Paw Prints December 2005

PAWPRINTS
THE MOBILE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
December 2005
Helping the four-legged victims of
Hurricane Katrina
by Greta Sharp
When Hurricane Katrina stuck the Gulf Coast in late August, homes were
destroyed and families were displaced. Many cities along the Mississippi coast will
take years to recover. Some never will. But amid all the devastation, members of
the Mobile SPCA reached out to a forgotten population affected by the storm: the
animals, unable to help themselves, left homeless and hungry by Hurricane Katrina.
"Without Lynn Chance's leadership, many animals would remain lost and hungry," said Mobile SPCA president Janine Woods. "Thanks to her initiative, we were
able to rescue, relocate and find homes for these pets."
The Mobile SPCA Tent City - a complex of cages, crates, tarps and tents set up
immediately after the storm to help house some of the over 300 animals the
Mobile SPCA helped after the storm.
Mobile SPCA Overwhelmed By
Contributions and the Kindness
of Friends and Strangers
by Peggy Taylor
The Mobile SPCA Waveland office.
Not long after the storm, Mobile SPCA Cruelty Investigator Lynn Chance and
her friend Lucy were enjoying lunch, and air conditioning, at a local Ruby Tuesday's
restaurant. As Chance was wearing her Mobile SPCA shirt and badge, she was
approached by a German newspaper correspondent, Friedemann Diederichs, who
had just returned from Waveland, Miss. The reporter had been in Waveland and told
the two women about the horrible situation there, including the fact that he had
picked up a few dogs and brought them to safety.
"I told Lucy, 'I'm just going to have to do something,'" Chance explained.
Thankfully, Lucy was able to stand in for Chance at work so she could head west
and take care of some business.
The Mobile SPCA was overwhelmed with contributions from people and organizations locally and across the nation who wanted to help the animal victims of
Hurricane Katrina. We used some of the supplies to set up our own “Tent City” shelter. Truckloads of supplies poured in to go out to help others in our region. Here
are just a few of the donations we have received:
• A generous monetary donation from Jean and Julien Marx
• Jon Key, along with Galatin Steel Company in Ghent, Kentucky, donated
$3,000, 90 cages, 500 lbs. of food, 100 stainless steel dog & cat bowls, 100
tarps & 13 cases of bleach. They also hired a driver and rented a truck to get the
supplies to us.
• Mark Bombardier with Options Plus in Fredieckton, Ohio donated over 30 outdoor kennels that we have set up in our Tent City. Robbie Roberts of R& L Carriers
shipped those cages for free.
• The National Dog Days Foundation in New York and its members have sent endless supplies such as tarps, fans, food bowls, kennels, pet food and money.
• Nancy Patterson and the Connecticut Humane Society have shipped over 10
tons of supplies including horse food, dog & cat food, leads and harnesses and
medical supplies.
• Garrett and Steph Williamson of Personal Edge Fitness set up a donation box at
their business. Their friends and clients donated tons of supplies and over $3,000.
continued on page 3
Biloxi Man
Reunited with
Cat at SPCA
by Susan Thomas
Akasha, a bob-tail 10
1/2 year old calico cat was
recently reunited with her
happy owner, Mike Leahy, at
the Mobile SPCA office following a journey that took her
from Biloxi, to Hattiesburg,
and finally to Mobile.
continued on page 4
Hard Drive Another Victim
Top left: The Waveland Historic Marker was all that was left standing in Waveland,
MS after Katrina struck. Above right: Our friend Judy English who rode out the
storm in a hotel near the interstate. She was on the second floor with her two
dogs in chest deep water. Above: The present Waveland Town Hall.
In the span of only a few hours, Chance had pulled together a small group consisting of Craig Hart, Jimmy Ford, David Eacker, Susan Wood and Jennifer Gomes.
Armed with a horse trailer and two other trucks with trailers, the small army in SPCA
continued on page 2
If you have not been receiving emails from us it’s because Janine’s hard drive was
another Katrina victim. We have not forgotten you we just lost your email address.
Please email janine@mobilespca.org to be added back to the list.
Christmas Parade
Please join us for the Christmas Parade, December 17. We will be walking our adoptable dogs and holding an adoption immediately after the parade. Please let us know
if you can come. Call 633-3531 or email janine@mobilespca.org.
