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American Humane’s Animal Emergency Services Program Manager, Dick Green is in Baton Rouge, LA. He has set up a temporary animal shelter to house rescued cats and dogs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Friends of Pets Coalition contacted Dick directly the week following the storm, and discovered his animal rescue boat had just been stolen and he was at a loss to continue his rescue efforts.
The Friends of Pets Coalition responded by procurring a 14' Mercury pontoon boat and motor. After exhausting research and networking, we were able to get the proper type of boat acquired and shipped to Dick in Louisiana.
With your help, we will be able to provide continued support in this important effort in the coming weeks and months.
Update from the field Sept. 8, 2005
American Humane’s Animal Emergency Services manager and many of our volunteers have moved through the night to the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales about 24 miles south of Baton Rouge. This expo center looks like an “RV convention” with campers, trailers, and mobile homes everywhere and rows and rows of horse stalls, each cooled by fans and holding dogs that had to be abandoned as their families fled New Orleans.
Here’s part of the latest field report from American Humane’s Animal Emergency Services program manager and responder Dick Green:
The two water rescue teams had another successful day rescuing animals in the New Orleans area. When you are doing water rescue operations that require breaking and entering, the amount of time to complete the mission increases significantly. In situations where animals are just plucked from roofs, etc. a good team can average 4-6 animals an hour but a difficult access may take an hour just to get in. You need to remember that in floods, your platform is your boat and that is not the most stable area to put a ladder. Couple that with never really knowing what you are going to find on the other side and you have all the ingredients for a scary rescue. | 
