The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) announced today that it will continue to accept new requests for reunion assistance to its help line for families separated from their pets due to Hurricane Katrina until November 23. To aid in the reunions of as many pets and families as possible, The HSUS will continue working until December 16 on any cases received by November 23. To date, our call center has facilitated nearly 600 reunions.
Families looking for their rescued animals may call The HSUS reunion help line at 1-800-HUMANE-1 until November 23. Families should also visit www.petfinder.com and www.petharbor.com on a regular basis. These websites are updated frequently with information on rescued pets and their whereabouts.
In response to Hurricane Katrina, The HSUS rescued and set up temporary shelter for thousands of displaced animals in Gonzales, La. and Hattiesburg, Miss. Once a population limit was reached or the temporary shelters closed, rescued animals were sent to humane societies and shelters across the country for longer term care. The state of Louisiana asked animals to be held until October 15, but the HSUS and other animal protection organizations asked all animal shelters, breed rescue groups and others sheltering animal victims from Louisiana or Mississippi to voluntarily extend the hold period of rescued animals until December 15, allowing more time for reunification.
Some 7,400 companion animals were rescued from the Gulf region and brought to the temporary holding facilities in Gonzales, La. and Hattiesburg, Miss. Though these facilities have since closed, the HSUS continues to provide extensive help to the Louisiana SPCA and other local groups still conducting rescue, relief and sheltering operations on the ground in Louisiana. To date, over 1,200 animals have been reunited with their families.
In September, The HSUS and ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) launched a multi-million dollar reconstruction fund to rebuild animal welfare organizations damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
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