In memory of
Carl Wood
Tommy and Janie Wray
a
In memory of our beloved
Simone
Don and Bobbee Fryer
a
In honor of
Kathy Kymbal
USA Radiologic Sciences
Class of 2005
a
In memory of
Joan Richardson’s
beloved dog
Bear
Grace Dixon
a
In memory of
Thelma Courson
Dan and Carolyn Cook
a
In memory of
Dolores Jones’s very special kitty
Fishy
Krisha Howell
a
In memory of
Roy Newell
Paul and Sandra Evans
a
In memory of
Fletcher Ladigohon Moses
and Jeffrey Paul Moses
The Moses Foundation
a
In memory of
Blair Walton
Mack, Dorsey
Norman, Harrison
and Nonie McInnis
a
In memory of
Lady
Beloved companion and friend of
Jack and Martha McDonald
Betsy and Gena Hopson
In memory of
Charles Barger
Father-in-law of Anja Barger
Murray and Dianne Cape
a
In memory of
Maria and Mary Kate Coleman’s
Feline family member
Baby C
Bill and Nora Gardner
a
In memory of
Reverend Farrell
In celebration of their wedding
anniversary
To help the Katrina pets
Mrs. R. M. Farrell
a
In memory of
Mr. Ernest Hall
The Cross Family and
All the Employees of
Gulf Coast Truck
& Equipmaent Co., Inc.
Memorials
In memory of
Mr. Ernest Hall
Nancy H. Seibt
a
In In memory of
Chris, Karrisa and Tamaris’
beloved dog
Spencer
Grace Dixon
a
In memory of
My dear friend’s dad
Mr. Trapp
Janine Woods
a
In memory of
Jewell Poole
A great lover of animals,
especially cats
Reverend and Mrs. Dennis L. Day
a
In memory of
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Ellis’ cat
Miss Kitty
Roger and Jan Bailey
a
In memory of
Mr. and Mrs. George Lucas’ dog
Nicki
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Ellis
a
Happy Birthday
Silke Platzer-Stroh
Mrs. Joerg Kemnade
Nancy Edwards
Makeda Nichols
a
In memory of
Angela and Layne Barrett’s
Winnie
Jahala Woods
a
In memory of
Dixie Kishbaugh
John and Angela O’Brien
a
In memory of
Becky and Tripp Wallace’s
Dearly loved, 17-year-old cat
Valentine
He was a great friend
and loving companion
Mother and Daddy
(Ann and William Taylor)
a
In memory of
My beautiful lab
Batman
Joel Stallings
a
In memory of
Lily Woolford’s beloved corgi
Sallie
And “That Cat:” Socks
Ruth Rindsberg
Our mission is the prevention of cruelty to and the relief of suffering of animals.
A great gift for dog-lovers, cat-lovers and bird-lovers!
This 40 page book is full of great recipes and helpful
animal care tips and it’s $5.00! And we have a few dog
bone shaped cookie cutters to make your gift complete. Call 633-3531 today or come by the Mobile
SPCA office Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am
to 3 pm.
OUR POLICY
If you would like to make a memorial or
honorarium, please send your gift in any amount, along
with who the gift is for, who to notify, and
any special wording to the Mobile SPCA. A letter
will go out within a week of our receipt of your request
and the memorial or honorarium will be
published in the following newsletter.
BEQUEST Please remember the Mobile SPCA in your estate planning.
A bequest is a lasting tribute to a lifetime of love and commitment to needy animals.
In memory of
Butch
Beautiful golden retriever
of John Nichols
Animal Care Center of Mobile
a
In memory of
Katie
Great, friendly bird of
T. J. and Kenny Jones
Animal Care Center of Mobile
a
In memory of
Kat
Wonderful cat of
Robert Rasch
Animal Care Center of Mobile
a
In memory of
Stephanie and Garrett
Williamson’s
Jiminey Jane
You will be missed
Animal Care Center of Mobile
a
In memory of
Mr. and Mrs. Glen Riley’s dog
Raven
Mrs. Mcleod Turner
a
In memory of
Mr. and Mrs. Herb McKee’s dog
Dixie Dunvegan
Mrs. Mcleod Turner
Great Christmas Gifts!
OUR MISSION
In fulfilling this mission it is the policy of the Mobile
SPCA to promote adoption of shelter and homeless
animals and to end the deaths of healthy and treatable
shelter animals by 2015; to provide humane care and
treatment for animals entrusted to us; to investigate
animal cruelty and neglect; to spay or neuter all animals we offer for adoption; to promote and to aid
financially spay/neuter in the community; to aid in rescuing animals in emergency situations; to assist in
special financial animal-related hardship cases; and to
offer educational programs for children and adults.
