Need Inspiration to Help Homeless Pets? Visit PAWS in New Orleans!

Gingerbread - She's just one of the many pets that PAWS is helping in New Orleans

November 18, 2009 -

Kim N. - PetSmart Charities

I’m a bit late with my blogging for this week, but with good reason.  I just returned from a wonderful trip to New Orleans, where I had the pleasure of working with the folks from the Travel Channel on a segment about the plight of homeless pets since Hurricane Katrina.  Travel Channel star (and animal lover) Samantha Brown herself was in NOLA to tape the show.  Amid all the amazing attractions she visited, she made time to include the story of pets who are still in need of so much assistance since that awful day in 2005 when Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.

Our focus was on the wonderful, lifesaving efforts of a little group called PAWS – Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society, located in Belle Chasse.  Small but mighty, this dedicated group of pet lovers works non-stop to find homes for dogs and cats who have none; provide low-cost spay and neuter services so that no more homeless puppies and kittens will be born; rescue pets from neglectful situations; and more.  Sue, Jacob, Trish and the entire team (many of whom are volunteers) are inspirational, to say the least.

We spent much of Saturday November 14 at the PetSmart store in Harvey, La., where PAWS had several wonderful pets up for adoption during our National Holiday Adoption Event.  Pets like “Charley,” a fun-and-happy, black Labrador-and-something mix whose tail never stopped wagging; and “Manny,” a tiny, super-feisty, extra-fuzzy kitten who has no clue he weighs little more than 2 pounds (or, for that matter, that he’s a kitten instead of a lion).  “Frito” is a silly-and-sweet rat terrier mix who longed to be held – and happily found his forever family during the adoption event.  “Gingerbread,” meanwhile, is one of the sweetest, most beautiful, and gentle dogs I’ve ever met (and I have met A LOT!).  She’s a demure little lady with doe eyes and a golden coat to match her heart.  She was still waiting for adoption when I left New Orleans on Sunday.  I’m hoping, by now, she is happily adjusting to life with a loving, new family.

The episode is expected to air in the spring or summer of 2010.  I hope you get a chance to see it and see, firsthand, how PetSmart Charities is working to save the lives of homeless pets in New Orleans.

And if you’re planning a vacation, consider New Orleans!  Four years after Katrina, the city is humming along again, but it still needs a boost.  And so do its animals – and the dedicated people who are working so hard to save and improve their lives.  Be sure to swing by the PAWS shelter in Belle Chasse.  They’ll welcome you warmly and appreciate anything you can do to help them continue saving homeless dogs and cats in New Orleans.

(To learn more about PAWS, go to http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/LA25.html.  To learn more about the many ways that PetSmart Charities is working to save the lives of homeless pets, visit www.petsmartcharities.org).