Operation ‘Safe Doggies’

Lydia Crochet Friday, September 16, 2016 Comments Off on Operation ‘Safe Doggies’
Operation ‘Safe Doggies’

THE ST. TAMMANY HUMANE SOCIETY TAKES IN DOGS FROM FLOODED NEIGHBORING SHELTERS

By: Lydia Crochet

On August 13, Dee Christina, of Mandeville, La., planned to spend the rainy Saturday at home with her husband and her dogs. But her plans were changed the instant she received an alarming text message from her friend and fellow dog lover, Gina Derouen, of Covington, La.

Rescuers approach the flooded shelter

Rescuers approach the flooded shelter

The text read, “Tangi Humane NEEDS US AND THEY NEED US NOW!” And Christina knew just what to do; she grabbed harnesses, leashes, water bowls, a bag of food, some kennels and a raft.

The two women, along with a host of other animal lovers, are rescue volunteers with the St. Tammany Parish Humane Society, one of Louisiana’s largest non-profit animal welfare organizations. It’s also a no-kill animal shelter. The group jumped right into rescue mode as they’ve done time and time again: ready to do whatever needs to be done to save animals.

The Tangi Humane Society (Tangipahoa Parish Humane Society), which is about 25 miles away from the St. Tammany Humane Society, posted on its Facebook page that the shelter was taking on water and the animals needed to be evacuated ASAP. The kennels were all about to be under water.

“I called the shelter, but there was no answer,” recalls Christina. “So we just did what Americans do … We went!”

Dogs loaded and ready for transport

Dogs loaded and ready for transport

On the way to Tangi Humane Society, Christina placed a call to the CEO of the St. Tammany Humane Society, Scott Bernier. “He didn’t answer, so I left him a message that sounded like it was straight out of the Smokey and the Bandit movie: ‘I’m westbound and down, loaded up and truckin’ to Tangi. I need to talk to you!’ I needed him to tell me how many fur babies we could take back with us.”

The road to the Tangi Humane Society was covered with water. The pair had to park their cars and walk towards the rescuers who were already there.

As they approached the shelter, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Horses were being rescued out of water that was up to their necks. Tangipahoa volunteers were treading through waist-deep water while holding dogs and cats up out of the water. “Our hearts hurt,” says Christina. “It was like a nightmare.”

Dogs were sitting on the sides of the road, shaking with tails tucked. Some were already loaded onto trailers. Derouen and Christina were moved to tears by the sight of all these people, working diligently and relentlessly to save the lives of these animals.

Gina Derouen

Gina Derouen

Derouen saw a familiar fellow rescuer who owned one of the trailers. “Can you drive these dogs to Covington?” He agreed, and the first load of rescued dogs were on their way to safety.

The horses were transported to a farm in Folsom and the cats were taken to a nearby cat rescue.

Bercier returned Christina’s call, and she described the scene to him. He said, “We’ll take them all, don’t leave any behind! I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

A van from the Humane Society of Louisiana transported the remaining dogs of the Tangipahoa shelter to Covington, where the St. Tammany Humane Society’s hard-working volunteers were ready to do their job. They worked around the clock to care for the animals.

“Upon arrival, the dogs were taken from the kennels and each was given a number and a thorough assessment. Then we began the initial vetting,” says Derouen. The dogs were also given baths.

img_6654 “We posted on the St. Tammany Humane Society Facebook page that we needed help saving all the dogs,” says Derouen. “And the community just flooded in, with big hearts, wanting to help. It was amazing to see and be a part of. I have never seen anything more beautiful. Cars just kept coming and coming with loads of donations. I can’t even describe the amount of love; it has no words. All I know is that I live in a wonderful community.”

The response from the community is what convinced the workers to help other shelters in need. So the St. Tammany Humane Society decided to take in more dogs: dogs from Vermillion Parish Rabies and Animal Control, Iberia Parish Animal Control and Lafayette Animal Control were all taken in, regardless of breed, medical condition or temperament.

“We took in almost 200 shelter dogs. Lots of those were on a kill list,” says Derouen. “We emptied other shelters so that they could clean up and help strays in their areas.”

Because of the lack of space, some of the dogs needed to be placed with foster families. Derouen was overwhelmed by the response, “We had help from large families, single parents, college students, teachers, and police officers — all wanting to foster any dog, no matter the size or breed.”

Christina agreed. “Our foster coordinators, Paula Alcorn and Dawn Valenzuela, received calls from people in the community wanting to help. People came to volunteer, but then they would leave with a foster baby. The community involvement has been amazing!”

img_6655 While the large amount of love each dog receives is free, unfortunately, the medical care is not. “We are blessed to have rescued them. But we pray for the funds to treat each baby,” says Christina. “Heartworm treatment is grueling on these babies, and costly on the provider. And while they are being treated, they can’t be adopted. Therefore, no funds for adoptions are received.”

Because the dogs must stay in kennels during the treatment period, the St. Tammany Humane Society has limited space for new intakes.

Derouen adds, “Over 85 percent of the dogs tested positive for heartworms, so about 140 of them will need heartworm treatments. We were able to give them shots and rabies vaccinations as soon as they got here. Now we need to spay and neuter the dogs. Since some of the rescues are placed in foster homes which already have pets of their own, they all need to be vetted. We have to keep them all safe.”

You Can Help

ADOPT: The dogs desperately need loving homes. If you would like to add a furry member to your family, consider adopting one of the St. Tammany Humane Society’s dogs.

VOLUNTEER: There’s plenty of work to be done: things like fostering, maintenance, dog walking and laundry are all done by volunteers.

DONATE: To help with the care of these animals, monetary donations can be made payable to the St. Tammany Humane Society and mailed to St. Tammany Parish Humane Society, c/o Scott Bernier, 20384 Harrison Avenue, Covington, LA 70433. Or donate online by visiting sthumane.org.

Call 985-892-7387 for more information.

Other organizations in need are the Tangi Humane Society (tangihumanesociety.com), the SPCA of Livingston Parish (livingstonspca.com), and the Denham Springs Animal Shelter (email:dsanimalshelter@msn.com).

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