In memory of
Lulu
My sadly missed little cat
Ruth Rindsberg
a
In loving memory of
Victoria Childs’
Faithful golden retriever
Macy
Jennifer Barnes
Nicole Surian
a
In honor of the
60th birthday of our friend
Al Harris
Sugene and John Lawler
a
In honor of
Margaret Ann Dexter
Who recently had her
15th birthday
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Lee
a
In memory of
Donna Turner’s dog
Lucky
Janine Woods
a
In memory of
Stephanie Williamson’s
precious cat
Jiminey Jane
Janine Woods
a
In memory of
Kip Green
Dan and Carolyn Cook
a
In memory of
Betty Valco Shirley
Olathe L. Kuhnert
a
In memory of
John and Marcy Matherne’s
Beloved schnauzer
Skeezix
Animal Care Center of Mobile
a
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Wag Ab
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Reci
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Treats
Birds
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Our cookbook was compiled by Mobile SPCA volunteers
and sisters, Karen Green and Judy Hempstead. Most of
the recipes were baked and tested on their pets. Karen’s
dogs, Jake and Callie Green, were the two official taste
testers who truly enjoyed their work and contribution to the book.
All of the proceeds from this book will help fund the many programs and projects of
the Mobile SPCA. Thank you for your support of this and all of our fund raising efforts.
$5.00
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Mobile SPCA Memberships, Memorials or Honorariums
If you would like to give a gift that really makes an impact on the animals and fellow
animal lovers, give a Mobile SPCA membership, memorial or honorarium.
Memberships are just $15 for individuals and $20 for families. Or, make a donation in
any amount for a memorial or honorarium. We will send a letter to the recipient letting
them know of your kind gift. Please have your request in before December 17
and barring any postal disasters, we will notify them by December 25.
Mobile SPCA Gift Certificates
Do you know someone who would give a good home to one of our pets?
Give a gift certificate for the adoption fee. For more information call 633-3531.
continued from page 1
shirts left at 7 a.m. on Sept. 8, headed for Waveland.
They carried with them dog and cat food, cat litter,
crates, leashes and collars.
Just outside Waveland, they were stopped by
armed guards to explain their mission. After passing
through the checkpoint, the group headed to meet
Diederichs' contact, Judy English. As phone lines
were down, there was no way to contact English.
"The closer we got, the worse it got," said
Chance of the surroundings. "It's like standing in the
middle of a landfill. Every once in a while, you'll see
something you know, like a sink. It all ran together."
During the storm, English spent the night in a second floor motel room, near the interstate. In the worst
part of the flooding, she was chest deep in water, holding a rottweiler and a Shepard mix above the flood.
Chance and her group met up with English and
Brian Molline, near the spot where Brian's home used
to be. Brian now sleeps in a La-z-boy recliner he found
after the storm. His home is a blue tarp.
During Katrina, he and his pet Chihuahua floated
out the second story window of his home. English was
living in a U-Haul trailer, all she could find at the time,
with two dogs, sweltering in the late September heat.
When Chance's crew met with English, the group
split into two teams. That day, they found seven dogs
and five cats. After leaving dog and cat food, the
Mobile group headed home with the rescued animals.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, but I've got
to go back," Chance told her husband, Dennis. And
she loaded up on supplies and headed back to
Waveland with Dennis. They rendezvoused with Brian
at his location on Coleman Avenue.
All this time, Chance was handing out her SPCA
business cards, more than 1,000 in all, hoping to
make contacts with people who would bring her animals.
"I pulled out the card with my left hand and shook
with my right," she said.
Above: Lynn Chance, left, and Judy English at the
HSUS compound in Gulfport. Below: Lynn’s hotel
room in Waveland.
During the heat of the day, there was little luck in
finding pets, but a young man at Brian's knew where
two German Shepards were living in a debris pile.
With all the street signs down, it was necessary to go
with someone familiar with the area.
"A child leads us in and there are two big white
German Shepards, and they are not friendly at all,"
Chance said. "We got as close as we dared, and tried
to coax them out with treats." When that didn't work,
Chance pulled out a bowl of water and both dogs
came out and Chance and her crew were able to
crate the dogs. The whole event took two hours.
