in Minnesota, Washington, Texas, California, Montana and a host of other states as well as individuals and groups from Sweden, Canada, England and other countries who have been monitoring the Gamaliel situation.
Former Mountain Home resident Lindsey Hardin said when a neighbor threatened to shoot her chow, she decided to find him a new home through EDNAH. She said the dog ran away from the sanctuary within 24 hours of arriving, and when he was finally found, he seemed scared of the Hansons.
"Now, I didn't see the 'dog sanctuary,' and I think that the owner's intentions are really honest and good, but there must have been a reason that my dog didn't want to go back with her, besides the fact that he missed me," she said.
Hardin reports the dog is now happy and healthy and living with her parents.
Others say the animal rescue community is anxiously waiting to see what happens with the dogs and where they end up being relocated.
"The world is watching what is taking place in Baxter County, Arkansas," one reader from Mississippi wrote to The Bulletin.
Pasado's Safe Haven, a Seattle-based organization that rescues and rehabilitates animals, recently sent approximately 50 pit bulls to EDNAH. Now it wants them back.
According to Pasado's Safe Haven Web site, the group has located paperwork for each animal the organization sent to EDNAH. The statement goes on to say that all of their animals were checked out by veterinarians and had rabies vaccinations, and the group wants to remove the dogs from the property as soon as possible.
For Pits' Sake, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving pit bulls, said it began investigating the Hansons on Oct. 2 after learning that other organizations were going to place dogs with EDNAH. According to its Web site, it found complaints against the sanctuary and not enough adequate staff to care for the dogs.
Animal lovers following plight of dogs
CHANDRA HUSTON
Bulletin Staff Writer
Animal lovers worldwide are watching Baxter County.
Web sites, message boards and chat rooms are filling up with people wanting to know what is happening at Gamaliel animal sanctuary Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH). Police executed a search warrant on the property Friday and discovered more than 400 dogs living in filthy.
Owners William and Tammy Hanson were arrested for animal cruelty. The two were released on $1,000 bond each.
Nothing much changed Tuesday with the dogs. Volunteers still are caring for the dogs while awaiting word when the dogs can be moved.
The Bulletin has received e-mails from readers in Minnesota, Washington, Texas, California, Montana and a host of other states as well as individuals and groups from Sweden, Canada, England and other countries who have been monitoring the Gamaliel situation.
Former Mountain Home resident Lindsey Hardin said when a neighbor threatened to shoot her chow, she decided to find him a new home through EDNAH. She said the dog ran away from the sanctuary within 24 hours of arriving, and when he was finally found, he seemed scared of the Hansons.
"Now, I didn't see the 'dog sanctuary,' and I think that the owner's intentions are really honest and good, but there must have been a reason that my dog didn't want to go back with her, besides the fact that he missed me," she said.
Hardin reports the dog is now happy and healthy and living with her parents.
Others say the animal rescue community is anxiously waiting to see what happens with the dogs and where they end up being relocated.
"The world is watching what is taking place in Baxter County, Arkansas," one reader from Mississippi wrote to The Bulletin.
Pasado's Safe Haven, a Seattle-based organization that rescues and rehabilitates animals, recently sent approximately 50 pit bulls to EDNAH. Now it wants them back.
According to Pasado's Safe Haven Web site, the group has located paperwork for each animal the organization sent to EDNAH. The statement goes on to say that all of their animals were checked out by veterinarians and had rabies vaccinations, and the group wants to remove the dogs from the property as soon as possible.
For Pits' Sake, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving pit bulls, said it began investigating the Hansons on Oct. 2 after learning that other organizations were going to place dogs with EDNAH. According to its Web site, it found complaints against the sanctuary and not enough adequate staff to care for the dogs.
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WHAT SHELTER DO YOU KNOW THAT LOSES A DOG LIKE IN THIS STORY OF THE OWNER TURN IN? SOME SHELTERS HAVE NEVER LOST A SINGLE ANIMAL. YET TAMMYS ARE LOST AND POISONED ALL THE TIME...CAUSE THEY RUN FREE. SICK BITCH.
David Myers Blog..Orleans (If you only read one blog entry, read this one!)
1:06 am Tuesday morning- I have just returned from New Orleans for the third time. I have a lot to say here.
I went there just several days ago, although, as usual, it feels like a lifetime ago. My goal was to see if we could find any more live pets trapped in homes, or if it was time to concentrate on all the pets running around in dangerous conditions on the streets.
I arrived Friday afternoon, and immediately went to our new staging area near the Southern Animal Foundation on Magazine St. Holly and Rob have been working around the clock to manage the effort and keep things going on the ground. If we were once a military force, we are now just a guerilla force with nearly no supplies, operating out of a parking lot. We are doing all we can to get some funds and supplies and in the last two days things seem to have improved a bit.
I loaded up my rental van with supplies, and it was already after dark when I began checking houses on our list of owners who reported their pets were left in homes before the hurricane, and needed rescue. The curfew in most parts of the city is now midnight. I began navigating the city streets in the dark, which is very difficult because in most areas, street lights are still out and the street signs were long ago either blown away entirely, or worse, spun around by the wind, making street navigation extraordinarily frustrating without GPS (which I did not have).
In the dark, one by one I began entering destroyed homes, alone and with no light but my flashlight. If going into musty, moldy, destroyed homes looking for starving pets is creepy in the day time, which it is, I can tell you it is much worse at night. In a deserted city, moving through room after room of muck-soaked debris, finding dead and decomposing animals, with the wind blowing and not a soul but me with a flashlight—it’s a weird experience, to say the least. Not for the weak of spirit. As I was driving in a particularly eerie part of the city, my brother got through to me on the cell and really hammered in the real danger--people thinking I am some kind of looter and shooting me. He finally got through to me, in a way. Instead of stopping, I crossed over the Mississippi to east New Orleans and talked my way past a National Guard check point and into an area where residents have not yet been allowed back. I continued to do my midnight searching there. I had Jane on the line in the middle of the night as I went through one house where several dogs had been reported left. Clearly the owner had been back and taken the dogs and much of the remaining belongings in the house, but he had left a fish tank with one dead guppy, but one live one. How hard would it have been to take his fish? So, with Jane on the line, I rummaged through the battered kitchen, found a glass jar with a lid, and managed to rescue the guppy-hey, all things great and small-a life is a life.
But most of the night was far more somber. I entered a pitch dark dog boarding kennel with dogs dead in the washbasin and the putrid smell of rotting carcasses. By the light of my flashlight, I saw carcasses of cats that had died, trapped, after being locked in bathrooms. House after house contained nothing but morbid signs of a catastrophe gone by, or no sign of pets at all because they had either been rescued by us or by their owners. Finally, I was stopped by the police, who found it really weird I was out in the middle of the night looking for pets in houses, so I decided it was time to call it a night and start over the next morning. I spent the next several hours, until almost 4am, preparing a special list of addresses for the most likely areas Jane and I could think of where pets might still be alone. Dorothy of dogdetective.com had refined that list further by looking for the words "locked” or “trapped” or “attic" in the description owners had given. Our thinking was that animals left in yards, for example, would already have been found, but a pet that was locked in or in an attic might not yet have been rescued and might still be alive.
The next morning I jumped in to give Rob a break and led the early-morning meeting. Then I headed out again, alone, to cover as many houses as possible. I literally ran from my car into houses, searching carefully every room, looking in every closet, climbing into attics, some collapsing into the rooms below. In all I must have visited and thoroughly searched upwards of 40 homes in one day--three times what a team would normally do, and I found nothing. Nothing. Every home had already been opened by us or an owner, some clearly a long time ago. I finished the day very discouraged to have not yet found a single pet still needing my help, and feeling that time was running out.
I staggered back to the apartment where some of us were staying, courtesy of a displaced renter. After a few hours of sleep I began again on Sunday. I headed out to Saint Bernard Parish, having no trouble (which is not always the case) getting past the rather eastern-bloc military barricade of stacked crushed cars. I saw homes where the flood had gone beyond the ceiling. House after house, no pets to be seen. I tried to keep my spirits up as I headed to a house where the owner had said a cat named Tiger had been left in a second-story apartment unit above the garage with some food and water. In a devastated area not covered as thoroughly by us as others, and safe above the flood, this cat might still be alive! I sped there through rubble-and-mud-filled and deserted streets, arriving at the house. There, spray painted on the house by one of our rescuers, was the words "cat with owner".
My heart sank. I had been denied my chance to save a life... and then what must seem obvious to anyone else hit me. I had lost my focus. My ego, which is such a strong motivator for me to act bravely and quickly, had led me astray. I walked up the muddy stairs to the room above the garage, verified that no cat was present and smiled to myself and said, as my Australian friends do, "Good on you, Tiger, you survived." What better thing? Tiger survived and was with his/her owner. This should make me ecstatic, not sad. At that moment I realized that each house I visited that had already been visited by an owner or us was in fact a victory. It became clear to me I was not going to meet my goal of saving one pet starved in a home, because, I now honestly believe, there are none left to save--or at least none remaining on the lists we have. The list is, after all, a list of only those pet guardians who ever heard of the 1-800 phone number HSUS set up, and only those who cared enough about their pets to call. Naturally, first chance they got, they came home. Some found their pets had been rescued by us, some found their pets alive, and some found them dead. But it is clear to me now, the cases reported on our list have been resolved already, whether we know it or not. There are, I think, still pets trapped in homes, but clean-up workers or landlords will have to find them and call us, and this is, in fact, still happening each day, and we of course respond instantly.
Seeing that our list is no longer of use was the kind of closure for me that Dorothy, Jane or Pia will never have, and I realize now why I had to go there to see for myself. None of us could ever look at a list that said, "Please, please rescue Tiger--He had some food and water and is trapped on the second floor" and believe that we should not go there even today and check it along with every remaining house on the list. We never had enough people to finish the list and we were late in getting it, but all it is now is a list of desperate pleas, no longer current, and I believe it does not tell the truth of what is out there. Continuing to go to houses on the list takes people off the real task of feeding and saving those pets who did survive and are now on the streets, under homes, and running in packs. The official search and rescue in homes in New Orleans is now over-not because any government agency or animal group said it is over, but because we have no way of finding more pets to save. The reality on the ground dictates our actions, not some edict from someone in an office. We are now concentrating on rescuing pets on the streets. It was so hard for me to say this, knowing I might be condemning that one remaining pet starving in a home on our list, but my heart and mind, and experience of covering perhaps 60 homes in 36 hours tells me that pets on our list are no longer waiting for us to save them. And the only way Dorothy, Jane and Pia would believe it was if it came from my mouth. I was sad to have worked so hard without saving one more, but now I feel that this is good. None remain starving or trapped that I can go help. They are rescued or at peace with God. It's out of my hands. It is time to finally, really, physically and mentally go home.
