October 2005 NOLA Volunteer Trip Journal Click here to view photos with captions. Next I have safely returned from Louisiana after spending a week volunteering at a shelter for animals rescued from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I, along with my friend Keith, worked with Pasado’s Safe Haven, an amazing animal rescue group based in Seattle, Washington. When the horror stories began to surface of all the animals that were left behind to, the founders of Pasado’s decided they needed to do something to help. In 48 hours they mobilized a group of 15 people who flew from the Pacific Northwest to New Orleans. They immediately set to work combing the streets of New Orleans rescuing as many animals as they could find roaming the streets, still tied to porches or trapped in homes. Some of the original 15 still haven’t returned to their homes! All the animals they rescued were brought back to a triage center they set up on a private ranch in Raceland, Louisiana (about 50 miles southwest of New Orleans) owned by Louis St. Martin, a local attorney with a history of remarkable benevolence. If you are ever injured in an off-shore oil rigging accident, hire this guy. Whether he expected it or not, for six weeks and counting he has opened his beautiful ranch up to dozens of strangers, not to mention over 1,200 dogs, cats, cows, birds (of all kinds), snakes and a bunny rabbit. We volunteered at the Pasado’s shelter from October 6th to 11th. They had stopped general rescues (intake) the day before we arrived —not because there weren’t animals that needed rescuing, but because it was too dangerous since the city had reopened. Many residents have returned and some are armed. But with hundreds of animals still at the shelter and the number of volunteers dwindling, there was more than enough work to be done. It was tiring and the hours were long (we put in 12-14 hours, at least, every day) but it was the most rewarding labor we have ever done. Standard tasks for volunteers involved walking dogs (more on that later), picking up poop, cleaning crates, washing bowls, feeding, filling out paperwork on the dogs’ charts and by the time all this was done it was time to start over again. One afternoon we vaccinated each and every animal with a distemper combo and rabies shot. For a portion of these dogs, it was their first time getting proper veterinary care. As if all of that weren't enough, additional chores I would throw myself into included administering medicine, assisting with veterinary procedures and folding load after load after load of freshly cleaned bedding for the animals' crates. Occasionally I would slow down for a reward: bottle feeding a new born kitten, teaching a puppy new tricks, watching a newborn calf take his first wobbly steps…or, my favorite, a simple quiet moment with a dog sitting at dusk watching the sunset and the thousands of dragonflies that floated around us. Next A three week old kitten found with three siblings at just one week old. Their mother was too frightened to be rescued, so we bottle fed her babies.