(September 7, 2008) —By Charlotte Bass Lilly, executive director
ARNO needs your help. We need volunteers in Folsom (Elite Thoroughbred Farm) to help take care of the cats and also volunteers at Plauche St. to help with the dogs. Anyone in the Hammond/Folsom/ Ponchatoula area that maybe were Tangiapahoa volunteers? anyone who loves cats and can help us feed, clean kennels, pet and take care of the babies until they come home. We need people to come every day during the week. There is electricity and water there. Anyone who wants to is welcome to bunk there via sleeping bag with a comfortable plump of hay under them.
On the southshore we need dog help at our shelter at 271 Plauche St., in Jefferson/Harahan area. We have 27 dogs there and after Tuesday will have 19. Walking, kennel cleaning, socializing, all is needed every day this week and today. We have out of town volunteers but they are mostly leaving to go back to work in the land where hurricanes don’t exist. We have POWER back on Plauche Street, as of 1:05pm CST.
Our cats will stay in Folsom until Ike is long gone. Our dogs will be going to Folsom on Wednesday to get out of harm’s way. Please we need help. We lost our back kennels and tent, and our front tent and TNR area and outside iso area. We now have all the kennels set up in the warehouse. We were lent a small generator that keeps the fans running and some lights. Anyone who wants to come help make things better for the animals is welcome.
Please, if you can even spare an hour we need your help starting today. If you can help email [email protected] we have out of town ‘operators’ standing by to take your message. We need to schedule volunteers so we know we are covered every day. We only have a few local volunteers, as lots are MIA since Gustav.
Dogs/Cats Needing Rescue or Lost/Found
ARNO has a Stealth Volunteer keeping a database on all animals needing rescue, particularly in Jefferson and Orleans parish. She will pass the information to the appropriate rescue group or municipal authority.
Donations Are Needed Now
We will replace what we have lost at our New Orleans shelter, and will work on that once threat of all hurricanes are gone. But right now we could use donations to help us transport some of our dogs out by Continental, eight are scheduled to leave on Tuesday. Also we need extra funds for supplies, money to pay for gas for volunteers to get to and from both shelters, food for volunteers, and a steady influx of donations to keep us on top of our evacuation needs. We appreciate any donation, small or large.