Something terrible happened in New Orleans. Something so terrible that if you were not there and did not see it or smell it, you cannot imagine it. If you were there, you understand what I am saying. We who went there and saw this horrible site, this place of dead and starving pets, of lives and homes and businesses in ruins, who smelled the stink of rotting sewage, flesh and poisons, whose eyes burned - we have a sense a what occurred and we will never be the same.
I got back to the apartment where we were staying too late Sunday night to find a place to eat that was open in the now re-opening Garden district of the city. So I asked Holly if there was any food. There was a can of baked beans, but no can opener. There was a pop top can of refried beans, but trust me, cold out of a can it is no good- I tasted it. I told Holly that there was a supermarket just a mile away- fully stocked and open. I joked that weeks from now, the entire city will be functional, except for a group of animal rescue volunteers camped out in an apartment eating canned rations, not unlike Japanese soldiers in caves on islands who never heard that the war ended. Things in New Orleans are, in some areas, returning to life. In other areas they will have to tear down everything and start again, and this poses the new threat...
Even before the hurricane, New Orleans had a very bad stray animal problem. Now there are many more dogs and cats on the street, many former pets, and many fewer people in the city to care for them. To make matters worse, many buildings will soon be destroyed, and these pets are hiding there. We must now get those pets off the streets, and that is the challenge Jane has turned herself towards.
I continued to work Monday, responding to those calls of pets in distress, and I did get to save my animal--two, actually. Our rescuers had come across a frightened and potentially aggressive black chow, living on a porch. The poor dog had survived the flood waters which barely stayed below the raised porch level, and had been fed by a kind neighbor who had returned. The neighbor said her name was Ebony (photo in my photo album on 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com). The neighbor had seen the owners pull up in a car, load what belongings they could, and leave the dog behind saying they didn't want her. When I arrived with a catch pole (a pole with a soft noose to grab hold of an aggressive or frightened animal), Ebony was huddled under a small coffee table on the porch, behind a potted plant, growling. That dog had been on that porch for weeks, and would let no one touch her. She was so scared, and that porch was the only safe place in the world for her right then.
I approached slowly and indirectly, opening up a can of cat food upwind and letting her smell it. I slowly placed it on the porch and kneeled down on the front lawn, looking away from her. Slowly, I moved up the steps and bit by bit began clearing away chairs and other items so I would be able to have a clear space. She was barking up a storm, but I could tell, she was just scared. She was a black chow, just like my rescue pup at home, and I knew this girl was going to get rescued now. Slowly, I leaned the pole toward her and placed the noose around her neck as she bit at it. Once around her neck I pulled it snug, but not too tight, and I sat down. There I stayed for maybe an hour. Just me and her. She fell asleep only to notice my hand coming close and growl again. All I wanted was to pet her. I knew that forcing her into the crate at this point would just further traumatize her, and I decided she could take whatever time she needed. This porch was her only safe place.
I called the original rescuer, Michelle, who had seen her. She said she wanted to take this pup home to Oregon. I told her to come back and sit with the dog for as long as it takes to get to pet her. She came over and sat down and I left to answer another call for a cat found healthy in an upper floor of an apartment complex.
So I drove out, back to East New Orleans where I had been in the dark two nights before, and after considerable trouble finding the apartment number in this huge complex, I went in an open door and up two flights of stairs and heard the cat. This orange tabby came right up to me like we were best friends. He looked great, I petted him and placed an open can of cat food in the carrier and he waltzed right in. I closed the carrier, but apparently did not clip it properly when I assembled it because walking outside back to the van, the door popped open and he jumped out! I was on the phone with Jane, getting my next address for an abandoned dog, and suddenly all time stood still. I held my breath and calmly crouched down and spoke to the cat, inviting him to come over to be petted. He thought about it and looked around... and then he came. He came back to me and let me pet him and pick him up and put him back in the carrier. That was a pivotal moment in that cat's life, and he made the right choice. I needed to check on one more dog, get the cat back to our staging area, and catch a plane.
And so, with only an hour left before I had to leave to catch my plane home, I had helped save one last dog and one last cat and I put their photos in my photo album our site. It still felt good because for two days and nights, I had seen nothing alive--nothing but rotting corpses and falling-in roofs. I just wanted to save a life one more time, and Jane knew that. She gave me one more call--A sweet pit bull who had survived the flood in the same area I was in, on the second floor of a house, only to have the owner come home and decide they didn't want the dog. This poor dog was apparently under the porch and I sped off, cat securely in the carrier in the car. The address was hard to find, and the house I did find did not have a porch. But I searched the house and could clearly see a pet had been in there for a long time, and there were tracks in the mud on the first floor. Clearly the address was right. I searched the area, using the smell of cat food on my fingers as a lure, but could find no dog. So I put up a feeding station, allowing the outside faucet to drip into a pan to keep it full of water and placed food beside it. Another rescuer will look again tomorrow. Damn, my last attempt and I didn't succeed. I just wasn't going to get to leave New Orleans on an up note.
It was good that I went back to New Orleans again. It gave me some closure I think. I also got the chance to visit a few of the places where I had left pets in homes with food and water many weeks ago. You see, early on, there was not room in the Gonzales facility for all the pets our teams were rescuing so we were being told to keep pets in homes. There was a also a belief that owners would soon come back, so if we could keep pets in their homes, basically turning the whole city into a shelter of sorts, the pets would soon be reunited with their families. What we didn't know was that hurricane Rita was coming to deliver more flooding, and that many people would never come back--many can't. It was a big mistake for us to leave those pets in homes. One of many. And as many of us do, I sit with the guilt wondering whether the pets we left in homes were ever subsequently rescued by our teams or if owners did, in fact, come back. It is haunting. But I am so happy to say that of the four homes I was able to return to where I had left cats and dogs, there were no dead animals there and all indications were that either an owner or one of our volunteers had since been there and rescued a live animal. I cannot tell you how cathartic this is for me, and I hope it gives hope to others who carry the same guilt and fear I do.
There will be no up-note to end this saga, no clean ending, no neat package with which we can tie up this story. That is what I told Jane and Dorothy, as we have to live with the knowledge that we never succeeded in checking every home of people who called in. There will always be question marks. There was the dog I fed and watered and left in a home on my first day--the place was toxic, but the dog was beside herself with fear, standing on a broken kitchen table in a corner, barking furiously. I left food and water and a broken open window, and spray-painted on the wall, as we all did, that a dog was present and inside. I do not know where that home was because it was my fist day ever in New Orleans and Pia and Dave Kaplowitz were doing the driving and navigation. I don't know if anyone ever went back there or if that poor dog survived. I pray she did. I will never know. We will never know the fate of the pets we sent to Gonzales and if they will ever find their owners -- if they will end up in good homes. With so many out there, I'm sure some will not, in fact I just heard of this terrible situation with Katrina pit bulls sent to someplace in Arkansas where they may have been starved. It’s all just awful. There will be no neat ending to this story.
This is an experience filled with vagueness and mistakes. I have spoken to HSUS, and all of us volunteers want a chance to contribute to a thorough review of all that has happened and many many things that could have been done much better in order to save more pets in the future. All of us who were there will carry with us haunting memories. I got a bit of closure, and of course I have Orlea, the black cat I took home to foster after my first "tour of duty". Here she lies curled on the couch, not far from Roger and Righteous, my other cats who seem to have decided in my absence that she is not so bad. And beneath them on the floor, also curled in a ball, fast asleep, is my black chow Peach. And in New Orleans tonight is a really scared black chow named Ebony who is going to have a great life in Oregon.
So if there is no neat ending, only open questions, let me try to neatly end in this way.
Something terrible happened in New Orleans--to people and to animals. Those words will always be how I begin when I describe this experience and how I end it. But what I do know is that a bunch of people, a bunch of heroes, showed up and saved thousands of animals. In a society whose government works to recover every dead human body but made no official effort that I know of to save one live animal, thousands of people just showed up. They were young and old, men and women. They just got on a plane or got in a car, paid their own way and just showed up, like me. They went on boats, broke through windows, climbed though rancid sludge, saw nightmarish sites, carried emaciated animals in their arms, drove for hours, provided emergency vet care, fed and walked and cared for animals, and shipped animals around the country. As I drove the streets of New Orleans one more time on the way to the airport, there was not a block without our tell-tale spray paint saying "pet rescued".
I believe more died than were ever rescued, but I don't know. What I do know is that while something terrible happened in New Orleans, something amazing happened there too. We showed up, and thanks to Jane and everyone, including many people I never met and so many hundreds who I have not mentioned and whose names I never even knew, we formed an army of life--nothing short of an army of life.
Many of us walk away with guilt and nightmares. If you are a rescuer and you are reading this, we understand each other. We left and felt terribly guilty. Most of us came back. We felt more at home in the horror, taking action, than at home with our friends or in our jobs. We had a purpose--a meaning--an urgency to life that just makes everything else seem so boring and unimportant. We carry guilt and memories that we feel no one can understand except someone who was there. We look at our own pets, happy and healthy, and feel somehow guilty. We hear a dog bark and think to find and rescue them. We know how fast things can go from fine to disaster. We look at healthy pets and can see emaciated pets inside them. I don't know how I'd make it without Pia to talk to. But we need to move on--to take these experiences and do better next time--to push forward.
My brother Bill has tried to console me. Bill is like a wise sage to me. He was reminding me of the Buddhist principal that all life involves suffering and all life ends in death--that I cannot second-guess life and can only do my best, find my path. I remember a Zen story, where a student and his master are walking down a forest path and the student sees a snail in the middle of the road. Compassionately, the student places the snail on the side of the road to avoid being stepped on, at which time the master slaps the student with his walking stick. The student asks the master why he did that, and the master replied that the student has no knowledge of ultimate consequences; perhaps he has just placed the snail closer to some other animal that will eat the snail. If I understand that story correctly, I believe it is not meant to teach people not to be compassionate, but rather to make the point that when we take actions in the world, even ones we think are good, we don't know the ultimate consequences and should therefore let things be and not try to play God.
But I have a different take on the story. I think the student did the right thing, even if he might have moved the snail closer to and not farther from danger. Who can know? But to me it’s not about the snail, it’s about the student. You are either a person who takes action to try to do good or not. We cannot know whether we succeed ultimately, but we can try. So, I guess if life is about suffering and we are all on our paths, I hope my actions helped there be a little less suffering, and helped prolong life for those animals. And as for me, and what I learned, honestly, I'm just going to need to sit with this for a long, long time. It didn't make sense--it was awful--the world was turned upside down. But there is one thing I can say now that I did learn.
