Author |
Message |
Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 6:28 pm
There hasn't been much talk about Gulfport in the press, but it was really devastated by the hurricane.
|
Faerygdds
Member
08-29-2000
| Friday, September 16, 2005 - 7:16 am
Thanks Native... I thought it would be irresponsible of me to omit the warning, but I didn't want to scare people from helping either. Thank you for understanding, although I'm sad you understand it so personally... Big hugs!
|
Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Friday, September 16, 2005 - 7:31 pm
Heard on the news today they are looking for people to foster the horses that have been rescued, saying that the owners probably will never come to reclaim them! OMGosh!
|
Ddr
Member
08-19-2001
| Friday, September 16, 2005 - 8:42 pm
Do we have any members near Fort Smith Arkansas? A close friend of mine has a brother and family who have landed there. They have 6 young children and have lost everything in New Orleans, including his job. They are presently sleeping on air mattresses in an empty house with no furniture. We are trying to get support for them through emails to the churches and civic organizations there, but thought I would ask here as well. Maybe someone can supply info I could pass on to them. I have some household supplies and a tv I'll be mailing to them. Thanks for any information anyone can give.
|
Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 3:17 am
Sorry, I don't Ddr. How are things are your end? My church has decided to extend their meal service till the 25th, the need is so great. They are feeding about 250-300 a day. Thankfully, for our staff and volunteers, so many of the other area churches have started helping with the cooking. It's so amazing to watch. I haven't been able to go back since last Sunday cause of work. I miss my babies!
|
Moondance
Member
07-30-2000
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 7:19 am
I wish I still lived in Fayetteville, Ark so I would have some connections for you Ddr... so sorry. Cowboy and friend are on their way back... he called from Lubbuck Texas last night. They took another guy with them that will be paid by the ranch to stay there for a few weeks and work on structures. I kind of miss him
|
Babyruth
Member
07-19-2001
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 7:25 am
(((MsMoon))) 
|
Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 9:44 am
I have a business acquaintance in Fort Smith -- but I don't know him that well (just worked with him recently). What kind of support do you need?
|
Ddr
Member
08-19-2001
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 10:06 am
Yank, I sent you an email concerning my friend's brother. If you think your business associate could do anything, please feel free to forward it. Thanks!
|
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 2:43 pm
Is there a local newspaper in Fort Smith? Or other nearby big city? Maybe you could get the newspaper to do a feature article and get them some help. People will almost always help if they just know what to do.
|
Ddr
Member
08-19-2001
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 5:00 pm
Juju, my first cousin is on that. He did get in touch with the newspaper and he has been emailing back and forth with one of their reporters.
|
Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 11:01 pm
Great, Ddr. That will probably get them some help if the reporter can convince the editor to run a story. Okay, here is the name I was searching for. Suitsmefine lives in Arkansas, although last she posted, she was having some serious illnesses in her own family, so not sure if she is visiting here right now.
|
Moondance
Member
07-30-2000
| Sunday, September 18, 2005 - 1:29 pm
I am meeting Cowboy at the ranch at 3 whoohoo they are not far away now! There is a poster who lives in Arkansas... their name is Ark. They post in the BB threads.
|
Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Sunday, September 18, 2005 - 8:08 pm
I see my brother-in-law has turned on the power in the French Quarter. He's one of the heads of the storm center for Entergy in Jackson MS. My sister got to see him for about a day and a half last week.
|
Citruscitygal
Member
08-07-2003
| Monday, September 19, 2005 - 5:04 am
Moondance, Did you see the piece they did Sunday on Dateline about Best Friends and their rescue efforts (and numerous successes)? It was great to see how many animals they were able to save. Yay for having Cowboy home and all the good work they did.
|
Moondance
Member
07-30-2000
| Monday, September 19, 2005 - 6:15 am
Citris I missed it ... I am busy getting Cowboy ready for another trip, this is guard duty. I am so glad they got some press! They are amazing. I will be helping them now in October instead of September because of Cowboy's Mississippi trip I need to wait. I posted a link for Cowboy's trip that has his photo's in my folder for anyone that wants to take a peak.
|
Moondance
Member
07-30-2000
| Monday, September 19, 2005 - 2:32 pm
http://www.forpitssake.org/katrina.html
|
Grannyg
Member
05-28-2002
| Monday, September 19, 2005 - 2:38 pm
MsMoonie, that brought tears to my eyes. How very very sad.
|
Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, September 19, 2005 - 4:07 pm
The photographer probably didn't snap the picture, then abandon them. So maybe those pets were rescued.
|
Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - 7:28 am
The picture of the little dog sitting with his head up in the air and the truck behind him was not rescued when that picture was taken. That pic appeared in the Dallas Morning News and the response was so large that the photographer went back, found the dog and took it to a rescue shelter. BTW, that is not mud on the poor baby - it is oil.
