Light a candle in remembrance of the beloved pets lost to the storm. STEALTH VOLUNTEERS Got Their Start with Katrina . . .
Do you have photos of animals from Katrina in local shelters, on transport or being cared for in any temporary shelters in the disaster area?
We are interested in seeing these photos because there are still people looking for their pets and they can not legally claim them after the next Katrina anniversary.
Send us the photo or the URL or check to see if any of the animals appear on pages linked here. .
I am particularly interested in any photos from plane transports, Pinellas shelter, Marin county shelter, PETA rescue or shelter, Noah's Wish or MuttShack. They all did good work and rescued a lot of animals. We are only trying here to get the animals all the way home. Thank you.
Did you lose your dog in Katrina? |
Do you have a Katrina cat or dog? |
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KATRINA PET RESCUE DOCUMENTARIES |
Donate to ARNO, Animal Rescue New Orleans They continue to feed and care for the many strays of New Orleans including the kittens and puppies born since Katrina. |
"There were sections of New Orleans that were very low income and wiped out when the levee broke. I think a lot of these rescue groups were making assumptions that these people weren't fit to care for these animals. And that's just wrong."
~Attorney Scott Hendler
"There is no such thing as a good-faith adoption when you have knowledge of the owner who can't be reached because he has no phone and his home is destroyed."
~Attorney Murray Silverstein"It's almost entirely a movement of animals from poor blacks to middle-class whites."
~Attorney Steven Wise
Here is the civil code governing our actions. Contact marilyn at marilynlitt . com for more information.
Louisiana's assistant attorney general Mimi Hunley has said that the state's missing animals are considered lost, not abandoned, property, and owners have three years to claim them under state law.
Read my guest column on Eric's Dog Blog!
July 11 Today Show featured Jay Johnson, a Katrina evacuee and two tour Iraq vet, who wants his microchipped, registered little dog returned. His house is gone and the SPCA of Texas (McKinney) will not return his beloved "Missy."
June 21, 2006: “New Orleans Judge Orders Return Of Iraq Veteran’s Katrina Dog” (Unfortunately the case has stalled for lack of an attorney. It is not too late! He has until Aug. 08 for a pro-bono attorney to step up.)
- Read our press release on the good work of attorneys, Sal Gutierrez, Mary Hand , and Steven Wise.
- A veteran back from Iraq fights again, this time for the return of his precious Missy.
(More below under the great state of TX)
FL Legal hotshot takes on fight for the dogs
- Humane Society of Pinellas negligently turned over Master Tank the St. Bernard to Bondi and Nila, a shepherd mix, to Rhonda Rineker of Dunedin, who won't return them.
Ceily Trog, manager of St. Bernard Parish Animal Control, also disputes that the dog was dying from heartworms or was near death when brought to the shelter. "If he had been as close to death as Ms. Bondi claims, he would never have been placed on a transport that would take (on a good day) over 10 hours to get to the destination."
“I’m not a rich man; I’m just a carpenter,” he said. “But this isn’t about money; it’s about getting the dogs back. I’ll get the money somehow.”
Contested pet adoptions rarely inspire action from a state attorney general's office. But in Louisiana, those cases are a priority.
The Pinellas Humane Society's former director signed a document agreeing to hold dogs rescued after Hurricane Katrina until Nov. 1 last year, society officials said Wednesday. Mr. Tank and Nila were "adopted" in October. - ed.
“Everyone knows the reason for the HS (Humane Society) of Pinellas County’s grandstanding,” . . . . “It is the donation dollars that rolled in off the backs of our residents’ suffering. The St. Bernard ‘rescued’ from St. Bernard Parish was the hottest property around. The whole of St. Bernard Parish had been wiped out; our residents lost everything and here there were several rescue groups fighting over Master Tank because they all knew how valuable he was to their bottom line. It was like the HS of Pinellas County won the lottery when they were the lucky ones to get Master Tank.” " . . .if the society really cared about the 4-year-old dogs which had been together since they were puppies, it would have kept them together “as rescue groups are required to do,” instead of separating them.
- Ceily Trog, Manager, St. Bernard Parish Animal ControlMad about Max or Pinellas Strikes Again
- ". . . , he found that the humane society was uncooperative, refusing to return phone calls or provide him with information about his dog. Then he found that Max had been adopted out to a new owner, despite the fact that he was microchipped and wearing St. Bernard Parish rabies tags.
