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In the true spirit of compassion and caring, the SPCA of Texas felt an immense honor to be a part of the rescue efforts in southern Louisiana in the aftermath of the hurricanes. Many wonderful organizations were able to work together to help the animals who so desperately needed rescuing and care. And it has indeed required this great cooperation to take on this monumental task.
The SPCA of Texas staff and volunteers distinguished themselves by demonstrating a tremendous amount of dedication and support to ensure that the Hurricane Katrina animal “refugees” were well taken care of following this horrific disaster. Many of them trekked to the front lines in Louisiana, went without sleep, lived on little food, and discarded the comforts of home in lieu of a tent, a sleeping bag, and the comfort of knowing that they were making a difference every day on the “front lines” as well as at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA. And many of them stayed in North Texas to spend countless hours caring for and ensuring the health and safety of the animals once they arrived at the SPCA of Texas.
Thanks to these dedicated folks, thousands of animals were given the love and care they deserve and a chance to be reunited with their families. SPCA of Texas staff did everything from photographing lost pets for placement on www.spca.org and Petfinder.com in hopes that they would be reunited with their owners; to going house to house, feeding and rescuing countless animals stranded by the hurricane; to walking, feeding and giving love to the animals as they waited for either their previous families to claim them or to be placed up for adoption.
One reunion story in particular at the SPCA of Texas stands out. When Paul Gilbert was reunited with his beautiful Great Dane, Elsa, at the SPCA of Texas’s Collin County Animal Care Center, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight. Mr. Gilbert had been forced to leave Elsa behind when he was airlifted from his flooded home days after the hurricane struck. The two had been living in the upper floor, surviving on very little. Before he left, Mr. Gilbert left all the food he could for Elsa. Little did he know that a short while later, rescuers were able to get Elsa out and take her to safety. The biggest coincidence? Both Elsa and Mr. Gilbert ended up just miles from each other in North Texas. Through Petfinder.com, the Gilbert family found Elsa and drove just down the road to bring her home. This reunion wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of hundreds of caring, wonderful people who came together to make a difference, one animal at a time.
Yes, it has been a difficult road rescuing the thousands of animals left homeless by the hurricane. The devastation was massive and the animals’ needs great, but every single day, every person made a difference in so many pets’ lives. And every time we saw an animal reunited with their family, we all breathed a little sigh of relief, knowing that it is all worth every minute.
Maura Davies is the Communications Director at The SPCA of Texas, Dallas, Texas.
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