Hurricane Katrina Survival: A dog's tale

Volume 5, Issue 4, April 2006

Hurricane Katrina Survival:
A dog's tale

Cajun.
Photo/K.Thomas, CCFP

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Kristin M. Thomas
Senior Writer
Capital City Free Press

Since that foul storm we call Hurricane Katrina graced us with its destructive powers eight months ago, so many stories, both good and bad, have been recalled through the venues of mass media--experiences that most of America could not fathom, our southern brothers and sisters have lived through and died of.

Controversy abounds regarding who screwed up and how bad it was and yet, most of America is too busy shooting off its mouth about things it knows nothing of--too busy to shut up and really listen to what is happening, and I mean really happening, regarding the victims of this storm and know that after eight months, even the most common sense organizational skills are out the window and infighting is rampant.

This is the story of one dog, and his tale of survival, despite the unhelpful exacerbation of a bad situation made worse by vigilantes, PETA, the ASPCA, and the network of "Humane" Societies throughout the country. Yet, it seems to be just one example in the hundreds of thousands of stories about how organizations charged with handling such tragedy failed miserably.

I call him Cajun. We don't know what his real name is, but since he had this wild personality and he is from New Orleans, I saw it a fitting name. Cajun is, I think, a Golden Retriever/Chow mix.

There was some lawlessness after the hurricane, but when the levees gave way, The Big Easy spiraled into complete chaos and by some accounts, still is. Cajun was supposedly picked up mere days after the hurricane. Very little is known about Cajun prior to his arrival at the Baton Rouge Humane Society. What is known is this: Cajun was picked up, somewhere in the city of New Orleans by a vigilante group, running through the streets of the Big Easy with a rabies pole. They were not affiliated with the ASPCA and once the ASPCA started to oversee the rescue effort, the people who rescued Cajun were asked to leave.

When Cajun arrived in Baton Rouge, he was placed in the "biters section" of the humane society, where he sat and rotted in a cage for three weeks. The reason he was placed in with the biters was because he growled at the rabies pole when these fine vigilantes were "rescuing" him. There was no reason given to me as to why he was kept, caged and surrounded by 1000+ barking dogs, for three weeks.

PETA was there. They sent a lawyer down to monitor those vets who were trying to make a difference. PETA did not send people who actually helped, just some legal swine who would stand over others' shoulders, just in case there was a lawsuit to benefit from.

Finally, Cajun was put on a plane and flown to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.. After processing, he was initially placed with a "foster" who was intimidated by him. Fosters are people who temporarily shelter and care for an animal until they can locate his family or be adopted. The program in Montgomery County did not ensure that fosters receiving a Katrina refugee had extensive experience with the care of an animal, much less one with the adequate knowledge of how to handle a traumatized animal who just went through utter hell. After two weeks, his original foster gave up on Cajun and called the Montgomery County Humane Society to find him another foster.

That is when Cajun came into my life. His paperwork states that he weighed over 50 lbs when he entered the shelter, but when I got him, he weighed half that. He had acquired heart worms, tape worms, the mange and was nothing but bones and fur when I picked him up. He was also severely depressed, food aggressive and had separation anxieties.

Eight months later, Cajun is heart worm and tapeworm free, he has received a clean bill of health from the vet, gained back most of his weight and has become a much happier dog. Most animals were not so lucky, and many perished not because of the hurricane, but because those in charge were inept and unorganized.

Currently, the national network of humane societies, as with the ASPCA have sunk into infighting and many of the animals who were rescued have since fallen through the cracks. There are no statistics on how many animals perished, and animals are still being "rescued" in the abandoned areas like New Orleans' lower 9th ward. When one looks at the story of this one dog, one can draw the parallels of his story and those of many humans. The only difference is that the animals can't rationalize the actions of our government as racist or based on class, just wholly inept.