Sometimes you just gotta show up. You can't always do everything, but now and again, you just gotta show up. I have a friend, a big supporter of animal causes, named Craig Neilson. Craig works with a small group that does spay/neuter of street dogs in Mexico, called the Give Some Life Foundation (www.givesomelife.org). They take vets and other volunteers and do big round-ups of stray pets and spay or neuter them, provide other medical care for them, and, where possible, get them into good homes. I called Craig when I first knew I was going to Louisiana and asked if he would come. He is a pilot and an ex-military man and I knew he had skills that would really help. Craig is one of the finest human beings I know and one of the finest animal people. He said that every day is a Katrina down in Mexico, and I understood him completely. He has invited me many times to go down and help, but I have always been busy, even busy doing other great things for animals with 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com. But when Pia called me from New Orleans, she got me to show up. She was a drop in the ocean, but she created a ripple that led to me and everyone I led to and all we did. She got me to show up. Jane showed up. Dorothy never even left her home, but believe me, night and day for the last seven weeks, she showed up.
So the next time you hear of a need or a crisis, before you think “how sad” and move on with your life, just take a second and consider maybe taking a chance and just showing up. You never know where it might lead. Make a call, send some money, or maybe, just that once, get in your car and go. Just decide now that you are going to reserve a few days of your life this year, and when the right thing crosses your path that moves you, just throw logic aside and just show up. That is how we can change the world.
There is still a great need in New Orleans--a need for people to help round up loose and frightened dogs and cats, a need for money and supplies. And the need for animals, even just dogs and cats goes far beyond that, of course. I helped start 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com to save animals. Before Katrina happened, we were saving pets--thousands--and we still are; over 1,400 shelters and rescue groups depend on us every day, and they adopt tens of thousands of pets with our help because of the visibility we give those poor caged dogs and cats on the internet. We have only one employee, Abbie Moore. She "shows up" every day, and I mean every day--seven days a week and late into the night. We are in a constant struggle for donations, or for companies that want to sponsor us. We also need to spread the word about our free service and get publicity. If you can help, please do.
And my last word on New Orleans, as of course it must be, is the animals. All the dogs and cats and horses and hamsters and birds. All the "pets" and even all the wild animals whose homes were flooded and destroyed, not only in Louisiana, but in Mississippi, Texas and now Florida. This story is about them. I saw something traumatic--but they lived it. Please tonight, say a prayer for all those that died--that drowned, trapped by the rising waters, or that starved because we did not get to them in time. Please say a prayer for the ones we rescued that are still in cages, awaiting a home somewhere. There is no clear ending to this story. A terrible thing happened in New Orleans...Let's not forget, and let's do better next time.
Animal Rescue & Relief Contact Info
Michelle Reid
arrinc@yahoo.com
(843)817-2367
www.arrinc2.petfinder.org
www.geocities.com/arrinc
It's intersting to see Pasado spin their fauzpauw, even though some people say they admitted a mistake. Now on their site is a quote from a guy who credits them with bringing animals in nice crates, and additinal crates, to the site. If you admit you made a mistake, admit it, don't print lame e-mails saying that dropping off crates and dogs in crates at a shithole makes you a hero.
Forward message:
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 21:05:45 -0700
From: "For Pits' Sake"
Subject: EDNAH Update
10/26/05
2300 hrs Central Time
We are in a holding pattern again. The hearing regarding the release of the dogs is tomorrow at 11:00 Central Time. There is a chance Tammy could get her dogs back. The hearing could last 5 minutes...or it could last a few hours. I will be notified as soon as a ruling is made and send out another post at that time.
In the meantime:
A new location to send supplies will be sent out tomorrow morning. They are looking for a larger facility and will be calling me in the morning with the new location.
A bank account at one of the local banks is in the process of being set-up for monetary donations. I will have that information in the morning as well and will send that out as soon as I get it.
Tents with heaters arrived today to get the dogs out of the weather. Dumpsters and port-a-potties also arrived today. They were able to get a tractor in and the place is beginning to get cleaned up.
The animals are getting all cleaned up, vetted and are calming down.
I will be getting a count of dogs by breed tomorrow afternoon so that breed rescue groups will be ready to help if/when the dogs can officially be released.
Kristine Crawford
For Pits' Sake
www.forpitssake.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnimalRescuerChat
This group is for the use of ANIMAL search and rescue workers who participated (or are still participating) in animal disaster relief efforts in Louisiana. If you did not participate in this capacity, please do not join.
Those of us who spent endless days in searing heat searching for trapped animals in houses full of mold and destruction are often left with feelings of guilt, sadness, nightmares, and anger.
This is intended to be a support group. We supported each other in the field. Though we had not met, we made a united front. We did an awesome thing. We worked together and saved the lives of thousands of animals amid horrible conditions.
I hope that this mailing list will enable to help each and every one of us to help one another again.
We all need to deal with the thoughts and emotions we have after returning to our homes from New Orleans and the surrounding areas. No one can understand what we have experienced, not unless they've been in the same situation. If you rescued animals in the flood-destroyed homes of New Orleans, you know exactly what this means.
There are very few rules here.
1. Please keep posts on topic.
2. There will be NO bashing of animal welfare/rescue organizations here.
3. When subscribing to this list, let us know when and where in the hurricane area you did search and rescue work.
Is there anyone on site at the Hanson facility that can look at the dogs and tell me if Louie, the Pit Bull pup might be there? He was rescued, but cannot be located. The owner contacted Tammy, who said she looked and he wasn't there. I'm not convinced she really looked. Here's the info: His # that was on his original LA paperwork was 0001_1281 petfinder # is 4704. The owner posted a picture, given to her on petfinder under#49186. Please, anyone at or going to EDNAH, check to see if he's there! If he is, or you see him elsewhere, call HSUS to report him. You can contact the owner at: glendaflower@earthlink.net.
Thanks!!
This is an updated article and video from a local news agency.
http://www.ky3.com/news/1913277.html
Thank you Eric for the David Myers post
Apology to local officials re/EDNAH
by previe3, 10/27/05 8:39 ET
This morning I read this article at the Baxter Bulletin:
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051026/OPINION01/510260332/1014
I sent the follwoing email to the newspaper:
Since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, I have been following the animal rescue efforts on NOLA.com and I have been trying to help as I can, mostly with contributions to the rescue organizations who have been working so hard to help the animals left behind. While I did not send any nasty or threatening messages to the local officials regarding the EDNAH situation, I feel an obligation to apologize for those who did.
When the news about EDNAH first broke on the forum last Friday, the posts were hysterical. Dogs were "being boarded up," "being hit with boards," "were all going to be killed." Why did some initially believe the reports? I think it was because we have seen well-documented atrocities in New Orleans and specifically in St. Bernard Parish. Pets were shot by local law enforcement personnel and the actions were documented on video. There was a massacre of pets left at some local schools. Rescuers were arrested. Many believed the initial reports coming our of Arkansas because we had seen terrible instances police brutality in New Orleans. And there was a sense of urgency -- a sense that we had to act quickly or the dogs would be lost.
I think we have learned some valuable lessons from the situation in Arkansas. We have to be sure that the information circulated on the internet is accurate. People who post on the forums may have their own agenda or view a situation from a distorted perspective. I would like to think that this will not happen again, that we will investigate more thoroughly before we jump to inaccurate conclusions. However, animal lovers are a passionate group and they (we) will have a knee-jerk reaction if we believe animals are in imminent danger.
At any rate, I do want to apologize to Sheriff Montgomery and to the people of Arkansas who took action in this case. Thank you for caring enough to step in and help those dogs. Thank you for "weathering the storm" of angry protests and for doing the right thing for the animals. And please, let us know how we can help.
Sincerely,
A NOLA.com poster
I read this post late and just read the info Ms. Jessep wrote. I take it she was not involved on site in New Orleans at any time during this disaster? Her critisim of rescuers that were on-site I think is undeserved--she has no idea what horrors these people faced in their efforts to save the animals. They may have made some mistakes but they, like everyone else were facing a catastrophe like no other in the US. NY Firefighters that were in New York on 9-11 said NO was worse; National Guard just back from tour of duty in Iraq said it was worse than the war zones there. In a situation like that-mistakes are made but at least they have been doing the best they can do in the given situation. These people didn't just wander up to a field where there was a bunch of abandoned animals and they picked them up on a sunny day and decided to ship them to Arkansas! They went into a city, no an entire area because if she would look on a map to the hurricane/flood damaged area, she will see that it was/is miles and miles of destruction. By the time they arrived and went in, it had nearly been a week after the event. 80% of New Orleans and surrounding area was flooded, not just knee-deep, roof deep, of filthy, contaminated, putrid water with dead bodies, chemicals,toxins, river bottom sludge, fuel, and whatever else washed in. They had to deal with 'snipers', looters, people that had been stranded for a week, law enforcement officials, FEMA officials, Military. There was no electricity, no food, no water, no where to sleep. The mosquitos ate them alive, the heat was in the high 90's with 80% humidity and the sun was blazing. They have dealt with stressed panic-stricken animals that did not have food or water after the flood, many were let out on the streets where they had never been before where they had to fight and hide to stay alive in the chaos, filth and putrid water. Many rescuers have done this for going on 8 weeks w/o stop. I am sure they are running on a last nerve and hoping that tomorrow they will p/u that last cat or last dog until they find another and the cycle continues. I am sure most a very 'shell shocked' right now. Sorry for the rant but as I have said before--if you haven't seen it,walked it,smelled it,or lived it, please don't be too hard on those that have, do not knock the ones that are actually in the pits of hell. Oh, I forgot to mention...there was another huge hurricane and the area reflooded 3 weeks after the 1st one! Not exactly a sunny picture. I guess from my description, Ms. Jessep might want to put the rescuers to sleep too. I have to disagree with a few statements she made 1)these dogs were not voluntarily abandoned by owners! 2)these animals, I do not think had been in those crates for 2 months or more (Katrina was 8 1/2 weeks ago) 3)I do not believe that the rescue groups 'dumped'these dogs--from the way it sounds, 'Tammy'appeared as an expert and offered a shelter. They probably couldn't keep them all in a parking lot in N.O. As I said, you do the best you can do and give it your best shot and that is all you can do. If people don't like the way they have done rescues, maybe next time, they should spend a few days in the trenches. By the way...I do not know anyone on this forum, or had not heard of most of the groups until this event.