|
Moondance
Member
07-30-2000
| Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - 9:23 am
Dear Members & Friends, By 9.00 a.m. it's already sweltering at the St Francis sanctuary outside of New Orleans, where Best Friends has its rescue center. The rescue teams have already left for the city. And at the sanctuary, the day's work is well under way. I was there for just a short time today, and the work everyone is doing at St. Francis is inspiring and heroic. A real privilege to meet them all. Best of all, the animals are doing really well. Almost all of the dogs are in spacious compounds where they can run around and play together on the grass or lie in the shade. The cats are moving into open rooms so that they, too, are out of cages. Lots of the volunteers who have been to Best Friends in Utah say that it's a kind of "Best Friends East" here. And really, there's that same, unmistakable atmosphere. Truly, for animals coming out of the hellish situation in New Orleans, it's a place of peace and serenity - though for the people working there, it's hard work pretty much round the clock. They are doing an amazing job. Some of the things that stood out on this brief trip: * New arrivals settling in at what we call Ellis Island, a nice grassy area near the front of this extraordinary tent city. Last night's newcomers include an injured pet pig and an emu who's a little stressed (so best not to get too close.) Mike from Best Friends cats is in charge of the Ellis Island arrivals, where it's mostly dogs. ("Just a change of scene for a cat person," he says.) * Over at the emergency MASH center, extra fans are blowing to keep the dogs cool who are in special care. One of them, Molly, is pretty exhausted and can only walk a few steps before wanting to sit back down. Looks like she has heartworm along with everything else she's been through. * The cat folks are celebrating the new porch that's been built so that kitties can run and play together. It's almost like going into Benton's House back at Best Friends! Volunteers socializing the kittens (lots of kittens), and comforting the adult cats who look a little bewildered by what's happened to them. Some of the cats are still in large carriers, but plans are for them all to be out in open areas soon. * The veterinarians are preparing for the day's special treatments, emergency surgeries, etc. They're a great team - all volunteer and working out of the goodness of their hearts, as are all of the 50 or more volunteers who are working alongside the Best Friends staff there. One of the vet teams comes from a Buddhist order in Sedona, Arizona. Pema Chaepel Mallu D.V.M. and Nydia Alexandre R.N. have been working night and day now for the last 10 days, Nydia acting as Dr. Pema's assistant and technician to provide emergency and critical care for the animals here. * New dog compounds are being put up - every day the numbers swell. And new storage areas for the huge supplies that have been coming in - everything from dog food to sunscreen. * Andrew, from Best Friends horses, is finishing off a set of shower stalls for people to use. "Another half hour and we're ready," he said with a look of triumph. * Much of the documentation of the animals is being done by Catherine Glover and "The Tampa Team", who are all DART trained. They have a lot of experience in emergency rescue work and have been a huge help in making sure we know who every animal is so we can help them reunite with their families wherever possible. * Despite the heat and the exhaustion, the energy level is high. Lots of smiles. Some of that is due to the fact that there were several reunions yesterday, and every reunion (26 so far) is greeted by a loud peal on the cowbell and cheers from all around. The folks here say that the reunions are one of the things that really make it worthwhile. * Tonight, the rescue teams will come back in - often it's not until 2 or 3 a.m. - and unload their trucks at Ellis Island again The people at the sanctuary will perhaps have been snoozing for a few hours before springing back to action, unloading the animals, rushing some of them into the emergency medical area, and getting the others settled. Then maybe a couple more hours of nap time. And then it's already tomorrow. Speaking of rescues, time is running out for animals still in the city. But we still look forward to more and more rescues - especially since many more people have now been finding their way into the city on their own, and simply putting out food and water until more help arrives. That, in itself, is a major blessing for animals who have been struggling to survive for just on three weeks now. I'm writing this aboard a plane, on my way to Washington DC to meet on Tuesday morning with a group of Congress people who make up the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Animals. They're asking some of the main rescue organizations to let them know about the rescue effort overall, particularly in terms of interactions with the federal government and how things could work better in any future emergencies. One other thing. If you missed the piece on NBC's Dateline on Sunday evening, it's up on our website at www.bestfriends.org. I may be biased, but I'd say it's the best thing that's been on TV for the animals in the past three weeks. Rob Stafford, the correspondent, and Olive Talley, the producer, went way beyond the call of duty in putting this piece together. To me, it captures the whole atmosphere of the animal rescue operation. Many thanks to them and all the Dateline crew who worked on this. I met Rob on Sunday evening when I arrived. He was carrying around a beagle-mix puppy whom he's taking home to Chicago as a foster. Of course, we want as many as possible of these lost dogs to be reunited with their families. But this little girl looked as though she'd truly found hers! As always, many thanks to all of you who are making all of this possible through your support and generosity. There's more news every day on the website at http://www.bestfriends.org. Thank you for being part of it all. Michael Mountain Best Friends Animal Society
|
Pepper
Member
09-02-2005
| Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - 9:40 am
Moondance, you are special and wonderful to spread the word like this. I am so grateful to you.
|
Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - 10:25 am
Thanks Moonie, for posting this. I've been meaning to make a donation to animal rescue for Katrina, and this made me stop and take that minute to finally do it!
|
Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 7:40 am
My sister and her family live in Pt. Arthur TX. My brother-in-law is still in Jackson MS cleaning up after Rita; my sister is here due to the birth of her granddaughter yesterday and the rest of their kids and grandkids are leaving today to try and get a little bit ahead of the rush from the coast because of of Rita. It was also very sad to see the evacuees at the Astrodome having to once again be uprooted. We all need to pray really really hard.
|
Faerygdds
Member
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 12:33 pm
Native... where are you all going to go? If you are heading North, then let me know... I'd love to see you again! For that matter... general question... is anyone evacuating to Dallas? If so, then we may be able to at least get together and have SOME fun while Mother Nature wreaks havoc!
|