A million e-mails have been sent back and forth, and it looks like there are enough people here in Utah available to foster. So, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, along with a program of theirs here in Utah, the No More Homeless Pets Coalition, have set up a transport to bring 100-200 animals here to Utah.

Once here they will be given veterinary care and then put into foster homes. Twice a year we have what's called the Super Adoptions, where most of the rescue groups hold a HUGE adoption event together, and across the State. I believe all PEtsMART's hold these in their stores as well across the Nation. It is more than likely that all of the healthy/adoptable animals will find new, loving, forever homes here in Utah.

They are hoping to leave from Utah this Tuesday afternoon, and be back on Sunday with all the animals. If you are from Utah and can volunteer time or supplies for when they get back, please contact Sharron with No More Homeless Pets at sharron@utahpets.org. They will also need A LOT of volunteers for the Super Adoptions that are being held in a couple weeks.

Here is a blurb about the Super Adoption:

Designed to find homes for 500+ pets each, the two three-day-long Super Adoptions are held every May and September. Occasionally, smaller Super Adoptions are held in other cities as well. Dozens of rescue groups and shelters participate in the Super Adoptions, bringing more than 1,000 adoptable dogs and cats to each event.

Don't miss the next Super Adoption:

Location: PETsMART (389 W. 1830 S., SLC)
Date: September 16th-18th, 2005
Times: Friday 2pm-7pm, Saturday, 10am to 7pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm

Questions? E-mail us at info@utahpets.org or call 1-866-UTAHPETS

Monetary donations and pet supplies are greatly needed at this time. If you can donated anything at all, please go to www.bestfriends.org and use their link to make a donation. All the proceeds will go towards the rescue of the animals, their veterinary care, boarding if needed, and adoption needs.

Myself along with one of my volunteers will probably be driving one of the vans down to New Orleans this week, so please keep your fingers crossed that things go as smoothly as they can. Pray for all the animals and their famillies that have already lost so much.

God Bless,
Barbi
Utah Lab Rescue

Here is the link to Best Friends about the rescue operation taking place:

http://www.utahpets.org/hurricanekatrina.html

This is so wonderful! How awesome that you are taking part in such an awesome venture.

That is so awesome that you are doing this! = ) :hug: :hug: :hug: to you and everyone else involved. Sending lots of good thoughts your way for a safe trip!

I have an ex-step-father that is an anchorman/reporter for our Channel 4 News here. Definitely going to use that resource and get this rescue operation on the news, and getting people donating and helping out. I am hoping we might be able to get donations for the people and animals down there and just take it with us, and then we could be doing more than just picking animals up. It would be great to be able to give something to those hungry families down there. I feel so helpless, so I've been up trying to think of what we can do since we are going down there anyways.

The power of the media seems to be great, so hopefully it is in the case once again! Thanks for the good wishes!

Barbi

Barbi - just wanted to tell you good luck with the adoptions and transport. That's so awesome that so many animals will be able to come to Utah. Thank you for all your hard work and effort. You're awesome - but you already know that I think that. :D Who is your ex-stepfather?

Okay, I'm for sure going with them. But, they are still needing cargo vans to use/rent and a few more volunteers, preferrably male as nearly all volunteers right now are female. I think they need a little more strength, and protection. You never know what could happen, and it might be a little safer if we weren't all girls! :)

If you are in Utah and know of someone that has a cargo van that would let them use it, or rent it, please contact Sharron at sharron@utahpets.org or me at utahlabrescue@hotmail.com . If you are a male that would be able to travel and volunteer down there, please use the same contacts.

Thanks!

Good luck!!

What an awesome thing you are doing. Best of luck to you.

My ex-step-father is Buddy BlankenFeld with our Channel 4 News. He's now an anchorman, and a reporter, so I will call him if they need extra exposure. They told me they have their own contacts, but extra media is always good to get more help/volunteers! :)

I wanted to say that this is an amazing story. Best of luck and wishing a safe travel for all humans and animals involved.

:) BARBI, YOU ROCK!!!!!!!
Martha

Another Linda&Susan/LOLIN Success-
Sable-Rescued 8/27/05
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/MarthaPatterson/SableatTheBrandywine2.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/MarthaPatterson/ReadytogotobedAug28th019.jpg

Let me know if you are going to be coming thru Denver on your way down to LA. I have things to donate and I am sure I could round up more... otherwise it will be going to my coworker's church for their effort.

You are awesome!

UPDATE!

Looks like they were able to have truck drivers donate their space, and they flew volunteers down to ride the animals back here to Utah. So now they have set up a transport for us to leave on Thursday or Friday to San Antonio, Texas, and rescue pets that have been taken to the Humane Society there.

That's good too! The poor refugees who have had to leave their animals. Hopefully this will give some comfort in knowing their pets were saved and can be cared for and adopted out.

