I recently received this story from a friend on the Gulf Coast, and it truly touched my heart.  Even though Hurricane Katrina is now long gone, and most of we rescuers are now long gone,  many left behind animals are still attempting to somehow survive down there; and a few compassionate human beings still so valiantly attempt to assist them.

And this is only one story, of far too many.

“I heard about a mother dog hanging around an abandoned grocery store in New Orleans East on Tuesday.  I went to check on her immediately after work that day.

She was just sitting in front of the store, obviously nursing.  I couldn't believe it.  The grocery store is on Hayne.  I brought her wet food every day, to gain her trust.

On Wednesday, I searched the outside of the building for the puppies, but I did not find them.  Every time the mother would get scared, she would run across Hayne to cross the levee to reach Lake Pontchartrain.

Saturday morning when I went to feed her, the national guard was sitting in front of the building.  I explained that I wanted to go inside looking for the puppies and rescue the mother.  They said I had permission, and would stay outside in case I needed assistance.

On the side of the building, I found a break in the outer wall. I'm sure it was used to loot the building after Katrina. I managed to squeeze between the studs in the wall to go inside.  I was very amazed to find SEVEN puppies inside the building. 

The mother had them on insulation for warmth, so the puppies were completely covered in insulation.  They were curled up next to a dead chicken.  I assume the mother brought her puppies some food.

The grocery store had flooded during Katrina, and it has also burnt at some point after Katrina.  There was no roof in parts of the store.  The building smelled moldy and burned.  The shelves were empty where the store has been raided since being abandoned.

I put the puppies in a large plastic dog kennel up against the dog trap in order to bait the mother into the dog trap.  The mother barked at the dog kennel for an hour but would not go in.

The national guard told me that when they first pulled up in the parking lot the mother was eating food out of a McDonald's bag.  I rushed to the McDonald's.  I put a chicken sandwich and double cheeseburger in the dog trap.

I went back five minutes later to add the rest of my fries I didn't eat, and the mother was in the trap.  She must have a thing for McDonald's.

The mother and seven puppies are now safe in my house.  They are so cute.  There are five boys and two girls. The puppies are four-five weeks old. The mother is so gentle with her babies. She doesn't budge when the puppies crawl all over her.

If you look at the photos, you can see the mother's ribs.  She is nothing but bones.  The mother is very skiddish. She has obviously been very abused.  She is slowly warming up to me.

I greatly appreciate any and all donations, no matter how small.  If anyone has any other dog food besides Pedigree, I can always use it. I give food donations to residents of New Orleans East that cannot afford dog food, and I also feed strays & feral dog packs.

The puppies will be up for adoption at 8 weeks, if anyone is interested.  This will be in roughly 3 weeks.  It will be much longer for the mother to be rehabilitated, but she will be up for adoption also.” 

Thanks,

Alissa 

You can view photos of the mom & pups at: http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/johnsa1/Vincent and Hayne 2008/

Alissa's contact info:  alissacjohnson.gmail.com

I sent Alissa some dog food, and if I had any more room around here, I’d adopt one of those pups myself – they are gorgeous.

Thank God for compassionate folks like Alissa, who still care.  We need many more like her, in this sad old world of ours today. 

Please spay and neuter your own pets, so they never have to go through something like this, and so they don't contribute to the ever growing pet overpopulation problem in America.

And very sadly, a new type of 'left behind' pet is now overburdening our animal shelters.  Human beings losing their homes to foreclosure these days, are now leaving their own pets behind in droves.

Please Adopt; Don't Buy, Your Next Pet.