I read this post late and just read the info Ms. Jessep wrote. I take it she was not involved on site in New Orleans at any time during this disaster? Her critisim of rescuers that were on-site I think is undeserved--she has no idea what horrors these people faced in their efforts to save the animals. They may have made some mistakes but they, like everyone else were facing a catastrophe like no other in the US. NY Firefighters that were in New York on 9-11 said NO was worse; National Guard just back from tour of duty in Iraq said it was worse than the war zones there. In a situation like that-mistakes are made but at least they have been doing the best they can do in the given situation. These people didn't just wander up to a field where there was a bunch of abandoned animals and they picked them up on a sunny day and decided to ship them to Arkansas! They went into a city, no an entire area because if she would look on a map to the hurricane/flood damaged area, she will see that it was/is miles and miles of destruction. By the time they arrived and went in, it had nearly been a week after the event. 80% of New Orleans and surrounding area was flooded, not just knee-deep, roof deep, of filthy, contaminated, putrid water with dead bodies, chemicals,toxins, river bottom sludge, fuel, and whatever else washed in. They had to deal with 'snipers', looters, people that had been stranded for a week, law enforcement officials, FEMA officials, Military. There was no electricity, no food, no water, no where to sleep. The mosquitos ate them alive, the heat was in the high 90's with 80% humidity and the sun was blazing. They have dealt with stressed panic-stricken animals that did not have food or water after the flood, many were let out on the streets where they had never been before where they had to fight and hide to stay alive in the chaos, filth and putrid water. Many rescuers have done this for going on 8 weeks w/o stop. I am sure they are running on a last nerve and hoping that tomorrow they will p/u that last cat or last dog until they find another and the cycle continues. I am sure most a very 'shell shocked' right now. Sorry for the rant but as I have said before--if you haven't seen it,walked it,smelled it,or lived it, please don't be too hard on those that have, do not knock the ones that are actually in the pits of hell. Oh, I forgot to mention...there was another huge hurricane and the area reflooded 3 weeks after the 1st one! Not exactly a sunny picture. I guess from my description, Ms. Jessep might want to put the rescuers to sleep too. I have to disagree with a few statements she made 1)these dogs were not voluntarily abandoned by owners! 2)these animals, I do not think had been in those crates for 2 months or more (Katrina was 8 1/2 weeks ago) 3)I do not believe that the rescue groups 'dumped'these dogs--from the way it sounds, 'Tammy'appeared as an expert and offered a shelter. They probably couldn't keep them all in a parking lot in N.O. As I said, you do the best you can do and give it your best shot and that is all you can do. If people don't like the way they have done rescues, maybe next time, they should spend a few days in the trenches. By the way...I do not know anyone on this forum, or had not heard of most of the groups until this event.
I am not impressed with her; any respect she might be due is being reduced in my book by her relentless and continuous rants about Pasados because they didn't take her word for the situation. She may have valid points for certain situations, but I for one don't care to read what she has to say anymore. I would rather read the opinions of objective observers or participants.
the statement on Jessup's web site from the Pasados volunteer. It was obviously put there as a criticism of Pasados, but the volunteer states:
"There were at least three highly aggressive dogs shipped along with over fifty wonderful pets. With a bit of obedience training, almost any of those over fifty dogs could make wonderful additions to someone's home."
Diane is using the Pasados volunteer to support her vendetta against Pasados, but she is obviously ignoring the part about the temperament of the dogs. Pretty selective in her use of facts.
Sorry, I'll go away now. As I said, this just made me very angry. If she weren't considered an expert on this topic, I would have just ignored the whole thing. But for a so called expert to make such an irresponsible statement makes me a little crazy. I'll say again, it's no wonder Pasados ignored her warning.
THEY TOOK OVER OPERATIONS ON OCTOBER ONE AND MARSHA LITTFIELD SAYS THEY WERE READY. THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A PHONE. THEY HAVE SAVED 0 ANIMALS SINCE THIS DATE, FED AND WATERERED NONE AND WILL NOW BE BRINGING IN AN OUTSIDE TRAPPER OT TRAIN THE SMALL STAFF THEY HAVE. ARTICLES FROM SEPT SHOW STATEMENTS ABOUT HOW MOST OF THE STAFF QUITE CAUSE THEY LOST HOMES ETC. MAKE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT THESE PEOPLE HAVE KILLED ANIMALS ALL OVER "GETTING CONTROL." THIS STATE VET MARSHA LITTLEFIELD DOES NOT DESERVE TO DEAL WITH ANIMALS OR PEOPLE. SHE IS AN UNINFORMED DESK JOCKY WHO HAS NOT LEFT HER OFFICE EXCEPT TO GO TOUR LAMAR DIXON AND GET THE PR TOUR CALLED "all is fine"
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2005--For nearly two months, since the ravage of Hurricane Katrina, the phones at the Louisiana SPCA (LA/SPCA) have gone unanswered.
Response from LA Humane Society President
by Julesx4, 10/27/05 0:17 ET
Re: Just Be Fair thanks! by 2FurBabies, 10/27/05
This is an email response from LA Humane Society President regarding whether or not they placed animals at EDNAH, (followup questions appear below her response. no answer to followup questions as I just sent these out to her.)
From:HumaneLA@cs.com>>Unfortunately, like other reputable organizations and individuals who believed in Tammy Hansen, we did foster 18 animals with her, in the midst of the disaster. Most of these dogs were transferred to her agency, as we desperately sought to protect our animals, who were living in outdoor kennels, as Hurricane Rita approached. As you may or may not be aware, many people interviewed her, checked her references and several people visited her site and simply did not witness the conditions that were subsequently photographed. One rumor is circulating that we had a longstanding relationship with her facility, and that we placed animals with her before the storm, but that is simply not true.>Our agency is of course working to have our animals returned and will utilize all means necessary to regain custody. I can assure you, no one is more distressed than we are at what has happened. If it were not a disaster situation, we would never have released animals to Ms. Hansen. In normal circumstances, we transport animals ourselves, if they are being relocated to another facility. Our adoption policy is to do home checks, prior to releasing animals. In this case, however, we had made plans to send our Animal Services Director to personally inspect her facility in Arkansas, as soon as we were able to spare her from our disaster relief shelter in Tylertown. With only two full time staff members, we are have been reliant primarily upon volunteer labor from across the country, since the storm, and we have been overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster.>Our volunteers and workers are the people who cared for these animals and entrusted them to Ms. Hansen. We're grateful to the majority of people who have been supportive of us at this difficult time, and we certainly seek the understanding of others.>>Sincerely,>>President>Humane Society of Louisiana
MY FOLLOWUP EMAIL: Thank you for your response, although I am also very concerned about a few things:
-- Please tell me what LA Humane Society is doing right now to help release these animals from Ms. Hansen. And do you have people there to work to help care for these dogs on site?
--Who are the other organizations who have released animals to her? I realize this does not imply bad intentions, just very bad jugement in a very, very difficult situation. Do you have a list of the organizations who sent Katrina and Rita-rescued animals to her?
--Also, I am very, very concerned that may be other situations like this in other places throughout the country that have received hurricane rescued animals, but no one knows about this simply because they have not been raided. So many thousands of animals were rescued and then seemed to just disappear across the country. Is there a record of where these animals were sent and who sent them? Who is calling these groups to account? I would assume LA Humane Society would be an authority as to the whereabouts of these animals.
10/25/05 UPDATE: Animal Rescue New Orleans
Jane Garrison & David Meyer
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE ALERT.
YOU WILL FIND MANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE.
We apologize, but cannot always respond personally to emails due to the daily demands of coordinating this relief effort.
UPDATE FROM THE FIELD:
Bingo, the dog found in a bathtub too weak to lift her head after 7 weeks, is now able to walk and eat on her own. Affectionately renamed Bubbles, she is still under a vet's care. The skin-and-bones Dobie mix--whose guardians had tossed her out with the trash--remains on IV antibiotics, but eats from people's hands.
On Oct. 24, 2005 we rescued 20 dogs and 19 cats, among them a beautiful feline whose guardian had perished in the hurricane. A returning neighbor notified Jane about the white, fluffy cat spotted around her damaged home, just waiting. Rescuers had to trap the frightened kitty, alone for over 7 weeks. But she is now in loving hands with plenty of food and water.
As addresses in our original database decrease, we enter Phase Two of this rescue mission— Trapping animals on the streets. Katrina added hundreds, if not thousands, of companion animals to New Orleans' existing stray population. We will not turn our back on any of these animals. Once trapped, most quickly accept human kindness. On Oct. 24, rescuer Matt Rossell “tamed” a pack of dogs, including one very pregnant female. He succeeded in trapping the dog believed to be the alpha. Back on a leash, this dog reverted to his “old life,” rolling on his back for a tummy rub. Apparently signaling approval for the others, the rest of the dogs came right over to Matt, ready for their own dose of love and attention!
Their stories are why we are still here. Please join us in New Orleans.
HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS
1. We need volunteers THROUGH END OF NOVEMBER, at which time we will assess
continued need and update you.
2. WHEN YOU KNOW YOUR ARRIVE/DEPART DATE, SEND FOLLOWING INFO TO:
info@kinshipcircle.org. If you've already sent this, PLEASE DO NOT SEND AGAIN!
*Full name(s) / Name of organization (if applicable)
*Full street address
*Cell phone, land phone, email
*Brief description of animal experience, including professional, rescue, shelter, etc.
*Arrive/Depart dates in New Orleans
3. Type “HURRICANE VOLUNTEER” in the subject line of your email, or we may miss it.
4. If you are an Animal Control Officer, Veterinarian/Vet Tech, or Experienced Humane Trapper
state this in subject line of email. I.E., HURRICANE VOLUNTEER: Animal Control Officer
CONTACTS
1. LOCAL RESIDENTS (IN LOUISIANA) / FEEDING ASSIGNMENTS
Jane Garrison: 843-343-8887, JaneGarrison@comcast.net
2. ARRIVING IN NEW ORLEANS WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT LODGING, DIRECTIONS, ETC.
Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
3. VOLUNTEERS WHO CAN EXPORT/TRANSPORT/FOSTER
Karla Osbeck: vixey23j@yahoo.com or 310-800-7011
4. DONATE MONEY OR SUPPLIES
Priscilla Gargalis: pgargalis@yahoo.com
5. VOLUNTEER QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED IN THIS ALERT (ONLY)
Kate Danaher: katedanaher@animalearthhuman.org
Brenda Shoss: info@kinshipcircle.org
TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS
- Fly into New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
- Rent a vehicle with room for supplies. Vans and SUVs appreciated.
- Attend 7:30 am daily meeting (location listed below)
- CAMPING: Bring tent to camp on parking lot/small fenced yard located
alongside property at 1585 Magazine Street.
- HOMES: To inquire about availability in resident homes or FEMA tent
(limited to 20 people), contact Holly: 757-641-4527
- HOTELS: Some hotels in New Orleans or Metairie are open.
Volunteers may research this on their own.
http://www.traveltoday.com/hotels/Metairie/LA/USA/
http://www.discoverneworleans.com/hotels.html
- AFFORDABLE TRAVEL & RIDESHARES:
Email Shanah Lia Richardson at illinoiskatrinapets@hotmail.com for help locating affordable travel options or rideshares.