According to Marino, he has spoken to Max’s new custodian, who has renamed him Joey, and she refused to return him, commenting that she fell “in love at first sight” and that the dog helped to fill a void inside of her." [--At LAST, an honest adopter! I don't think any of them believe their own high-minded blather about abuse. This is the real reason. The adopter is attached and does not want to return what is not theirs! Ed.]
IL Katrina Victim Wants Dog Back
- Salvati said original owners have prevailed in the cases he's read during his brief amount of research. Barry said it will be new territory for the courts.
- REPLEVIN In a motion to dismiss Marks’ civil lawsuit, the Humane Society says it no longer has possession of Goldie and argues it should not have to divulge who adopted the dog.
MD Carpetbagging is Expensive!
- IT IS FURTHER HEREBY ORDERED that you each shall be sanctioned in the sum of $1,000.00 per day for each day that you fail to comply with this order [to return Belinda Sumrall's animals]
- ‘It’s the great American tragedy,” said Kathryn Bloomfield, a Treeport, La., attorney who has helped several families find their pets. She represents Sumrall. ‘‘They’re stripping people of their family members.”
NC “They have absolutely no right to keep the dog,” Reppy, the Duke professor, said of post-Katrina owners. “You can’t lose your ownership in an emergency when the state of mind is so clear. It’s just preposterous.”
NJ Katrina Great Dane Going Back to the Bayou
- Ending a tug-of -war over the pet, Judge Rosemarie Williams ruled the black Great Dane would go back to Annabelle Arguello of Louisiana , the original owner who was separated from her pet in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina Family Finally Reunited - Plenty of Help Needed for Golden Retriever to Get to Columbus
- "Two deputies showed up, which is all it took to have Gideon turned over to Taylor, the Ventura County sheriff’s office said."
- Janet Taylor, a Palos Verdes, Calif., resident who works with Stealth Volunteers, remembers the convoy of 40 dogs from Louisiana that arrived on Oct. 7 in Los Angeles. Gideon was among them and was turned over to A Dog’s Life Rescue for care.
Meanwhile, Taylor made it her mission to find his owners.Dogfight escalates over Katrina pet"
Sheila Combs, a New Orleans woman who lost virtually everything she owned in the hurricane, said she wants nothing more than to have Rocket, her 10-year-old son's chow-Finnish spitz mix, returned home.
TX Attorney receives injunctions for return of Katrina animals.
- Nationally known animal rights attorney Steven Wise announced today that Army First Lieutenant Japeth Johnson and New Orleans resident Linda Charles have both received preliminary injunctions requiring the return of their dogs from humane societies in Texas . These injunctions will be reviewed at hearings next month.
- “The people that have the dog now are sympathetic to this individual,” Bias said. “She's even said if it were reversed and she was trying to get her dog back, they would go through that same process but she also feels like her dog is at home now and being cared for and loved and she would like that to continue.” [ --They are sympathetic?? I am ashamed they are Texans. ed.]
- "There's a spot on Army Lt. Jay Johnson's bed that is heavy with emptiness, he says, and it can only be filled with his beloved Missy."
Katrina Evacuees Fighting to Get Their Dog Back
- May 25, 2006: William and Catherine Taylor are fighting to re-unite their family. "They are my kids, that's all I got," Catherine Taylor said.
- June 16, 2006: A Central Texas family who adopted Precious agreed to give her back rather than fight for ownership in court. The Taylor family filed a lawsuit claiming the operator of an Austin rottweiler rescue group allowed the dog to be adopted rather than return it to its owners.
UT Best Friends is Taking Adopters to Court
``We've resolved about half of them with cooperation of all parties. We currently have five situations that are proceeding to court... to help pre-Katrina owners get their animals back.''
Read about the Culture War pitting insensitive adopters against bereft evacuees
"They think the dog would be better off with them because they're richer," said Kathleen P. Makowski, lawyer for Combs, a program manager at a nonprofit organization who lived in the Lakeview district of New Orleans.Stealth Volunteers in the NEWS
June 07, 2006: Meet Hurricane - A Rescued Dog Turned Rescuer & Angel in Training
"Thank you for your update on Hurricane and your kind words on June Trowler and our organization, Stealth Volunteers."
