When people think of the animals affected by the Gulf oil spill, they think about the turtles, birds and the fish. But there are other animals that without a drop of oil on them that are also directly affected. They are the dogs and cats of the cash-strapped fisherman who have been forced to surrender their pets to local animal shelters.Shelters all over Louisiana are seeing a huge increase in the number of pets that are being dropped off ever since the April 21st spill. At one shelter in lower St. Bernard Parish, where nearly every livelihood is connected to the gulf, saw an increase of more than 100 dogs this past month compared to last year.
I couldn’t imagine having to give up cat, Rags because I was unable to feed her. I couldn’t imagine being a parent and having to take my child’s best friend away cause you needed to feed the family first. So I called my next door neighbor, Emily and asked if she wanted to join me in raising monies to purchase food.
There are two fishing communities south of New Orleans, St. Bernard Parish on the east side of the Mississippi River and Plaquemines Parish on the west side. I called each SPCA and was thankful to learn that both were no-kill facilities. Both were near full capacity and would be thankful for the donation. They would also notify local families that food was available for pickup.
Through the generosity of friends and neighbors, Emily and I raised $1300 . Yesterday we took half of the funds and delivered 14 fifty pound bags of dog food and 20 twenty five pound bags of cat food to PAWS in Plaquemines Parish. We were greeted with huge smiles and thank yous!
In a few weeks we will deliver the same to the distribution center in St. Bernard Parish.
Many thanks to the following for assisting in making this happen:
To neighbors Tommy, Patricia, Randy , Dean, Joann and Skateboard Joey, Bill and Maxine Quick, Robert Jefferies Hair Salon, Dave and Joanie Tomchuck, Ralph and Debbie Jackson, Jerry and Linda Quick, and friends at the Touro Wellness Center.
In Rich Confusion
Become Artfully AWARE
Meschiya Lake, Great Jazz Voice
Local Jazz on Bourbon Street