Delta will also fly vets and vet techs down for free on the ''buddy'' system, please send the word out to all vets and techs you know. If any of you have DVMs or TECHS wanting to go, even if just for a few days, please have them contact Melissa Bahleda, PARTNERS! Canine Training/Spay VA, partnerscanines@yahoo.com IMMEDIATELY.
WHAT VOLUNTEERS WILL DO
Ideal people are willing to stay at least a week and be self sufficient.
MORNING ASSIGNMENT MEETINGS - 7:30 am
NEW: Corner of Magazine and Felicity Streets by empty Star Hair & Nails bldg.
Around the corner from prior location at 1823 Magazine Street.
(Southern Animal Foundation has been wonderful but we don't want to block their front door each morning)
If you arrive after 7:30 am meeting:
Call Jane Garrison 843-343-8887 for food/water assignment area.
Call Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
1. FEED AND WATER TEAMS: Responsible for keeping animals alive until they can be trapped. Does not require any experience or special skill...just a strong desire to help!
2. RESCUE TEAMS: Rescue animals described in calls to our dispatch number as
“animals in need.” Teams also comb city to pick up street animals who approach them without need to trap. Animal handling experience necessary.
3. TRAPPING TEAMS: Animal Control Officers, DVMs, Vet Techs or Individuals
with Experience Trapping Animals. These volunteers are encouraged to spend
at least one week in New Orleans and may submit (air, car rental, or gas)
travel receipts for reimbursement. An estimate of travel expenses is
required for approval. Send to Kate Danaher:
katedanaher@animalearthhuman.org
Animal Rescue
by petrescue55, 10/27/05 12:22 ET
**** Please cross post and email your friends *****
If anyone is doing fund raising for Pet rescue in New Orleans, or you yourself would like to donate we need Cash, Gift cards from Shell Gas ( if they exist... the fema gas is gone), kmart gift cards,walmart gift cards, people food, crates, traps, other needed supplies. We do not need pet food at this time because we have a three week supply. Email for mailing address, every little bit helps.
We are working independently, we use to work at Lamar Dixon before it shutdown. We are operating out of a donated house, in Algiers, which is right across the river from downtown New Orleans. We have a garage for storage. We are working with lots of people down here, a lot of the people that are still here are starting to feel financial pressure from back home as well. Why did they stay? Why did a lot of people that came down extend there time here? I think a lot of them stayed to do a certain job that no one else can do, they were getting really good at the job they were doing down here or at this time there is no one to take there place. So If anyone is in a position to donate money directly to those people I will put you in contact with them. (All donations sent to our address, or through paypal will be used here in New Orleans
The paypal account that I have set up isanimalrescue@fuse.net go to paypal.com to donate. It is through my company's paypal account A&B Communications, Inc. All money donated will be used for all purposes, in order to rescue every pet in need in New Orleans.
If you would like to come down to New Orleans and donate your time, I can give you information to do so, let me know when you can come. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. A lot of businesses are open just west of the city (less than 5-10 miles), such as hardware stores, kmart, fastfood, grocery stores, other stores, so you can buy what you need when you get here.
Living arrangements are kind of tricky down here, there are camp sites set up in a lot of places, there are some real campgrounds, you can get a hotel
room if you hit a bunch of them between 11am till 2pm. There is not a lot of structure here in New Orleans, a lot of things change day to day. At Lamar there was somewhat of a structure, now there is less of one. There are 1000s of pets still running around down here, some of their owners will come back and others won't. Free Supplies can be obtained around town and at our house. You will need enough money to support yourself while you are here, or get someone to sponsor your visit here. You are welcomed to drop by our house, but not everyone can live at our house. Get your shots before you come. You need a SUV down here , so drive yours or rent one.
What you might need
Things in my truck, so you get idea.MapLaptop/GPSCell PhoneSome tools, screw drivers, hammmer, etcHand washPaper towelsCrates, cat and dogcat/dog foodlasagna pans(biggest) for water6 - 5 gallon plastic water containersSleeping bagClothes, for cold and warm weather, it is cold now bring coat.Some water bottles for you.CoolerWhat you don't bring you can buy as you need it.
For our mailing address/Location, please email backanimalrescue@fuse.net
Portrait of A Hoarder an overvieuw of a recent Study
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/anwelf.htm#A4
Common are forms of passive cruelty, animal hoarders keep large numbers
of neglected companion animals in inappropriate, inadequate, and over-crowded
conditions that cause starvation, disease, behavioural problems, or death
The motivation for these cases is usually not rational, but even if rational,
it is misguided
Hoarders frequently deny that they have done anything wrong or improper.
Hoarders rarely if ever admit to intentionally harming an animal or intentionally
failing to provide proper care, and they rarely acknowledge their own intentional
actions and decisions that may have contributed to the situation. This includes
their conscious acquisition,(sometimes with great effort and subterfuge),
to acquire even more animals as the situation around them deteriorates.
They use many excuses to attempt to cut the link between the accused person
and the bad performance in some way.
These excuses take the form of proclaiming innocence or blaming”someone”
or “something” else.
Excuses such as
“Its really not so bad”, “I didn’t notice he animals were sick”,
“It just happened yesterday”- . In hoarding situations, this also
frequently involves claiming that they were caring for animals
no one else would help or trying to save the animals from death
Hoarders frequently claim that humane societies, other officials,
and even family members have vendettas against them.
The person may admit the poor performance to one degree or another, but
then launches into a series of “yes, but……” excuses.
Hoarders frequently mention the challenge and difficulty of caring for
So many animals on limited resources and with little or no help.
They will often assert they are doing the best they can.
In hoarding situations, this often manifests itself as people bringing unsolicited
animals to them, or blaming the people who lose or give up their pets.
In hoarding situations a person may adopt a “handicap” these excuses
could be poor health, low income, having to do it all themselves, etc
They may also want to discuss the [many] other animals
they have helped. Diverting attention from the bad performance by
emphasizing other areas where they have performed better increases
the distinctiveness of the bad performance, thus minimizing the consequences.
sharentity
Marsha,
No phones yet you told use that we should CALL the LASPCA to get our animal control officers credentialed
So what have your people and the LASPCA done for the last month? YOU TOLD ME A MONTH AGO ALL WAS BEING HANDLED. Now when you call even this number and push "1" it says that nothing has been done since October. I have yet to figure out if you rely on people who tell you total lies or if you just flat our lie yourself. Almost to a point what you say is not the reality.
Halloo Communications Steps Forward to Reconnect Phone Service for Louisiana SPCA
Tuesday October 25, 10:15 am ET
Hosted Phone Service Provider Donates Toll-Free Phone Service to Help Reunite Families with Lost Pets: 1-800-745-9151
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2005--For nearly two months, since the ravage of Hurricane Katrina, the phones at the Louisiana SPCA (LA/SPCA) have gone unanswered. Their shelter was only one of thousands of structures that were lost or damaged in the catastrophe, but the only facility of its type that the community regularly turns to for pet rescue and information. Thousands of families desperate to locate missing pets, and untold thousands of other callers trying to figure out what to do with found animals, have been unable to connect with anyone since the shelter was destroyed.
Eric Rice
Eric Rice
Bulkregister
General Manager
Dr. Martha A. Littlefield
Assistant State Veterinarian
Office of Animal Health Services
Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry
PO Box 1951
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-1951
5825 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
225-925-3980 work
225-935-2168 desk
225-237-5555 fax
malc@ldaf.state.la.us
UPDATE on Tammy Hanson
--The court has allowed just over 100 animals to be released from EDNAH: Our animals, those from the Louisiana Humane Society and a group from Texas and a group from Missouri can take their animals. We were allowed to remove animals because we had provided veterinary medical documentation to EDNAH in the beginning (and then to the sheriff).
--Our animals will be posted on petfinder.org as soon as possible
--Penny Vaughan/President of Turtle Moon Rescue in Alabama has stepped up to help us do a shelter check on a sanctuary we and other groups have worked with before. We believe Sara's Sanctuary to be extremely reputable, but we're deferring to pit experts to confirm
--We have a few people who rescued with us at Raceland, LA who knew the dogs placed at EDNAH, and cared for them. They would like to adopt them. Details will need to be worked out with them.
--HSUS will be coordinately efforts for the remaining hundreds of dogs left there. According to the court, they need to be held for three weeks. HSUS we understand, will post them on petfinder.org in hopes of finding their owners
--forpitsake.org is coordinating volunteers to help over the next three weeks. Please e-mail them if you'd like to help
--The kennels we had purchased for EDNAH are being used for the dogs there. We're glad to know they're finally put to good use. We'd still like to donate them to a pit rescue group who takes animals from this situation, once they're no longer needed in AR.
--We will fundraise to help offset the costs for a qualified pit rescue group who has the resources to foster some of the Arkansas pit bulls. We do not want to overtax any rescue group's ability to care for these animals.
Re Jack....
How come the push is on so hard for him to get a new found home (God, I wish I could but I'm stairs and steps all over the damn place) before winter? Can the foster parents not keep him till he does find a home?
Re: the LA state vet
Veterinarians are licensed professionals and have to answer to their licensing board. Probably doesn't mean much but if the state vet is truly guilty of neglect then I would think that her state licensing board would be interested.
Re: EDNAH dogs
I'm so excited that reason prevailed and the poor EDNAH dogs are now on their way to humane care. I'll send out a little donation to each of the identified shelters.
Thanks to all of you who are doing the heavy lifting. The rest of us will do our best to support you.
Susan
Wow, nice point Susan!
Anonymous, Jack needs a home in a warmer part of the country due to his condition.
"Hanson said she could find homes for dogs in wheelchairs"...this is an exceprt from a report from Baxter Bulletin online about a black lab the vet put down Sunday. You should go read the "Black dog" article if you get the opportunity.
Jack needs a new home cause he stay in the garage of his fosters with no heat and no water for cleaning him. It could be in a cold climate if they had a walkout basement etc that was heated....He needs bathed when he has an accident etc...
I doubt Martha the Asst State Vet has done anything wrong in terms of "acting as a vet" cause I doubt she has cared for an animal in 10 years. From a pure managemnt and common sense standpoint she get an F. Her decisions killed animals no doubt about it.
A warehouse has been located for donations of supplies to be shipped for the EDNAH relief effort:
Mtn. Home Pets, Inc.
c/o Powell's True Value Hardware
1340 Hwy 62 East
Mountain Home, AR 72653
kris
This was posted on petfinder.com's disaster discussion forum under "Lamar barn 1 cat volunteers please read."
--------------------------------
Are there any volunteers from the Cat Barn at Lamar here? I need to get in contact with someone who was working with the cats at Lamar between 9/7/2005 and 9/16/2005.
I have already posted this information, but have gotten no replies.
