Get Hands-On Experience In Emergency Animal Rescue!

Your pets always rescue you (even if it’s just from a bad day!). Interested in learning how to return the favor? We will be hosting a three-day Technical Animal Rescue course in Smithtown, NY. The course will be taught by instructors from Rescue Tech International, an organization that is highly regarded in its rescue instruction classes. Allison Cardona, ASPCA Director of Disaster Response, is enthusiastic about this chance to help New Yorkers protect their pets: “The ASPCA is thrilled to be sponsoring this training in Long Island. Members of our Disaster Response Team will be in attendance, and we hope to see many more pet owners and pet lovers from the area enrolling in the course. It's so important to include pets in emergency preparedness plans.”

The one-day classroom portion of the Technical Animal Rescue course will be held at the Suffolk County Police Academy at 30 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank, NY. The other two days are field days! They will be at a location near the Academy. Course content covers:

• Animal handling equipment
• Rescue harnessing for animals and humans
• Animal handling and behavior
• Rescuing animals in water and low angle environments
• Rescue scenarios/problems
• Rescue philosophy
• Liability and personal/department mitigation
• Personal and team equipment
• Hazard assessment
• Management and preplanning
• Panic and behavior
• Communications


The course will be held on Friday, October 31, to Sunday, November 2. The registration fee is $80 per person. Class space is limited, so please contact Allison Cardona at allisonc@aspca.org or (212) 876-7700 ext. 4315 if you would like to attend.

Update From the ASPCA Disaster Response Team: $75K in Grants

We at the ASPCA have dispersed and pledged more than $75,000 in grant funding to organizations in Texas and Louisiana following Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, in addition to deploying a team of disaster response experts to assist both states. The grant funding covers recovery costs, as well as transportation assistance, distribution of food and supplies, and other needs.

“Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our supporters, the ASPCA is able to offer grants and emergency funds to assist organization affected by both Hurricanes Ike and Gustav,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “Over the years, these organizations have shown exceptional commitment and dedication the animals in their care, and we are happy to be able to provide assistance during their time of need.”

These two photos depict damages to Denham Springs Animal Shelter, LA, caused by Hurricane Gustav. This shelter is one of many to receive an emergency grant from the ASPCA to repair damaged kennels and once again provide a safe haven for Louisiana’s animals.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the ASPCA has already pledged more than $25,000 in pre-assessment grants to the following organizations:

• Animal Aid of Vermillion Parish, LA, for recovery and supplies
  
• Walter Ernst Foundation of the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, for equine hay drops in southwest Louisiana


• Habitat for Horses Inc. in Hitchcock, TX, for emergency hay after destruction of a new barn and sheds, and for 60 horses on site and another 300 in foster care across several states


• Hopeful Haven Equine Rescue Organization in Shreveport, LA, for assistance with removal of hoof stock from flooded areas in Vermillion Parish, as well as hay

The ASPCA is working closely with the Texas State Animal Resource Team (TXSART) and other credentialed animal care agencies to assist and provide resources. ASPCA disaster team members are stationed at the Area Command Center at the Texas Animal Health Commission in Austin, TX, and are currently providing assessments in Liberty County, just north of Galveston, one of the hardest-hit areas.

In addition to its current efforts following Hurricane Ike, the ASPCA distributed $50,000 to the following agencies following Hurricane Gustav, as well as deploying staffing and equipment, to assist animal welfare organizations on the ground. Agencies receiving emergency grants following Hurricane Gustav included:

• Wild Animal Orphanage, San Antonio, TXs, for transport assistance


• Louisiana SPCA, New Orleans, for food and supplies provided for shelter animals as well as pets of evacuees in the surrounding community


• Greater Birmingham Humane Society, Birmingham, AL, for reimbursement and assistance with gathering and transporting supplies


• Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Plaquemines Parish, LA, for crates and supplies to relocate animals and restock


• Animal Rescue New Orleans for recovery, and kennel and food distribution to lower parishes


• Humane Society of Louisiana, New Orleans, for assistance and assessments throughout Southeast Louisiana


• Denham Springs Animal Shelter, Denham Springs, LA, for recovery and kennel damage repair

For more details on the actions of the ASPCA Disaster Response team, check out our website’s pressroom.

Ike Update: ASPCA Disaster Response Team Travels To Texas

We have deployed a team of disaster response experts to assist Texas in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Our amazing team includes a veterinarian, veterinary technicians, disaster responders and sheltering professionals.

“We are working closely with the Texas State Animal Resource Team (TXSART) and other credentialed animal care agencies to assist and provide resources,” said Sandy Monterose, the ASPCA’s Senior Director of Community Outreach. “Early tomorrow, we expect our team to be assigned a specific task, which could be animal sheltering, field rescues or field assessments.” Members of the ASPCA disaster response team arrived at the Area Command Center at the Texas Animal Health Commission in Austin, Texas on Monday, September 15. An ASPCA disaster response trailer, being driven from Gulfport, Miss. by ASPCA disaster team staff, is expected to arrive in Beaumont, TX, an incident command center, on Wednesday.

“We are pleased to be able to lend our assistance again, both in terms of human resources and equipment, in relief efforts for Hurricane Ike, especially so closely on the heels of Hurricane Gustav,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “By using our resources strategically and making key connections at the local levels, the ASPCA’s Disaster Response team is able to effectively respond to shelters and animals in need.”

For more information, see our press release.

Heading Back Home

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Arthur Anglemier was forced to evacuate and leave his three cats, Debbie, China and Lipsy, behind. Though he left them with large amounts of water and food, he was beside himself for the several days he had to wait before returning home. Grateful that all three cats survived, Arthur says he'll never again evacuate without them—and thanks to new protocols that have been set in place since Hurricane Katrina, he didn't have to. When Gustav hit last week, Arthur and his cats were able to take cover from the storm together at the the Mega Shelter in Shreveport, LA.