"Everywhere you went, people stopped me,"
Chance said. "I gave out dog food. Most wouldn't take
much. They didn't want others to do without. I told
them to take what they needed for themselves and
their neighbors. These people were down for the
count, and didn't have anything but spirit and love for
their neighbor."
At one intersection, a man behind her began
blowing his horn when he saw the SPCA logo on the
side of her truck. Three men got out and one asked
if she had seen two white German Shepards.
"When I told him I had rescued two, he went to his
knees, screaming," Chance said. "But I wanted him to
make sure they were his. Sure
enough, it's his dogs."
During Hurricane Katrina, the
man, his 84-year-old mother, and
the two dogs stayed in a house
three blocks off the beach. Driven
to the roof by rising floodwaters,
they clung there until the roof
broke in half.
After the storm, with his mother safely in a hospital, the man
returned to find his dogs. When
Chance showed the man where
the two animals were rescued, the location was only
three blocks from where his home used to stand. But
what the crew thought was
debris where the animals
took refuge was actually the
roof of the man's home.
"The dogs were staying
with what was left of his
house," Chance said. "They
stayed with what they
knew."
Homeless, the man was
unable to take his dogs and
was concerned that they
would be put up for adoption. Chance brought the
dogs back to Mobile to be
boarded by the Mobile SPCA with a local vet until the
man was ready to have the dogs again, promising
him they would be returned.
"That's all he has left in the world: his mom and
the two dogs," said Chance.
More than a month after the storm, in early
October, the man was reunited with his two furry
friends, with TV cameras recording the reunion.
"He was just hysterical to get his dogs back,"
explained Chance.
Chance rescued one animal whose owner has
not been seen since the storm. The dog was fostered
in Mobile, then adopted by the foster family, with the
understanding that if the owner returns, the dog will
go with the original owner.
On Sept. 12, Chance returned to Waveland
again, this time with plans to spend the night. She
Two Red Cross workers bringing Lynn a dog in
Waveland. They didn’t have a leash but they snagged
the dog and brought him to us!
planned to stay with English on a cot in the U-Haul
trailer and again went loaded with supplies.
Meanwhile, all the business cards she handed out
were working. The Red Cross brought her rescued
animals, as did the National Guard. Chance reunited
a cat and owner, providing them with a carrier and
food. She was also able to match a Blue Heeler with
its owner. The Humane Society requested that all res-
The Mobile SPCA truck and adoption van loading up
animals at the HSUS Hattiesburg compound. These
animals were cared for by the Mobile SPCA and IrbyOverton Vet Clinic until they could be reunited with
their owners or found new homes.
cued animals to be brought to a triage hospital, not
taken out of the area.
"Everyone knew I was staging on Coleman
Avenue where the Mayor's Office used to be," said
Chance.
She spent time helping another man look for his
cat, and when they turned up empty-handed, he gave
her a $100 bill. "We appreciate everything you're trying to do for us," she recounted what the man said. "I
never found the man's cat."
Another feline was luckier, though probably didn't
think so. One evening, when the cat crossed
Chance's campsite, she grabbed him up and stuffed
him in a cage. "He was a giant black cat and he was
mad," Chance laughed. "He flung water, food, and litter until all he had in the crate was mud."
All the pets from this trip were taken to the triage
hospital in Waveland, in total five cats and four dogs.
On Sept. 16, Chance traveled to Hattiesburg and
the Humane Society staging area there. With all the
dogs and cats in residence, room was running short.
Chance brought four dogs and 17 cats to Mobile,
where they were held for 30 days.
HSUS called the Mobile SPCA back. Animals were
suffering from the intense heat and could the Society
take more? Chance hit the road again, this time with
the air-conditioned Mobile SPCA adoption van. She
managed to fit 17 dogs and 17 cats in the van and
her truck.
Top and above: The Mobile SPCA truck and adoption
van unloading our second batch of animals from the
HSUS compound in Hattiesburg.
Meanwhile, Chance's business cards were putting her in contact with residents who were in shelters
hundreds of miles away.
"I got a phone call from a lady with a shelter in
north Mississippi," Chance said. "Her husband was
continued from page 1
Leahy decided to ride out Hurricane Katrina in his
Biloxi Back Bay home with his eight cats. His house
flooded, but was spared major damage. Following the
storm he went to his mother’s nearby home to make
repairs. When he returned to his own home, he found
the doors open. He initially feared the house had been
looted.