We are trying to locate a cat that is lost in the system. This cat is Unique and easily identifiable. We are at a dead end. Have contacted over 60 shelters, the president of Petfinder.com, the HSUS reunion volunteers, the transport drivers etc. No one remembers this cat and yet we know for certain she was at Lamar.
This cat was brought into Lamar from a bus triage at Napoleon and St. Charles where the owner was forced to leave her cats upon evacuation. There were two cats in the SAME carrier with all the owners contact information. One cat was finally located on 10/9/2005 in Florida. No mention on the paperwork of the other cat. Someone seperated these two cats for some reason. We believe the owner information then did not get reattached to Mittens.
Mittens is a 13y/o spayed female. grey tabby and white, BOBTAIL, with STEEL BLUE EYES, She also has grey striped legs with white paws. Her facial markings are very soft and more resemble a lynx point siamese than a tabby. A picture of her can be seen here http://tinyurl.com/bhfor
We believe that PF4289 0001-1581 is mittens http://disaster.petfinder.com/emergency/rescue/reportDetail.cgi?id=4289 which says she was exported to Marin on 9/16/2005. She is not at Marin, I have spoken to Keri four times. All possible leads on this cat have been exhausted. We need to go back and try and trace her from the beginning when she first entered the system on 9/7/2005.
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Martha, mittens owner really wants her back and has been trying to retrieve her two cats from Lamar since 9/20/2005.
Thank you, Denise
to all of the people who acted like fools , called and made threats and otherwise harassed officials and people in Baxter county Ar. I hope you heroes take a close look at yourself and and next time get solid info before you go off. To all of you who did get info and did come to help and got dirty and tired actually working or called offering to help,evryone who was involved here will allways be grateful to you and Baxter county and Mt. Home Arkansas thank you.
to all of the people who acted like fools , called and made threats and otherwise harassed officials and people in Baxter county Ar. I hope you heroes take a close look at yourself and and next time get solid info before you go off. To all of you who did get info and did come to help and got dirty and tired actually working or called offering to help,evryone who was involved here will allways be grateful to you and Baxter county and Mt. Home Arkansas thank you.
Has anyone checked into a sanctuary called Home For Life in Star Prairie, Wisconsin for Jack? I donate to them monthly and they are wonderful. True, it is still cold there but they are fully trained to handle the special needs that Jack has and would give him a loving safe Home for life. I urge Jacks caretakers to fully check out this option if it hasn't been done already.They have a website: homeforlife.org.
I need to find the owner of Buster, PF34312 ASAP.
Buster was rescued from the streets of New Orleans on 9/20 and sent to Lamar Dixon. He was especially fearful, slightly aggressive, snarling at people who approached his crate. However, with calm actions and patience he becomes a loving, friendly fellow. He was one of the dogs labeled aggressive that I posted about earlier this month.
Buster was rescued from LD by Sue Schmidt, a professional animal handler from Colorado and board member of CARE, a Colorado supposedly no-kill shelter. When Buster and 9 compatriots from Katrina arrived in Colorado the shelter director wanted to have them temperament tested immediately. Sue argued against it, the animals need time to calm down and adjust. They had been through the storm, horrible conditions on the streets and locked in houses, then the stress of LD with all the other dogs and finally transport. Well Sue and the director went back and forth over this issue until the shelter director said she must do blood work on the dogs immediately and would have the dogs sedated. Shortly after Buster was given a dose of what is suspected to be Valium (note- no vet was present or had examined him to determine dosage) the shelter director wanted to have him muzzled. She's a tall woman, was wearing sunglasses, and just before the muzzle was put on she walks quickly to the animal, stands over him and leans over to grab his mouth, announcing she wanted to look at his teeth. Can you guess what happened? Yep, before Sue could intervene Buster snapped at this shelter director and bit her. This director has a no second chance rule and got the sheriff involved to label the dog as vicious.
I admit that I don't know a lot about working with behavior issue dogs, but the first thing I learned is that you don't stand over them, you don't wear sunglasses, and you don't make sudden lunges for their heads. Sheesh.
Now the whole thing is just mess with Buster in a 10 day bite quarantine and slated to be euth'd. Sue is a wreck, those of us that helped rescue these dogs are a wreck and we need your help.
We figure if we can find Busters owners they can reclaim him and save him one final time. He's not a bad dog, just scared, stressed and traumatized and deserves to be saved.
I have requested his case through Stealthvolunteers but I am coming up stumped and I am calling in the cavalry: you. I am hoping maybe his rescuer will remember him and clue us into his owner. Maybe someone doing food runs in NOLA can swing by and see what this address is. Maybe someone knows someone looking for him. Anything, something.
What we know so far:
He was rescued from 1509 Feliciana (spelled Faleciana on paperwork) no city listed but assumed to be New Orleans. Using netdetective I can find no such address in NOLA or surrounding areas. There is a 1511 Feliciana.
He was wearing an orange collar and it is noted on his paperwork that his name is Buster but we don't know how this rescuer knew this.
Special marking include 2 dew claws.
Please help this poor guy.
BUMP: Jane's update
by Alaskasmom, 10/28/05 13:22 ET
UPDATE FROM THE FIELD:Bingo, the dog found in a bathtub too weak to lift her head after 7 weeks, is now able to walk and eat on her own. Affectionately renamed Bubbles, she is still under a vet's care. The skin-and-bones Dobie mix--whose guardians had tossed her out with the trash--remains on IV antibiotics, but eats from people's hands.
On Oct. 24, 2005 we rescued 20 dogs and 19 cats, among them a beautiful feline whose guardian had perished in the hurricane. A returning neighbor notified Jane about the white, fluffy cat spotted around her damaged home, just waiting. Rescuers had to trap the frightened kitty, alone for over 7 weeks. But she is now in loving hands with plenty of food and water.
As addresses in our original database decrease, we enter Phase Two of this rescue mission˜ Trapping animals on the streets. Katrina added hundreds, if not thousands, of companion animals to New Orleans' existing stray population. We will not turn our back on any of these animals. Once trapped, most quickly accept human kindness. On Oct. 24, rescuer Matt Rossell „tamed‰ a pack of dogs, including one very pregnant female. He succeeded in trapping the dog believed to be the alpha. Back on a leash, this dog reverted to his „old life,‰ rolling on his back for a tummy rub. Apparently signaling approval for the others, the rest of the dogs came right over to Matt, ready for their own dose of love and attention!
Their stories are why we are still here. Please join us in New Orleans.
You didn't give us info on the shelter for any way to contact you on Buster. You have to make the case that they should be bending the rules on these Katrina Dogs. They should not take them if they don't want to deal with them. Get someone out of state to go in and get him. They may not adopt him local. 1 chance? These animals NEVER HAD A CHANCE.
Ketel/Son Update
by jmleong, 10/28/05 15:14 ET
Just spoke with the owner.
She has been in touch with the HOPE Safehouse in Wisconsin today -- this is the place that is responsible for Ketel (maltese) being adopted out. They are coordinating Katrina efforts with Fur Keeps in Illinois, which is the shelter Son (Boston T) went to.
1st, Son: The people at HOPE Safehouse had "no idea" that Son hadn't been shipped back yet. (We figure this is because to send only Son would've meant they had to confess that Ketel had been adopted out, and someone "in charge," apparently was too wimpy to do that). So the HOPE Safehouse lady (I guess the person who owns the shelter) assured the owner that she will hear something within 24 hours about getting Son home. Said she stakes her "professional reputation" that working with Fur Keeps and the transport person for both shelters, owner could expect to hear within 24 hours plans for getting Son home. If this doesn't happen, the owner and Son's foster mom, who have been in regular contact, have already begin discussing bypassing the shelter and taking the travel arrangements upon themselves. The owner wants to leave it in the shelter's hands for a little while longer, because she feels it strengthens her legal case if she has to go to court over Ketel. She will be able to prove just how long they had Son and didn't get him home to her, which looks pretty bad for the shelters up there.
Ketel: Oh, man. First of all the HOPE Safehouse lady was very apologetic, took full responsibility, said that if legal action is required, HOPE Safehouse would take care of the legal wrangling so the owner doesn't have to.
What happened was that someone in Tylertown messed up (so HOPE Safehouse says). Safehouse requested that they be shipped only dogs who had already been in shelters pre-hurricane, so they were under the impression that all the dogs they got were shelter dogs and already available for adoption. At the same time, Tylertown was focusing on getting the dogs which couldn't deal with the extreme heat out of state, and Ketel is a small but very hairy dog and I guess wasn't doing too well in the heat. So that's how THAT mixup happened. I dunno, maybe Ketel was supposed to go out on "Transport A" and accidentally got loaded with "Transport B" or something like that. Whatever. It was a mistake that proved to have really bad consequences. CONT--
kETEL CONT...When Ketel arrived at HOPE Safehouse, a second mistake happened.
Apparently, a maltese rescue group took possession of all the maltese dogs that went up to Wisc./Ill. and offered to place them. The big mistake here was that HOPE Safehouse didn't have the rescue group sign any kind of agreement about what was to happen to the dogs. (Again, the owner of Safehouse took full responsibility for this).
Here's where it gets fun. Apparently, the mistake about Ketel was realized pretty quickly. I'm not sure how, may have been the timing of when the owner identified her dogs. But the shelter group DID ask the foster found by the rescue group to give Ketel back. At that time, the MAN HAD ONLY HAD THE DOG FOR 18 HOURS. After having the dog less than one full day, he refused. WTF?
HOPE Safehouse said they've been to this guy's house and have talked with him for "hours" trying to convince him to give the dog back. Recently, they've gotten the police involved. Seems like a pretty simple theft case to me, but there may be an agreement between the man and the rescue group that we don't know about and if that's the case, the police can only pressure him but they can't seize the dog without a court order. This is where we stand right now. Owner said she is waiting to hear, still, of any new developments today but envisions a stand-off at the guy's house maybe even right now.
Owner said to remain on standby for directions to contact the media on this one. She says she does not want to harass the shelter because she truly believes they are doing their best to get Ketel back. She felt very secure that while they allowed the problem to happen, they are also actively now trying to fix it -- and she doesn't want to alienate them because at this point, the HOPE Safehouse people are her only "voice" up there and her only advocate against this man. So DON'T HARASS HOPE SAFEHOUSE.
We are neither stupid nor amused….
1. We are an army of volunteers, several hundred-strong, working long hours, often giving up sleep, free time and often even income to help Katrina victims find and be reunited with their pets.
2. When we call your shelter to question why your Katrina animals are being adopted early - a couple of months before the December deadline - please don't tell us that all the animals that you took in from New Orleans were "owner surrendered." If everyone claiming to have brought back owner-surrendered animals is to be believed, then mathematically only a few hundred animals were actually left behind to be rescued. Please don’t be offended when we ask you to provide proof that the animals were really owner surrendered. And please don't tell us that that is private or classified information. You are an animal shelter, not the CIA.
