Locals rush south to save pets - by Amy Sacks, New York Daily News - Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc. - Working with the City of New York to promote dog and cat adoption and spay and neuter programs to make New York a no-kill city.

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Saturday, September 17, 2005

When Garo Alexanian realized thousands of animals were still trapped and displaced two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the New York City animal rescuer began planning his mission.

Early this week, the former television engineer drove to Gonzalez, La., with a boat, five volunteers and two carloads of supplies donated by the local community.

"I couldn't just stand by and watch the animals suffer," said Alexanian, 52, founder of Companion Animal Network, a nonprofit rescue group based in Forest Hills, Queens. He is just one of the hundreds of big-hearted New Yorkers who have gone south to help Katrina's four-legged victims.

"What people are going through in the Superdome are what the animals are still going through now," said Alexanian, who is working with the Louisiana SPCA to transport animals out of the Lamar-Dixon Equestrian Center in Gonzalez to available facilities around the country.

The fairground, a facility about the size of Belmont Raceway, is housing thousands of cats, dogs, and horses that are in desperate need of care, he said.

This week, Louisiana authorities scaled back rescue efforts for one day at the facility due to overcrowding. ASPCA national outreach coordinator Julie Morris said transporting animals out of the facility to make room for incoming animals is a "race against time."

The Katrina situation is dire, says Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. Pacelle said about 5,000 animals have been rescued so far, but there possibly could be another 30,000 cats and dogs that remain trapped inside homes.

"Many won't be found alive," Pacelle said. "Those animals were left behind because people were forced to evacuate without their pets."

A dramatic rescue this week included an emaciated dog — left without food or water for 14 days — who was airlifted off a roof by a kind-hearted National Guardsman. Pacelle said the gesture was a sign that authorities were finally willing to participate in the rescue.

The circumstance, however, has vividly illustrated the failure of a policy to deliberately exclude pets in a rescue operation. "There's no government safety net for animals. Animals are entirely dependent on the conscience of pet owners, individual responders and individual rescue groups," Pacelle said.

The Humane Society is calling on the federal government to actively assist with the rescue and relief efforts.

But, for now, it is up to the citizens.

On Wednesday, Manhattan restaurant owner Johnny Barounis returned from Mississippi with eight rescued cats, now up for adoption at the Animal Haven shelter in Flushing, Queens.

Barounis, who recently lost his own eight pets in a devastating house fire, is donating $1 of every draft beer purchased at his Fetch Bar & Grill on the upper East side, to the rescue effort.

Late Sunday, the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center of Huntington, L.I., which sent three of its people to the Gulf Coast to aid in the rescue effort, is expecting to welcome at least 20 animals, most of which will need volunteer foster homes.

Other local rescue groups have coordinated foster situations and have sent air-conditioned vans to bring back stranded animals.

On the Internet, ads for transportation to New Orleans abound on Craigslist; and local businesses, such as Housebroken, in Brooklyn's Prospect Heights, have sent truckloads of supplies.

Liz Keller, who works for the Mayor's Alliance for NYC Animals, said volunteers are desperately needed in Hattiesburg, Miss., where more than 1,000 animals remain on a 30-day hold, which allows them to possibly be reunited with their owner. In addition, she said, qualified animal handlers, vet techs, and volunteers are needed to walk dogs, clean cages, and feed animals.

"It's a 24-hour-a day job just to keep them clean," said Keller, who warns that conditions are primitive. Volunteers are encouraged to bring camping equipment and must be able to tolerate heat and rugged conditions. Everyone should be vaccinated for hepatitis B and tetanus.

Rescue groups are operating under authority of state agencies and Louisiana SPCA. Therefore, volunteers should not just show up, Keller said, but must register online through one of the main organizations, including the Humane Society, ASPCA, Noah's Wish, EARS, or Best Friend Animal Society. If you want to become a volunteer in the Katrina rescue effort, register at www.hsus.org, or go to www.petfinder.com for a list of authorized agencies. Also, contact Liz Keller through the Mayor's Alliance at www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

Several benefits will be held to aid the cause:

On Wednesday, the West Village Dog Owners Group will host a Katrina Relief benefit at Brass Monkey Bar at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $20.

On Sept. 28, the Rational Animal will host Animal Rescue NYC Celebration 2005 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Cutting Room, 19 W. 24th St., Manhattan.

Jane Hoffman, who heads the Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals, said the disaster serves as a cautionary tale for all New Yorkers with animals to prepare their own family/pet emergency plan.

Currently, in case of a disaster, New York evacuee shelters will not accept pets. With 5.5 million animals in a population of 8 million people, many of whom don't drive, Hoffman voices her concern by asking, "Where would we all go"?