On closer inspection he found that Humane
Society volunteers had searched the house, thinking
that no one was staying there, and had found one of
the eight cats, Akasha. They had left a note explaining that the cat was being taken to a staging center
for rescued pets in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Leahy is not sure why the volunteers only took
Akasha, but he thinks that the other seven cats probably ran and hid from the strangers, leaving only
Akasha out in full view. Leahy traveled to Hattiesburg,
hoping to retrieve his cat, only to find that she had
already been relocated to Mobile. Akasha was one of
several cats coming into the Mobile SPCA from the
Mississippi area in the initial weeks after the storm.
On October 11th, after almost a month of separation, Leahy arrived in Mobile to claim his cat, after
making several telephone calls and describing her to
volunteers. A unique black spot on the side of
Akasha’s mouth helped him to identify her.
Leahy was pleased with the treatment Akasha
had received from the SPCA. “She looks fantastic; I
think she actually gained some weight,” he said, as
Akasha explored the SPCA office. He and Akasha
then left to return home to their seven housemates.
National Guard and
in Waveland. She
had people in her
shelter
from
Waveland and they
were
concerned
about their pets."
Lynn was able to
reunite two pets with
their owners. "Those
dogs were some
kind of glad to see those people and those people
were some kind of glad to see those dogs," she said.
Chance returned again in early November with
more supplies. Her friend Judy English is now living in
a trailer with no heat or water, but is at least provided
some protection from the swarming mosquitoes. And
chillier weather has brought a new problem: no winter
clothes. Mobile SPCA volunteers sent clothing along
with blankets, dog and cat food, and crates for any
animals she found.
"We've had lots of food donated," said Chance.
"I'm taking that. People out of California donated two
tents and with their permission, one is going to Judy
for her two dogs to keep the mosquitoes off. It's still
devastation down there."
Many animals are still living in destroyed homes.
Chance has left food for English and her friends to
feed them. "It's possible that people are coming
back," Chance said. "But the chance of finding the
owners after getting them in the system is slim."
In total, Chance and her crew rescued 77 of the
300+ Hurricane Katrina animals we handled. Chance
attributes her success to the sheer number of cards
she handed out, along with HSUS posting animal photos on its website.
"Lynn's courage and determination in the face of
this devastation was remarkable," said Woods. "She
is a true friend to the animals.
A Note From
The President
Your heartwarming generosity during the recent
series of hurricanes has enabled us to rescue and
care for hundreds of pets who might otherwise have
been lost or perished. We continue to work diligently
to reunite as many of these pets as possible with their
own families and find new homes for those who have
been displaced.
Because of the damage to our facility from the
storm, our volunteers were operating without the benefit of power or computers in the days following
Katrina. Although we tried very hard to compile accurate lists of contributors and volunteers, it became a
monumental task because of the tremendous number of people offering help. If somehow we have
failed to personally thank or recognize anyone, please
understand that it is only because our record-keeping
was so limited at the time, and the contributions were
pouring in at an amazing rate. We are truly grateful to
every single individual, family and business who sent
contributions and offers of help.
Thank you to all who have donated to this worthy
cause. We are grateful to you for helping us help
these animal victims of Katrina. You are special and
caring people and we thank each and every one of
you. We could not have done it without you and we
are very grateful for your support during the chaos
and now, as the need is still there.
Janine Woods
continued from page 1
• A monetary donation from Petfinder.com
• The Portuguese Waterdog Society, through the
Mobile Bay Kennel Club, has shipped 800 lbs of supplies with everything from puppy pads to shampoo to
pet toys.
• Lend A. Paw, along with the Palmyra Animal
Clinic, Colonial Park Animal Clinic and Silver Springs
Animal Clinic of Palmyra, Pennsylvania sent $750.
• Gina Binkley of Nashville, Tennessee donated
goats milk and tents.
• Traci Schumacher Bujolas of Scottsdale, Arizona
spent a week in Mobile after the hurricane and was at
the Mobile SPCA office every day, volunteering her
time, helping to do every job imaginable in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
• Mike Jeffcoat from Birmingham brought a trailer
load of pet food from Red Bay. He then spent a week
on site at the Mobile SPCA helping to get the shelter
set-up, doing manual labor, answering phones and
taking care of the first Katrina animals that arrived.