3. Along the same lines, when we call your shelter, after days and sometimes weeks worth of work locating a specific animal, please don’t treat us as if we are Cruella DeVille. We introduce ourselves as volunteers working to locate pets lost or missing in the system and if we believe we have found a pet at your facility, please try to at least pretend to be happy at the possibility of a reunion, much as the kennel manager at the Indianapolis Humane Society was when I called last week to say that she had a cat that had disappeared in the system. We don’t get moments like that every day, yet we continue to do this work day in and day out.
4. Along the same lines, we appreciate it when you are careful about giving away too much information to a potential owner over the phone. But there is a difference between being careful (none of us want you to give away someone’s pet to a person claiming to be the owner) and being extremely defensive, which is what many of us have encountered when speaking with shelter staff and volunteers.
5. Pertaining to # 3 and 4 above, many of us are also working with “official organizations” (Pet Detective, Best Friends, Alley Cat Allies, Petfinder, etc) so if you want to waste more time and check up on us, that is ok. But realize that the one thing we all have in common is a strong desire to see these animals reunited as quickly as possible. Per the Guidelines* of the ASPCA, the HSUS and the State Vet of Louisiana, we hope and expect that you will find good foster homes for these animals now through December 31st and be cooperative with our efforts to return them to their Gulf Coast owners. *I’ve attached a copy in case you were not previously notified.
6. Since you are the one that have the animals, please post photos on Petfinder or post better photos than the ones that may have been taken at Lamar Dixon. There is no excuse to not have good, clear photos of these animals on Petfinder, Petharbor and FidoFinder/TabbyTracker.
www.fidofinder.com and www.tabbytracker.com are great sites for posting found animals because when the owner registers the animal as lost, they get an email notification to check out any found animals that match the description. Each of the three sites has features that the other two don’t have so it is best to list them on all three. If you don’t have the staff or volunteers to do this, please contact me right away with the name and location of your shelter, and I will find a volunteer in your area to take photos and do the postings to these sites.
7. If an animal was abused, neglected, or used in a puppy mill or to fight, then by all means find it a new owner. Otherwise, please don’t make judgments about whether or not these animals deserve to be returned to their owners. Unless you have ever lived in a hurricane-prone area; have been poor, elderly or disabled; were forced to evacuate against your will and watched as a stranger in a uniform took away your pet; floated in debris-filled flood waters for 5 days with your dog; or any of the many other reasons why so many pets were left behind, don’t judge, condemn or play God. And don’t assume that because someone did not spay or neuter their pet that they are an un-fit pet owner. I won’t go off on a tangent here on understanding and appreciating cultural differences, but please do not assume that they loved their pets less than you love yours.
8. PLEASE stop re-naming these animals “Katrina” or “Hurricane.”
Hey Eric....couldn't lay hands on your email addy, but what do you know about this (crosspost from DRAR):
Robin Panagal from Paws Belle Chase, LA formed a temporary shelter during Katrina and has been sheltering animals since. Belle Chase Animal Control is going to 'give' her 300 more animals by the end of this month! She is looking immediately for shelter and I believe transport for these animals. If you can help, please call her at 251-948-7074.
The reason why I became familiar was that her listing was on an old HSUS rescue list.
This is her listing: 9358 temp shelter Unknown Belle Chase LA 9/6/2005 50 Cats & Dogs in makeshift shelter on private property - Need help. Dez Crawford 251-948-7074 (Robin Panagal's no...she goes back and forth, helps reunites animals) called lm with Robin's father...sounds like situation taken care of. 10-26---Robin called me, the pets are fine in her temp shelter---her dogs/cats okay-now will be given 300 more dogs/cats from Belle Chase Animal Control by end of month. Need to post her situation to nola.com---pass it around.
Let's hope that Pasado doesn't send the animals to some questionable place in their haste to cover their backsides. There's a lot of breeders and fighters out there masquerading as sanctuaries. Whatever good they did, they don't know how to screen these outfits, that's for sure.
I don't understand why people are still being so bitter towards Pasado's Safe Haven. Yes, a mistake was made but it seems to me that they owned up to it and are working to make things right. If I understand correctly, in the tradgedy of the hurricane they had two volunteers check out EDNAH. It is still unclear if 1) they were full time Pasado volunteers or people that just recently offered to help and didn't know any better or 2) if they were shown a different location than the one Tammy actually housed the dogs at.
Pasado does good work and they have saved many animals. I for one am glad they are around. Heck knows the Humane Society or the ASPCA don't have enough man power to take care of all animal issues brought to their attention. For this one unfortunate incident they have done hundreds of good deeds. This was an unintentional mistake. Give them a chance to make amends and let's move on.
Just want to begin this by saying I am in no way affiliated with Pasado.
The abover person mentions "leave this to the professionals". Who would this be and where were they? In a disaster situation like the hurricane, isn't any help better than none? From what I read there were very few groups helping to save and evacuate trapped pets. Heck, even our government wasn't concerned about saving the animals.
Pasado made a "battlefield decision". Under optimal conditions a more thourough check would have been done. I wasn't there, but I can only imagine that they made the best decision possible with the info available under a certain time constraint. Doesn't anyone see that? They trusted the references of city officials (which most people would). Why not start questioning those who supplied the info that Tammy's place was OK (like the LA state vet).
Being from the pacific northwest and EDNA being in Arkansas, Pasado did as much research as they good given the time and circumstances. Heck the humane society even sent animals to EDNAH trusting them.
I'm sure that Pasado learned from this and won't make the same mistake twice. If disaster struck again, would you turn away volunteers from Pasados?
hold on there, hoss. You don't mean the Humane Society of the United States, do you? You mean the Humane Society of Louisiana, less than twenty years old, never ran a shelter, well meaning but also limited in its knowledge and ability. They sent animals to Pasado, as did Mutt Shack and the WinnDixie gang ( I am guessing here). If I ran a rescue, I might let Pasado clean my cages, but I wouldn't let them screen groups for translocation. I agree with Ernest, but I'll go further and say that the ASPCA and HSUS are the ones that should be doing this stuff, not the nice intentioned people who run a no-kill shelter in the NW.
My name is Catherine B and I wrote to the plea for help with Buster, a Katrina survivor in Colorado. I wrote that post on petfinder and as I did not intend for it to be cross-posted I didn't include contact info, as some one pointed out. I certainly do not mind the cross posting as any aid in helping Buster is wonderful.
He is on day 8 of bite quarantine and no luck yet finding his family.
Why should he be given a second chance? I suppose I could say compassion? Human decency? The fact that he already survived the abject horror of New Orleans? Which, if you weren't there, if you didn't smell it, didn't scrub your own tongue to get the taste of the air out of your mouth, didn't feel the weight of devastation and terror pressing down on your chest, no words I write will ever help you understand.
So how about this: Buster is being sentenced to death because of a stupid mistake of the CARE shelter director. She approached a dog known to be scared and stressed; she wore sunglasses and briskly leaned over him to grab his mouth. A lot of dogs without the extreme circumstances of Buster would have reacted in just the same way.
Most shelters taking in the animals with behavior issues are waiting at least 2 weeks before doing any but the most basic health assessments.
This director didn't have the patience or the common sense to do likewise and now she wants this dog to pay with his life.
There are several articles on the situation at http://www.aspendailynews.com/
If you can help me find his owner or you can help get him transferred from this shelter, please email me at dagandkate@yahoo.com
"Being from the pacific northwest and EDNA being in Arkansas, Pasado did as much research as they good given the time and circumstances. Heck the humane society even sent animals to EDNAH trusting them.
I'm sure that Pasado learned from this and won't make the same mistake twice. If disaster struck again, would you turn away volunteers from Pasados?"
Amen!
I have and always will support Pasado, and would hope they would be on the forefront when the next disaster happens.
Could those of you speaking either in defense or in criticism of Pasado, specify whether you have met any of them personally or worked at their facility personally? I would think that would be a good thing to know when people read your opinions.
My direct experience with Pasado is very limited, but we did drop off two animals at their Raceland facility, as HSUS volunteers. They appeared to be very professional--the animals were immediately examined by two vets and they were obviously making an effort to keep the paperwork with the animals. Everything was clean, animals were being walked. I wondered at the time if everyone with Pasado had been told to be polite and smile and say thank you to the rescuers, because they all did.
I guess the Pasado problem is that they were not set up as long-term care, more as a MASH, and then animals were sent on. This country is full of people who don't give good care to animals--why be surprised that some of the Katrina animals ended up with some of those people?
It takes anywhere from five minutes to a a few hours to rescue an animal, but that animal is then looking at up to ten or 15 years of care involving daily feeding, cleaning, fresh water--up to 15 years of someone who is willing to put in the time to housebreak and train and pay for vet bills and good fencing. About the money--I brought back three dogs from Roicy because I couldn't figure out how to get Katrina dogs to foster. People back home had told me, "Oh, bring me a dog," but none of them said whether they would be willing to pay a few hundred dollars in vet bills for spaying, vaccinations, possible heartworm treatment--I would have brought back more dogs if people had coughed up the money ahead of time, but I was afraid I'd end up with all the bills and three was more than we could afford as it was. People seem to just brush off that little issue of money, but it's a big deal.
Maybe there is too much emphasis on rescue, while everyone acts like the long-term care, which takes longer and costs more than a rescue, will sort of take care of itself if we just pass the animals on to people who claim to want them.
There should have been as much emphasis on long-term care as on rescue. Why didn't the HSUS or SPCA, or Pasado, or Best Friends, or all of them together, commit to setting up a huge temp shelter, big enough to house every rescued animal for six months, giving time to check out future homes? And hire people to care for the animals. It sounds like the HSUS got a lot of money through Katrina donations--why didn't they set up something like this?
It gets done for people--look at those cruise ships.
My dealings w/ Pasado have always been remote...email/phone, but consistent throughout this crisis. I've never had any reason to think anything less of them than I do, and I have much respect.
(Not in response to you, but just in general.....) Mistakes were made, by a LOT of people. Bothers me that Pasado is in the crosshairs all the time. We praised them when they stepped up to hunt down the people responsible for the SBP masacre, and then, when the Tammy debacle came about, people go after them w/ razor sharp criticism.
"Why didn't the HSUS or SPCA, or Pasado, or Best Friends, or all of them together, commit to setting up a huge temp shelter, big enough to house every rescued animal for six months, giving time to check out future homes? "
I, of course, wonder the same things. Reality is, that it's probably because no one...NO ONE...was prepared to deal w/ a disaster of this scope. I just really REALLY hope that lessons get learned.