Arthur, preparing his three kitties—Debbie, China and Lipsy—for transport from the Mega Shelter back home to Violet.

ASPCA Forensic Veterinary Assistant Felicia Early helps Smoky and his pet parent, Red, check out of the Mega Shelter. Red was grateful that she could evacuate with Smoky since her house was eventually destroyed in the hurricane. While checking out of the Mega Shelter, she thanked the ASPCA staff and said: "I'm not sure what I'm going home to, but I still have Smoky and I'm forever grateful for that."

Puppy Scooter and his owner, Greg Johnson, checking out of the Shreveport, LA, Mega Shelter and goin' back home to Lafayette.

 

Daisy, a four-year-old Jack Russell terrier mix, smiles for the camera before going home to Lafayette, LA! Since moving to Lafayette in 1991, Daisy's pet parents, Richard and Susan Phelps, have lived through countless hurricanes, including the devastating Katrina. They evacuated to the "Super-Pit" sports coliseum at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX, while their beloved Daisy was housed at the Mega Shelter in Shreveport. According to Richard, Daisy "loves to take walks, play ball in the hallway, and survive Hurricanes Rita and Gustav!"

Hurricane Gustav Rescue Diary Update

Safe from the Storm: Vinny the Pug and Allen!
When Hurricane Gustav hit, Allen Kimble and his celebri-dog, Vinny the Pug, were visiting New Orleans—one of many stops on their tour to raise $100,000 for pet rescue organizations—and they were among the many families to evacuate to Shreveport. “I wouldn’t have evacuated without Vinny,” says Allen. “The Shreveport shelters quite possibly saved both of our lives.”

We’d like to give a special shout-out to Vinny, who we know from the ASPCA Online Community, and wish him well on his quest to get into the Guiness Book of World Records. This talented four-legged dude has climbed more than 8,000 boulders—and he’s got the photos to prove it! For more on Vinny and Allen, you can visit their ASPCA Community page.

Keeping People and Pets Together: When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Ken and Michael Morgan were forced to evacuate and leave their dogs Pooh Bear and Prissy behind. Though thankfully both dogs were rescued, it was tough to find them again. The men searched for 40 days (yes, they counted!) before locating their dogs at a Texas shelter. Three years later, the scenario has changed for the better. During Hurricane Gustav, Ken and Michael evacuated with Pooh Bear and Prissy to the Mega Shelter in Shreveport, LA, where the ASPCA Disaster Response Team is working to assist the pets of evacuees. Since the animal and people shelters are located next to each other, Ken and Michael are able to visit their dogs several times a day. Both dogs are deaf, but respond to Ken and Michael's visual cues to sit, bark and lie down.

ASPCA Director of Disaster Response Allison Cardona processes the paperwork of pet parent Esteban Gil as he prepares to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Gustav. Esteban, along with his dogs, Pirita and Black, successfully evacuated to the Louisiana Mega Shelter prior to the storm. In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, Esteban was forced to part from a previous dog, who perished in the flooding.

New Orleans resident Deanne spends some quality time with her pup, Dutchess, inside the Mega Shelter in Shreveport. Evacuees and their pets are housed in separate shelters, but pet parents are able to visit their furkids.

Hurricane Gustav Update: ASPCA Helps Care for Evacuated Animals

In its first day of pre-storm assistance on the Gulf Coast, the ASPCA helped care for 38 evacuated animals from St. John Parish Animal Shelter in La Place, La., which is now closed until after Hurricane Gustav. The 24 dogs and 14 cats from St. John Parish Animal Shelter were taken to the Louisiana SPCA in New Orleans, where they will join animals there for transport to shelters in Texas. In addition, the ASPCA coordinated a transfer of animals from Acadia Parish, where 23 dogs and cats will likely soon be on their way to the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas.

Members of the ASPCA disaster response team are at the site of the Louisiana Mega Shelter in Shreveport, where more than 180 animals belonging to evacuees have arrived and are being cared for; homeless animals in shelters are being transferred to agencies outside of the areas at risk of the hurricane. One of the ASPCA’s disaster response trailers is also on site, and the ASPCA’s partner agency, the Saranac Technical Rescue Team, is en route.

Photos from the Louisiana Mega Shelter:

The ASPCA Disaster Response Trailer.

Checking in an evacuee's pet.

A Pug waiting out the storm at the Louisiana Mega Shelter.

Hurricane Gustav Update: ASPCA Disaster Response Team Arrives in Louisiana

Members of the ASPCA Disaster Response Team arrived at the site of the
Louisiana Mega Shelter in Shreveport, LA, on Friday, to assist the state of
Louisiana in pre- and post-storm evacuation and sheltering in anticipation
of Hurricane Gustav. One disaster response trailer, being driven by our
team members, arrived yesterday. We have also contacted our partner agency,
the Saranac Technical Rescue Team, to be on standby for post-storm
activity.

Our disaster response team of ten, which includes a veterinarian,
veterinary technicians, disaster responders and sheltering professionals,
were deployed at the request of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team
(LSART), which serves as the volunteer animal emergency response partner of
the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry under ESF-11. Other
agencies assisting LSART’s efforts include United Animal Nations, Code 3,
American Humane Association, the Humane Society of the United States,
International Fund for Animal Welfare, Best Friends Animal Society, Noah’s
Wish and numerous other humane and disaster response groups.

We have been hearing from many of you, expressing concern about the
companion animals who will be affected by the storm. Please check in at our
website at www.aspca.org/gustav for updates about the ASPCA Disaster Response
Team's activities and ways that the public can help.