We tried to get him to stay with us forever but his wife
was not fond of the idea.
• In the immediate aftermath of the storm, (man
and wife- I don’t know their name) took daily trips to
Wal-Mart to pick up donated pet food and deliver it to
the Mobile SPCA.
• Semmes Middle School collected $388.00 from
students at Dollar Day for the Mobile SPCA.
• Nora Gardner bought over $300 worth of fans
and supplies for our tent city.
• Pinkies Puppies and Kelly’s Kitties were the first
to arrive with over 2,000 pounds of food, medical
supplies, towels, crates and cleaning supplies
• Safety Source donated 24 pairs of welding
gloves and disposable gloves to use when capturing
un-cooperative animals
• Supplies arrived from Southern Style Feed, B & B
Pet Stop and Farmers Feed in Semmes.
• Patsy McGirl and Renee Palmer of Camp Woof
Dog Daycare & Boarding in Decatur, GA send over
40,000 pounds of supplies
• Renee Hersy from Palm Springs, CA sent thousands of pounds of supplies, food, tents and medical
supplies
On the local level many old and new Mobile SPCA
members donated their time to help take care of the
animals on site and have also sent donations of
money and supplies. Our volunteers took weekly
truckloads of the donated supplies to Waveland, MS,
Bayou LaBatre, Saraland, Chickasaw and Jackson,
Alabama and some of the other areas hardest hit in
Mississippi. Various local church groups came by to
pick up pet supplies on their way to help people in
areas hardest hit by the storm. We continue to distribute supplies to South Mobile County and the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. If you know of someone who
still needs supplies, we have plenty and would be glad
to help. Have them call the Mobile SPCA office at
633-3531.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who
helped, if we failed to mention you in person, please
forgive our oversite. Everyday we remember another
kind person who helped us out in those exhausting
couple of months following the storm.
CHECK US OUT AT
SPCA and Volunteer Firefighter Team
Up to Help Animals
Maddie’s Pet Rescue Projects’ Pet
Palooza! Was a Great Success
by Susan Thomas
by Peggy Taylor
Michael Duncan routinely wears
many hats—mother of eight,
cancer survivor, volunteer fire
fighter, full-time waitress and
part-time bar tender—but since
Katrina she has taken on yet
another role, that of pet food distributor for needy families in the
south Mobile County area.
During the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, the SPCA has
supplied the Fowl River and
Alabama Port volunteer fire
houses with donated dog and
cat food for households affected by the storm. Michael helped with distribution first at the Alabama Port fire station, then at Saint Philip Neri Church, and now from a trailer in her own yard off
Laurendine Road.
Michael was very appreciative of the large supplies of pet food provided by the
SPCA. “People were as excited to get dog and cat food as they were tooth paste
and toilet paper,” she said.
Initially storm victims were hesitant to ask for food for their pets. “I know a lot
of people would have taken ‘people’ food and just shared it with their dogs before
they would have asked specifically for dog food,” she explained. But once they realized the pet food was available, they requested it. “We’re poor but we are proud,”
Michael said.
Michael was active in relief efforts after the storm, often manning the distribution center at Saint Philip. Despite having cancer surgery four weeks prior to
Katrina, she helped unload trucks of dog food and other pet supplies brought in by
the SPCA. An avid pet lover herself, Michael has three dogs, a Brittany spaniel, a
spaniel-rat terrier mix, and a long-haired, bob-tailed Chihuahua who “washed in” following last summer’s Hurricane Dennis.
Although the distribution center is now closed, Michael continues to look after
dogs and cats in her neighborhood whose owners were affected by the hurricane. Following the
storm the area saw an increase in stray dogs
which were apparently turned out to fend for
themselves while their owners evacuated, she
said. Luckily the numbers of strays are decreasing as the dogs are finding their way back home
to their owners.
Michael is grateful to the assistance provided
by the Mobile SPCA, describing the donations as
“fantastic” and much needed. “No one really
thought about getting pet food, she said, before
the Mobile SPCA arrived on the scene.”
Maddie’s Pet Rescue Projects’ Pet Palooza! was held on August 27th at the
Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds. This Super Adoption and Pet Fair was a wonderful
event for the whole family - especially the four-legged members! There was a real
sense of celebration in the air with people and their pets of all shapes and sizes
enjoying all that the pet fair had to offer. There were dozens of vendors of pet supplies and gifts, Maddie’s Bake Sale, Domino’s Pizza and photos with Maddie. Pet
microchipping and dog nail clipping were also available. Demonstrations were held
by several local dog trainers.
