Go Mom!

My Mom just spent a week volunteering for animal rescue with the US Humane Society in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She sent out an e-mail sharing her impressions of the trip, which I found really interesting, so I've posted it below. Sounds pretty amazing. Nice work, Mom!


Major Impressions

Amazing volunteers who traveled at their own expense by plane & by car, from as far away as Seattle and Massachusetts, Canada, Cayman Islands, Japanese people living in US. Worked 12-15 hours doing menial tasks, cleaning cages, walking dogs, horse stalls, etc. Vets and vet technicians, some who came with mobile operating vans.

Volunteers slept in RVs, tents they pitched, or like us in the large tents provided by FEMA, with the army and air National Guard personnel.

National Park Service and National Forest Service Personnel came from all over the US and provided security.

Volunteers, facility operation, and placement of the animals was coordinated by US Humane Society.

Where: fairground facility south of Hattiesburg (about 50 miles north of the coast) where at one time over one thousand dogs, cats, horses, a goat and a few pigs were housed.

Great facility where each dog has his own stall with concrete floor, water and food, bedding, toys and a fan. Cats were crated with several in a stall, each with its own litter box, food, water, bedding and toys.

Volunteers designated as "cat" people spent the day feeding, cleaning litter and playing with and soothing the cats.

Volunteers designated as "dog" people walked the dogs at 7am, feeding at 8am, then another walk. During the hot time of the day dogs were kept in stalls and volunteers cleaned the stalls, freshened water jugs, washed bowls and refurbished food supplies from the warehouse stalls. On hot days, dogs were hosed down with water during the day. Walked again starting at 4pm, fed at at 5pm, walked again at 6pm and again around 8-9pm before bedding down for the night.

Additional volunteers worked with supplies in the warehouse, pet transport, cleaning and organizing. Of course, volunteer vets and vet techs were everywhere when needed.

Runs were set up in the field with toys in order to give the active dogs playtime with the volunteers. Pit bulls may be active but they do no retrieve a Frisbee or ball! Most pit bulls have no concept of someone playing with them...

For many of these dogs, this is the best care and attention they have ever had!

There were some reunions with owners, though a small percentage of the total population, and tears always flowed from everyone involved...

So many dogs and cats with no tags, no collars and no names... names were "Good boy" and "Good girl"...

The concept of spaying and neutering in Southern Mississippi is non-existent.

My first experience with pit bulls was so positive...they can be so sweet and are very misunderstood.

Traumatized house cats that have to be caged tend to bite.

Most pit bulls in Mississippi have never been taken for a walk on a leash...they have no concept!

Maybe the next generation will view their pets more as "family members"...never thinking of leaving them behind in disasters...

Americans love to adopt "traumatized" animals who are glamorized in the media (i.e. Katrina hurricane pets)...but what of all the other adoptable animals sitting in the humane societies and shelters at this very moment?

There is an unusual and immediate bond between people with common values working towards a common goal...

MREs may be better for lunch than the daily dose of TWO "ham and cheese" sandwiches! Though hot prepared breakfasts and dinners were more than adequate...

Who would have thought that we would have huge tents with AC to sleep in - with an average temperature to sleep in of about 60 degrees! It made sleeping on cots bearable...did the Gonzalez, LA volunteers really have to sleep under semis?

The massive donations from pet suppliers and manufacturers of cages, carriers, food, toys, bowls and everything else imaginable that has to do with pets...some from large corporations like Wal-Mart and Petsmart, some from manufacturers, and some from communities who took up collections and volunteers who drove them down in trailers.

Waking up at 6:30 and even though the thought of more sleep seemed delightful, 90% of the volunteers were already up, dressing and heading for breakfast before the sun came up. Luxury of falling onto the cot by 10pm exhausted and sleeping soundly even if lights were still on and feet hung over the end of the cot...…

Humane Society was very diligent about where the animals were sent and how. Each animal was photographed and micro chipped before being sent out. One humane society came to pick up a load of dogs and after being loaded the Humane Society realized the trailer was not air conditioned and we had to remove the animals - no deal!


Mom, the only question that leaves me with is: were you a "dog" person or a "cat" person?

My money's on dog.