May 10, 2006: Canine Katrina Evacuee to be Returned to Owners
"He's a sweet boy," Greer said. "We are going to miss him, but if that were my dog, I'd want him back."
Feb. 22, 2006: Katrina Kitty Cupcake goes Home
Stealth Volunteers helped make the match on the rabies tags.
Feb. 02, 3006: Animal Wise Radio
"They are joined by Chris Biagi from Stealth Volunteers, an organization that has helped track down the displaced families."
Jan. 29, 2006: Jump(er) Into Mommy's Arms
"Wee started with a non-published number and no family name...but the tag did say "Jumper." Hours on the computer and dozens of calls to everyone in the State of Louisiana with the same last name (thank you Stealth volunteers), and we finally made the connection. There were perhaps a dozen Best Friends and Stealth volunteers who made this reunion possible. We dubbed ourselves "Jumper's aunties."
Jan. 25, 2006: Hounds Come Home
"Using partial addresses, name tags, a pet's name or a rabies tag, stealth volunteers use reverse address searches, neighborhood phone and address searches, net detective and Katrina evacuation messages boards to search for pet owners."
Dec. 06, 2005: Bill Sasser on Stealth
"Litt has developed a case management and audit system and oversees the efforts of more than 700 Stealth sleuths around the clock. Supported only by the determination of individual volunteers with no government oversight or big corporate budget, the group has perhaps the highest reunification rate among rescue organizations."
Our Friends
"Saul credits the hard work of 500 Stealth Volunteers for half of the reunions. These volunteers collect clues and then comb search engines and databases to try to track down owners."
"Thank you to all the dedicated Stealth and other wonderful volunteers from around the world that have helped our residents find their lost pets"
~Ceily Trogg, St. Bernard Parish Animal Control
US MAP OF PENDING CASES - See where you can help!
Pet law has been stagnant for the past hundred years. These animals were not abandoned. Decisions will have to be made taking that into consideration
and new pet law will be created in the light of this disaster. This is the chance for animals to be legally defined as more than property.LAWYERS WHO WILL WORK PRO BONO ARE NEEDED!
It is your chance to put your name on pathfinder cases that will be taught in law school
and at the same time reunite families with their only link to a lost life and a lost world. Contact marilyn @ marilynlitt . com for information on how to help.
State of Louisiana Civil Code
Art. 3419. Lost things
One who finds a corporeal movable that has been lost is bound to make a diligent effort to locate its owner or possessor and to return the thing to him.If a diligent effort is made and the owner is not found within three years, the finder acquires ownership.Acts 1982, No. 187, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1983.
Online Resources for Attorneys Researching Pet Law
Here are a few of the missing dogs and cats of Katrina that are being actively sought by their owners. They are the last link to a lost life . . . Can you look at them and not be moved? They are loved and mourned for dead. Could you withhold an animal from a family that has lost everything? Those adopters who are withholding what is not theirs to withhold, have missed a chance to set an example of decency and caring. Instead of teaching their children about what is right, they set an example of finders keepers and look out for yourself without regard to the feelings of others. My gratitude and thanks go out to those who nursed, fostered and restored the pets of Katrina. They truly did rescues. Their hearts are broken but they can hold their heads high. They belong on a Role of Honor. |
"You shall not see your kinsman's ox or sheep driven astray without showing concern about it;
see to it that it is returned to your kinsman.
If this kinsman does not live near you, or you do not know who he may be,
take it to your own place and keep it with you until he claims it;
then give it back to him."
Deuteronomy 22: 1-2
Light a candle in remembrance of the beloved pets lost to the storm.
We were helping find the owners of lost Katrina pets; but now we need pro bono lawyers
(in almost every state) to help get animals we have located returned!
It is not over until it is over. People are still searching for their family members a year later.
When would you give up? When do the animals give up?
HEY NOLA! Does this make you mad??
From a New Hampshire shelter director:
" . . . the sad fact of the matter is that the majority of the dogs that came out are better off up here"
To Our Great Sorrow, Stealth has Lost Two of Their Own
We will always Remember our Dear Friends Beth Petronis and Shannon Moore
Katrina Animal Rescue Books