The Mobile SPCA along with the Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter and the
Animal Rescue Foundation had a huge selection of dogs and cats available for
adoption - all vet-checked with current shots, spayed or neutered and microchipped
- a large percentage of which found new homes!
Originally scheduled in July, Pet Palooza! was cancelled due to Hurricane
Dennis. It was rescheduled for August 27th which turned out to be 2 days before
Hurricane Katrina hit! However, due to the efforts of an army of volunteers and a
large turn-out of families and their pets this 1st Pet Palooza! was a great success
and we anticipate that this will be an annual event. See lots more pictures on
www.Maddie-Alabama.org.
Tippy Travels from Mobile to Wisconsin to Reunite with Owner
by Susan Thomas
Tippy, a Beagle who became separated from her owner in the Tillman’s
Corner Wal-Mart parking lot shortly before Hurricane Katrina hit the area, was
recently reunited with her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A combination of luck, the kindness of strangers, and the cooperation of two
humane organizations on opposite sides of the country culminated in Tippy’s successful rescue and relocation.
According to Stacy Juedes, Counseling Services Manager at the Milwaukee
County Humane Society, a man volunteering at a post-Katrina evacuee center operated by the American Red Cross asked the Humane Society for help in locating his
dog. At the time the Milwaukee County Humane Society was assisting the Red
Cross in housing pets belonging to the evacuees.
The man explained that he and his wife were traveling from Florida to escape
Katrina and were forced to spend the night in their car at the Tillman’s Corner WalMart immediately prior to Katrina making landfall. The couple tied Tippy’s leash to
their car’s outside mirror, leaving her to sleep next to the car. The next morning
Tippy and her leash were missing. Because of the rapidly approaching hurricane,
Tippy’s family had to continue on without her, eventually arriving in Wisconsin where
the owner’s family lived.
Wanting to help the distraught man locate his dog, Stacy then contacted the
Mobile SPCA. Volunteer Jan Bailey took the information about Tippy, noting that the
dog was probably dragging a leash when she became lost. Her next step was a
simple one: she searched the lost and found section of the Mobile Register.
Surprisingly, an item concerning a dog found around the time of the storm, dragging a leash, caught her attention.
Jan contacted the woman placing the ad, Balli Avinger, and found that she had
rescued Tippy from the Wal-Mart parking lot several weeks earlier. Jan then gave
Balli the number of Tippy’s owner, and soon preparations were underway for Tippy
to make the cross-country trip to Wisconsin.
The Mobile SPCA made arrangements for Tippy’s health clearance exam,
required for her flight. Airline expenses were covered by the Milwaukee County
Humane Society. According to Stacy, the Milwaukee group eagerly awaited Tippy’s
arrival and arranged to have the event covered by local media.
In discussing Tippy’s rescue, Stacy praised the efforts of Balli Avinger, with
whom she had talked frequently over the phone while finalizing the dog’s flight plan.
Stacy said that Balli had become quite attached to the dog, and had sent her on her
way with a new blanket—“because it gets cold up here!”—and a card to the owner.
Miracle Kitties
by Susan Thomas
An eight year-old orange tabby,
Nanner (short for Banana Moon Pie),
has the distinction of being twice
saved by the SPCA from perilous circumstances. Born in a dumpster
during Mardi Gras 1997, Nanner
was rescued by the Mobile SPCA
and placed for adoption with a local
couple, Bettie and Gil Champion. A
few years later Nanner moved to
New Orleans with the Champion’s Nanner was reunited with Grandmom Bettie
daughter, Carolyn Croom. Nanner Champion at the Gonzalez staging area for
rescued animals.
was soon joined by another feline
companion, Kayla, a long-haired tortoise kitten.
Shortly before Hurricane Katrina hit, Carolyn was visiting her parents in Mobile
and had left her cats under the care of a friend in New Orleans. The friends evacuated, but assured Carolyn her cats would be safe inside her house, where they
had been left plenty of food and water.
Bettie, Gil, and Carolyn were horrified as they watched the televised accounts
of mass flooding in New Orleans. “All we could think about was Carolyn’s house in
mid-city and the trapped cats. We did not know if her neighborhood had two feet
or twenty feet of water,” Bettie said.
