Marty
10-04-2005, 10:24 AM
Wilkes Barre, PA -- Lorraine Smith of Hanover Township spent several days in a makeshift animal shelter in Mississippi the past two weeks, cleaning and treating filthy animals that had been trapped in hurricane-ravaged areas.
Although she worked long hours and slept on a foam bed when she had a chance to rest, she wouldn’t change a thing about the experience.
“I could live here for the rest of my life and just do this,” Smith said Friday in a telephone interview from the shelter in Tylertown, Miss., where she and her husband, Pat, had been for 10 days. Lorraine planned on returning Sunday and Pat has decided to stay for an extra week.
The shelter has been created by the Humane Society of Louisiana inside a home, which is about a two-hour drive from New Orleans, Lorraine said. She said the shelter has about 400 animals. Most are dogs, but the volunteers have cared for cats, birds, turtles, chickens and roosters. Lorraine said animal control officers also have gone into vacated homes and have brought aquariums back to the shelter. The officers have left notes at the homes so when the residents return they’ll know where to go to get their animals back, said Lorraine, a former president of the SPCA of Luzerne County and current board member of the organization.
She said her job as a mental health counselor for Northeast Counseling Services prepared her for the task.
“There are still dead bodies and dead dogs all over New Orleans. Every day the animals that come in are sicker and sicker. It’s like a Third-World country here. It’s been a life-altering experience.”
Most of the dogs have heartworms and volunteer veterinarians have had to perform C-sections on some pregnant dogs, Smith said. She said one dog delivered a litter on the lap of a volunteer.
Smith said one man who volunteered was crying and shaking after seeing the horrible conditions some of the animals are in.
“It’s all worth it, we have no regrets,” Lorraine said.
She said the area is “dog fighting country” and people have tried to break into the shelter to steal dogs, presumably to force them into combat.
She said volunteers have come from all over the country and from as far away as Canada and Hawaii. She said one person canceled a cruise to stay at the shelter longer.
The volunteers are taking pictures of the animals and are posting the photos on petfinder. com, Smith said.
“Our goal here is to get these animals back to their families,” Lorraine said.
She said the shelter has relied on private donations to generate itself and has received no funding from the federal government.
A fund-raiser has been scheduled for Saturday at Village Pet Supplies off the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township. Half of the money raised will go to the Mississippi animal shelter and half will benefit local animals. The fund-raiser will begin at 9 a.m. with a flea market. There will also be a luncheon. For more information on the shelter, call (601) 876-2781.
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/12803794.htm
Although she worked long hours and slept on a foam bed when she had a chance to rest, she wouldn’t change a thing about the experience.
“I could live here for the rest of my life and just do this,” Smith said Friday in a telephone interview from the shelter in Tylertown, Miss., where she and her husband, Pat, had been for 10 days. Lorraine planned on returning Sunday and Pat has decided to stay for an extra week.
The shelter has been created by the Humane Society of Louisiana inside a home, which is about a two-hour drive from New Orleans, Lorraine said. She said the shelter has about 400 animals. Most are dogs, but the volunteers have cared for cats, birds, turtles, chickens and roosters. Lorraine said animal control officers also have gone into vacated homes and have brought aquariums back to the shelter. The officers have left notes at the homes so when the residents return they’ll know where to go to get their animals back, said Lorraine, a former president of the SPCA of Luzerne County and current board member of the organization.
She said her job as a mental health counselor for Northeast Counseling Services prepared her for the task.
“There are still dead bodies and dead dogs all over New Orleans. Every day the animals that come in are sicker and sicker. It’s like a Third-World country here. It’s been a life-altering experience.”
Most of the dogs have heartworms and volunteer veterinarians have had to perform C-sections on some pregnant dogs, Smith said. She said one dog delivered a litter on the lap of a volunteer.
Smith said one man who volunteered was crying and shaking after seeing the horrible conditions some of the animals are in.
“It’s all worth it, we have no regrets,” Lorraine said.
She said the area is “dog fighting country” and people have tried to break into the shelter to steal dogs, presumably to force them into combat.
She said volunteers have come from all over the country and from as far away as Canada and Hawaii. She said one person canceled a cruise to stay at the shelter longer.
The volunteers are taking pictures of the animals and are posting the photos on petfinder. com, Smith said.
“Our goal here is to get these animals back to their families,” Lorraine said.
She said the shelter has relied on private donations to generate itself and has received no funding from the federal government.
A fund-raiser has been scheduled for Saturday at Village Pet Supplies off the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township. Half of the money raised will go to the Mississippi animal shelter and half will benefit local animals. The fund-raiser will begin at 9 a.m. with a flea market. There will also be a luncheon. For more information on the shelter, call (601) 876-2781.
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/12803794.htm