Sheriff was rescued this week. He was found starving, wandering alone in the woods in Livingston parish.
When Louisiana’s Great Flood devastated our state just a few weeks ago, the Humane Society of Louisiana took immediate action. Since that time, we’ve been hard at work: evacuating, rescuing, and providing direct aid to more than 1000 animals through various hands-on programs. Countless thousands of animals have been and will continue to be helped through ongoing food and supply distribution programs.
Help is still urgently needed. Can you pitch in and help us finish the job for the animals who are still counting on us?
We’ve worked tirelessly, establishing a base of operations in hard-hit Livingston parish and subsequently opening a disaster relief animal shelter in Amite, which is still open and housing flood survivors.
We’ve been distributing donated pet food to struggling Livingston parish residents, coordinating incoming supplies and moving them to those in urgent need. Until the human shelters closed, we provided daily care and support at the side-by-side people/pet shelters in Livingston parish, assisting with animal care, feeding and more. Many of these animals were in need of vet care which their guardians – left homeless by the flood – were unable to provide. We transported animals to vets and provided free treatment for flood victims.
We know from experience that recovery from such a devastating disaster takes many months, even years. The initial emergency response may have ended, but the animals still need our help. Can you contribute to this worthy cause?
One serious problem is that Livingston parish offers very limited animal control services, leaving needy families pets with little local support, particularly should they need to foster or relinquish their animals. After disasters, animals are much more likely to be surrendered as families adjust to changing circumstances.
We want to help families keep and care for their pets, to aid animals in distress, to provide critically needed spay/neuter services in the area and more. There is so much work that needs to be done! With adequate funding, we’ll keep making a difference in every way we can.
Since the Livingston parish-mandated 45 date ‘hold’ period for lost pets has now expired, the Humane Society now faces another difficult task. Despite many happy reunions with families, more than 40 flood dogs now in our care remain homeless.
We’ll need to care for, transport, foster and adopt them.
As you know, even before the Flood, our TransPUPtation program assisted small shelters and rescues in the subsequently flooded areas. Under the best of circumstances, we help save the lives of shelter animals by transporting them to our no-kill adoption partners on the East Coast. The need for such rescue services in aid of small nonprofits will certainly increase as a result of Louisiana’s Great Flood.
We know the extraordinary heartbreak and hardship of being victimized by disaster. That’s why we’re committed to doing all we can to make a difference. Please help if you can.
The Humane Society of Louisiana, P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174