A few days after the hurricane hit, Bettie contacted the Louisiana SPCA and
gave them permission to use whatever means necessary to enter Carolyn’s house
and rescue the cats. Two weeks passed while the family anxiously waited. “Many
tears were shed,” Bettie said. Finally, on September 18th they received word that
on the previous day SPCA volunteers had reached Carolyn’s house, but had found
a note posted on the door indicating that a day earlier the cats had been rescued
SPAY/NEUTER ASSISTANCE
The SPCA is ready and willing to help low income owners spay or
neuter their pets. If you need assistance or know of someone who
does, call the Mobile SPCA office for a spay/neuter application.
We’ll get back to you right away to make arrangements to have that
pet altered before puppy and kitten season! Help us keep the number of unwanted pets euthanized at the local shelters to a minimum.
Do your part by having your pet spayed or neutered.
Angel - $100.00
Patron - $75.00
Individual - $15.00
Family - $20.00
Send me information about monthly giving
MEMBERSHIP:
PLEASE:
Business - $50.00
and taken to the animal rescue staging area at Gonzales, Louisiana.
The following day Bettie and Gil left Mobile at 6:00 a.m. with a car load of cat
and dog food to drive to Gonzales where thousands of rescued dogs, cats and
other animals were being housed at the Lamar Dixon Horse Arena. “Words cannot
convey the despair I felt as we got out of the car and approached the check-in,”
Bettie said. “Think about the roar at a football game when your team scores—and
that is the volume of the sound; only it is not people cheering but dogs barking.”
Bettie was directed to Barn #5, which housed the cats in about 100 or so stalls,
with each stall crowded with approximately 10-12 cat cages, stacked one on top
of another. Whenever possible, cages were marked with the addresses of where
the rescued cats had been found. Bettie recalls the search: “Stall after stall—until
I was at the end of the cat area and so discouraged!”
Carrying a photograph of Nanner and assisted by two volunteers, Bettie’s
search ended at the last stall where she found the cat. “The volunteer who was
with me had to read the paper on his cage I was crying so hard,” she said. The
address confirmed that the frightened cat was indeed Nanner.
After finding Nanner, Bettie began her search all over again to locate Kayla.
Finding the long-haired “torti” proved more difficult; Bettie had not seen her in over
a year and did not have a photograph with her. Discouraged and depressed, Bettie
was about to end the search and return to Mobile when a volunteer pointed out a
small, long-haired cat in a corner cage. The address of the rescue location was
partially covered and Bettie had failed to read it during her earlier search. “I had
just not recognized this sad kitty as our beautiful Kayla,” Bettie explained. “All the
volunteers were as excited as I was. I had been searching up and down for two
hours and had met them all. They felt as if my victory was making their hard work
worthwhile.”
Bettie and Gil returned to Mobile and had the cats checked by their veterinarian that afternoon. Nanner was slightly dehydrated, but otherwise the cats were in
good condition. They are remaining with their “grandparents” until their New
Orleans home becomes habitable again.
Maddie’s Spay
Neuter Project
Get your pet spayed or
neutered today!
Cats - $10
Dogs - $20
with Medicaid Card
Call 633-3531 for info.
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Contribution.....................$ ——————
Spay/Neuter....................$ ——————
Name _________________________________________________________________________
Animal Rescue.................$ ——————
Address _______________________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________________ State _______ Zip _________
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TOTAL.................................$ ——————
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Mobile SPCA
Please charge my credit card $ ______________
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The Mobile Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
620 Zeigler Circle West
Mobile, Alabama 36608
620 Zeigler Circle West
Mobile, AL 36608
(251) 633-3531
email: spca@mobilespca.org
Non-Profit
Organization
U. S. Postage
PAID
Mobile, AL
Permit No. 1157
The Mobile SPCA is a
member of the
Maddie’s Pet Rescue Project
in Mobile County.
ADOPTION
LOCATIONS
CAT ADOPTIONS:
PETSMART
Pinebrook Shopping Center
3980 Airport Boulevard
Open 7 days a week • 343-2920
B&B PET STOP
5035 Cottage Hill Road
Open 7 days a week • 661-3474
MOBILE SPCA OFFICE
620 Zeigler Circle West
Tuesday-Saturday - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Please call 633-3531 to make
certain we have cats available.
DOG ADOPTIONS:
PETSMART – First and third Saturday
of each month depending on the number
of dogs we have. Please call 633-3531
for information.