Best Friends Animal Society: bfnetwork@bestfriends.org
Important News Brief: September 9, 2005 : 1:14 PM ET
From Paul Berry: Concerning New Orleans
We had two teams out on boats on Thursday. Troy Snow has written about his crew in an earlier posting. Ours was similar, so I’ll keep this brief. Our team was me and Dr. Debbie Rykoff DVM. Also aboard and helping out was a crew from the Salt Lake Tribune. Leah Hogsten took photos for the Trib and gave these to us.
(Thanks, Leah.)
The thing I want to say is simply that there are thousands upon thousands of animals stuck out here, on car roofs, on porches, cats on roofs of houses. We saw no other animal rescue orgs anywhere. I know they’re all doing good work on the peripheries … but, oh man … you see and hear these fluff pieces on TV of people being reunited with their pets, and you look around out here on the boats at this vast, endless wasteland of toxic water and animals hanging on, 11 days after the hurricane, and their time is running out.
What on earth is going on? Why is no one out here to help them? We’re just on two boats. We heard about a veterinarian who is on another boat. We need a whole freaking navy! This is the story that’s not being told. Animals clinging to life, and dead human bodies lying and floating all around.
Please call your local media and tell them to get on to this. We just got a call from German TV – ZDF, and they’re trying to hook up with us for today’s marathon on the water.
The only other boat we saw yesterday was an airboat from Fish & Game. They were scouting the ground behind. Rumors are they’re beginning to shoot the animals today. I believe these stories are now true. That’s what’s going to be happening. IMMEDIATE ATTENTION: WE NEED ALL THE OTHER ANIMAL RESCUE ORGS TO BUY/BORROW BOATS AND FOCUS ON THIS. These animals only have days at most, and are clinging to life. They are the forgotten ones. We can only manage about 10 at a time. They’re emaciated, starved, dehydrated. It’s literally “water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Dr. Debbie revives them in the boat as they start to lose consciousness and gives them fluids. All those we took yesterday have survived.
Keep us in your prayers, Paul.

Call Gov Blanco's office (I-866-310-7617) and ask them to get the National Guard to start rescuing the animals. I also warned that shooting the animals is unacceptable will not go over well with Americans. The receptionist agreed with me. The receptionist taking my call said she was getting "a lot of requests" to rescue the animals so maybe we can finally get some action. Keep working on this everyone. We can make this happen if we all pull together!!
Keep up the calls since they refuse to give out the governor’s e-mail address.!!!
The governor’s web site: http://www.gov.state.la.us/govemail.asp

Hey all!!! We're back! :) I'll post pics as soon as I can, too!

The trip down there was pretty good, but coming back was sort of tough. Driving straight through for 30 hours ended up being pretty grueling. BUT, the animals are all doing well, are in foster homes, and are getting ready for the big Super Adoption this weekend in Salt Lake City. www.utahpets.org

We had 5 cargo vans go down, and once there one of the vans continued on to New Orleans were they were going to take 50 cats from a shelter down there. I haven't heard what's happened on that yet, just know that they left. We were able to bring back 30 dogs and 20 cats with us back to Utah. It really helped clear a LOT of space with the San Antonio HS.

And, what a facility that is!!! If every shelter/humane society had the funding to build a facility like that, I don't think we would really have homeless animals anymore! But, they did get millions donated to build it. :)

There are still groups here from Utah that will be heading out directly to Louisianna and Mississippi, and I want to go with one of those. We got in last night, and I slept from 7pm to 10am this morning!!! LOL Boy, was I tired! But, it was so worth it, and hopefully we were able to help make a difference. Once I'm rested back up, I will go on another trip, but down to MS or LA.

On our way there we stopped in a small town in AZ to get gas. There was a gentlemen who pulled up and was gasing up and he had a gorgeous dark yellow Lab sitting right up front with him. Everywhere the man went, that Lab did not take his eyes off of him. The man saw our vans and asked what we were doing, so we told him about our trip ahead. He had tears in his eyes and told us he was from Louisianna and had lost everything, including his two other Labs. He was devastated, tired, and emotionally drained. We were all so sad for him, and were crying. I walked up to his car and asked him if he or his Lab needed anything at all, and he said they were okay. They were travelling to Tucsan to his daughters. He said his Lab was still in shock from what had happened, and panics anytime he leaves him for a second. I can not even begin to imagine the pain and fear all the humans and animals have been through, and are still going through. He thanked us for what were doing, and said "please go and help the animals. They have been forgotten, there are so many. Please help them." He hugged and kissed his Lab when he left, and we all just cried again.

What animal lovers understand is what the rest of the people need to understand - these pets are like family to their owners. So many people have said how they have lost everything, but the worse thing is losing their pets. They say they can rebuild, move on, and buy new clothes and personal belongings, but they can't buy their lost pets back. They are so hurt by this, and refer to it as though they have lost their human children - so many of us can understand. I hope that helping to save these animals gives these families hope and some relief in knowing that even if they weren't able to keep/save their pets, someone else may be able to, and that their beloved pets will be able to live on and not be completely lost.

God Bless you all,
Barbi, Brock and Peykos
(who by the way were soooo happy to see their Mama!!!) :)

Barbi ~


That is so great what you guys are doing! I wish I could have gone with you. I am so disappointed that the media hasn't paid more attention to the animal rescue efforts.

Keep up the good work! We are proud of you and so thankful that you are helping to save more of our furbabies!

:tissue: You are a fantastic lady. :hug:

Barbi,god bless you for what you are doing to help save these wonderful furry babies. You are an angel in their eyes.

Thanks everyone! I just got word yesterday that Best Friends is planning on a few more trips, I believe to New Orleans, MS, and TX again they think. Things are still up in the air, and they are trying to figure out when and how they will get people down there, but the trip to TX was a very big success, and I believe so many of the furbabies from TX has already gotten adopted during this weekends Super Adoption! YAY!!!!!!! I am so happy, so hopefully they can plan a trip again. I would definitely like to go on another one with them. I am still trying to figure out if I can get down to New Orleans this coming week or not too. Wish us and everyone else out down there luck - I hear they need that and the manpower badly!!!!

Thanks!!!
Barbi

You are an angel for what you are doing. If you need anyone to foster let me know.