Again ~ to all you who have gone down to rescue, you are held in the highest esteem. The human spirit....the animal spirit, are amazing things.
"I'm sure they are good at taking in a few farm animals every now and then, but they should leave situations like this one to the professionals."
That's the same thinking of "Gee, I see an injured and trapped person in a burning car, but because I am not an EMT I better wait until they get here to do the rescue. I wouldn't want to screw it up."
You're right, no one thought about long term care because in an emergency situation it's let's save the animals first and deal with the long term care later. It's just that with Rita coming 2 weeks after Katrina there wasn't much time to plan further out.
If anyone from Pasado is reading this: God Bless! I'll support you until my last breath.
Eric,
The two people who Pasado's sent with Tammy were in their early twenties, with little or no experience. They had the "authority" to turn the truck around but were no match for Tammy.
I am a Pasado's volunteer and I witnessed the loading of the truck and several of us spoke up to Claudia and Mark about Tammy's manner and state of mind, but the interest was in getting the animals out of Raceland. With little more than lip service concern about their well being after they left, the dogs were forced onto the truck on Claudia's orders. And we all know what happened next.
I can be contacted at Sponte21@msn.com if anyone wants to take this to the media.
My respect for Pasado diminishes with every thing they post.. each one increasingly obnoxious and overly defensive. What's happening at EDNAH now? who knows! one reason there's kind of a dead silence now is that to every inquiry, Susan or Mark sends a response threatening to sue the sender if they post anything public. I've seen several of these in response to simple questions about what happened on Friday... which was apparently a major disasterf***up... No dogs left then; some may get out on Tuesday; I know that from a Pasado volunteer. And some reports describe dogs as STILL sitting in poop filled crates. It's also not clear now what will happen to any dogs other than those few they are sending to "Rhonda"... a rescuer no one has heard of (though one report described her facility as excellent with 10 staff people).
Can someone please tell me what is going on with the dogs at Tammys. It seems like a veil has dropped over any news. Thank you.
I know what's going on...and I don't see why it should be any big secret!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Re: "Project BArkansas" - Your Help Needed to Assist with Animal Cruelty Case
Date: October 28, 2005
From: Karen Brown, Program Director
It has been one disaster after another... Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma... and now a man-made disaster. United Animal Nations' EARS program has been asked to provide temporary emergency sheltering assistance with a large-scale animal cruelty case. Read more about the pending case here.
Nearly 400 dogs have been living in deplorable conditions in the mountains of Arkansas. Nearly half of the animals were rescued from Hurricane Katrina, only to land in this unfortunate situation.
EARS volunteers are needed to deploy beginning immediately to assist with the set-up of the temporary emergency shelter, trapping loose dogs, processing paperwork and providing care for the animals. Volunteer duties primarily will consist of typical dog care activities: walking, feeding, cleaning, washing, etc. UAN is working closely on this disaster response with other humane organizations including HSUS, ASPCA and AHA.
Volunteers are responsible for their own transportation to and from the deployment location. The closest airports are Fayetteville, Arkansas and Springfield, Missouri. Hotels, restaurants and stores are available in the area. Since this situation is newly developing, we're still working on further volunteer housing details.
Volunteers who have the following skills are particularly needed:
Animal Control Officers
Handyman/construction
Experienced sheltering
If you would like to join this initial team and can deploy immediately (this weekend or Monday), please sign up here and also call the UAN office right away at (916) 429-2457 ext. 307 and leave a message. We'll call you back with further deployment information.
If you can't respond immediately, but are interested in deploying to assist some time between now and the third week of November, please sign up here.
This is a desperate situation and EARS volunteers are in great demand! Please review your schedule closely and see if you can help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sidenote: You have to be an EARS volunteer. If we have not completed THEIR training, then we aren't good enough?
Sounds like most of the "major players" are in it again. Jockeying for good PR and soliciting donations. Wonder how long it will take before they start "bickering amongst themselves"?!
Hope that these poor dogs don't end up being "lost in the system" of seemingly never-ending lack of decent record keeping. Imagine how a returning soldier from Iraq would feel to come home to be told we know we have your pet, we just don't know where... So get in line with the victims of Katrina still desperatly searching for their beloved companions. Would be interesting to know how many of these "re"rescued dogs will ever be reunited with their families.
"one reason there's kind of a dead silence now is that to every inquiry, Susan or Mark sends a response threatening to sue the sender if they post anything public. I've seen several of these in response to simple questions about what happened on Friday."
I'd like to see those emails if you have them. My email is tester7372004@yahoo.com. I'm just trying to gather the facts.
Are we allowed to ask/know what happened on Friday?! How much worse can this situation get? Are there any other vets being allowed in to help the local one? Are the volunteers allowed to stay overnight to care for the animals? Sounds like there were cats on the property as well? Were they from Katrina or local? Is the press being allowed in? Is anyone willing to give some "general answers"?
Buster PF34312 ASAP.
Notice to Shelter Director Lesley Rockey
If you were lost, scared, confused and had gone through
what this dog has been through, you would be
biting, too. You would probably be in an institute, doped up on Prozac. This dog has fought for his right
to live, and should be rehabilitated and not even
atttempted to be adopted, nor especially euthanized
until December. That's the law.
You can't accept these dogs, and then decide you
don't want them for one reason or another.
Should the dog prove to be deemed unfit for adoption by a professional handler, in THREE MONTHS TIME,
this might be another story.
Speaking of story, this will be posted throughout the blog world, and will make it to the newspapers (as already in the Aspen Daily) to the detriment of your facility. Which will be a shame, for all those poor animals to suffer because of your haste.
Please, think this over, and save Buster's life.
Carla McDonald
Stevensville, MT 59870
"""one reason there's kind of a dead silence now is that to every inquiry, Susan or Mark sends a response threatening to sue the sender if they post anything public. I've seen several of these in response to simple questions about what happened on Friday."
I'd like to see those emails if you have them. My email is tester7372004@yahoo.com. I'm just trying to gather the facts.""
No you're not, you're trying to stir the pot. Howzabout you knock it off until the animals are taken care of, then, if you want to pursue a personal agenda, do so.
*I* personally find you and people like you a drain on the purpose and energy of these efforts.
"No you're not, you're trying to stir the pot."
Asking for evidence is not stirring the pot. If someone made an alligation that Pasado is trying to cover things up and threating legal action, I'd like to see it. So far I have yet to see this. Alligations without proof are just that -- alligations.
I don't understand why your post is so bitter. I didn't take a side in my post and I care just as much about the welfare of these animals as other posters here do.
There is some good news from EDNAH, 21 or 22 dogs were shipped to Alabama to a rescue site that was checked out and I have an email from Tammy Hawley w/HSUS that verifies it is an acceptable placement for those dogs.
Updates can be found many places, but these have some information that appears accurate, at least from what I've been told.
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/108053792.html
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/107979653.html
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/pet/
There is another 10-12 dogs hopefully being shipped out to Canada shortly, if they can get them transportated safely to Memphis. These are all Pasado dogs, BTW, I haven't been able to find out what is happening with the others.
That leaves about 20 Pasado dogs still without safe haven, plus the 400 other dogs.
This link has pictures of the entire "sanctuary" dogs, keeping in mind that some of the pits in cages have been shipped out. There are so many dogs there, it is mind boggling. Tammy Hanson will hopefully rot in hell for what she has done, mental illness or not.
http://community.webshots.com/user/hansendogs
WinnDixie and Humane LA already transported their dogs out Sunday night to Tylertown per the WinnDixie site.
more about Buster:
updated 11/13/05.
Buster is a tan/black German Shepherd with 2 dewclaws. (tan/black, but not much black) He was wearing an orange collar. His petfinder ID is PF34312.
http://disaster.petfinder.com/emergency/
rescue/reportDetail.cgi?id=34312
His story can be found at
http://forums.petfinder-network.com/
viewtopic.php?t=81701
&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
or try to click on
http://tinyurl.com/cukgb
Note there are at least 10 pages (so far) to Buster's story -- the link I gave you is page one, look near bottom of page and there is a place that says pages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 --- click on next for next page of story.
Dear EricsDogBlog.com,
I perused your post (The Truth Is We Do Know) with much interest as I was looking for ways to buy and sell highway construction project. Unfortunately your article was not exactly what I was looking for
highway construction project. But luckily there is a site I have found that allows you to buy and sell anything like highway construction project on interest free credit and you can pay for your highway construction project whenever you want. Here's the link one more time: highway construction project.
Looking for owner of White Male Pit Bull w/Brindle Patch on Right Eye. This is the link to his details on Petfinders. http://tinyurl.com/c5jlx
He was a Pasado's rescue but I do not know the area he came from, maybe Gentilly, just that it was New Orleans. He was in Raceland and then sent to EDNAH hell, but Pasado's took him to Washington and now he is fostered with us in Sacramento. He is now neutered! He looks like 100's of other white pit bulls with brindle eye patch. I hope someone recognizes this dog, he is very nice. If someone knows the owner, contact info through Petfinders posting.
I have just returned from EDNAH. I too have always been a Pasado supporter, until now. I totalyy understand they made a mistake with Tammy, we alll make mistakes. What I dont understand is the attitude Pasado had on site, They were only interested in removing their own animals, not helping with the 400 others, and being rude & standoffish to the other volunteers working their butts off. Very disapointing, and notice the whole situation has disappeared from their website.
The dogs at ednah or tammy hansons place have been released to the hsus to place in other shelters, no kill only, as of today ay approx 2pm, it will take effect in 7 days giving her lawyer that long to file a appeal to a higher court.
To all of you out there who have made posts running down the sheriff and other people who stepped up to help these poor animals out of the horrible conditions they were in,those who called early on and talked down to everyone whose numbers were posted on the internet and made threats and then hung up with no id, and without having any facts except the trash put out and never taken off by HEROS who had never been to ednah or even to Arkansas , i sincerly hope all of you rot in HELL, or maybe in a stinking fly infested shit and piss covered place like these animals had to endure. I cant imagine any Hell being worse for you halfwits. For the people who took on this burdon and worked to make that place livable till the courts could make a decision , no finer people walk this earth than those who would give their time and money to help critters who dont have much of a voice in this world.
Tammy Hanson has been convicted on 20 counts of animal cruelty, and arrested on 6 warrents from Ar. and 1 felony warrent from MO. this afternoon in Baxter County Ark, she was taken into custody by Sheriff John Montgomery of Baxter County Ar. and will be extradited to Mo..yippeee yippeeee! Please spread the word to anybody who cares about animals
good info.
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You have to understand that St. Bernad parish is run by people who are just not men enough to tell the truth. Thier own police and other politicians have already gotten away with obstructing justice and were never punished. The Sheriff, D.A., judges, and others were never taught to be honest. You can safely say they are corrupt and very poor excuses for men.
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