By 8 a.m. it's already sweltering, and the humidity is brutal, at our pet rescue camp north of New Orleans. Our rescue teams have already left for the city, and the day's work here is already well under way.

Most of the rescued animals seem to be doing remarkably well, after the pure hell they’ve been through in the last few weeks.

Almost all of the dogs here are in fenced compounds where they can run and play together on the grass, or take a peaceful snooze in the shade.  We constantly keep their water bowls full – and we all constantly drink plenty of water in this heat.

The cats here are indoors, and thankfully, we’ve finally got the air conditioning running again in their temporary home – these rescued felines were really suffering in this heat.

There are lots of dedicated volunteers here, and everyone is really working hard:

New animal arrivals settle in at what we call ‘Ellis Island,’ a grassy area near the front of this extraordinary pet rescue compound in southern Mississippi.

Last night, 72 new rescued animals arrived, and some of them were truly traumatized, truly starving, and truly distraught.  But they are quickly treated for their injuries, fed and watered, and comforted.

Over at the emergency MASH center, we finally have extra fans blowing to keep the dogs and cats in special care cool.

The volunteer veterinarians and vet techs here are preparing for the day's special treatments and emergency surgeries. They're a wonderful team – all volunteers working out of the goodness of their hearts, as are all of the 50 plus volunteers here in this compound – there are no slackers in this group.

New dog compounds are being constantly erected – every day the number of dogs here continues to swell. And new storage areas for the supplies that have been pouring in – everything from dog food to sunscreen – are quickly being built.

They say the showers will also be done soon!

But despite the terrible heat and the immense exhaustion, and the lack of shower capability, the energy level here has remained extremely high. Much of that is due to the fact that there were several reunions here recently, and every reunion is joyously greeted by a loud peal on the cowbell, and loud exuberant cheers from everywhere and everyone.

These human/animal reunions are truly what we are here for – and we hope that there will be more and more every single day

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Tonight, the rescue teams will once again come back in – often it's not until 2 or 3 a.m. – and they will unload their precious cargo of new cats and dogs at Ellis Island, and the routine here will start once more.

By the time these new arrivals are cared for and put to bed, the Mississippi delta dawn will be rising once again.

And I, and several others, will soon be back to see it – once again.  It’s the least we can do – for these forlorn ‘left behind’ creatures.