Reply #30: A friend of mine, Stacy, shares a story of a dog she helped after Katrina: [View All]

She had nicknamed him "Jesus", and as karma goes....his real name is "Budda"

My name is Buddha and I survived Hurricane katrina. I was living in New Orleans. My family had to leave the city and like all the other animals, I was left alone to fend for myself. Some of us were locked in bathrooms, some were tied to trees or fences, and some of us were put outside to survive as best as we could. No one meant to harm us. Many wanted to take us with them, but couldn't. Everyone believed they would be back in a few hours or days. They would come back and get us. This is what everyone believed. Even me. This is my story.

After the Hurricane, I became lost. I couldn't find food, all the water was dirty, and there was no one left in the city. I lived under any shelter I could find and wandered the streets looking for something to eat. When people came, I hid. After 6 weeks I began to die. I was too sick to run anymore. I let someone lift me from the dirt and take me away, For weeks I was placed in a kennel a few feet from the volunteer veterinarians at the Humane Society of the United States Lamar/Dixon rescue center. They needed to be able to see me at all times. I was scared, but too weak to care. I could barely lift my head. One afternoon a volunteer came and scratched my ears. She talked to me for a long time. She kept coming back in between my rests. After a few weeks, the shelter closed and all the animals were moved to other cities and towns all over the U.S. The goal was to find homes until our families were resettled and could find us. But there wasn't much hope. Our humans had nowhere to live. My new friend took me with her to the Best Friends, Tyler Town rescue in Mississippi. When we arrived she set up a tent and I stayed there with her for three days. On the third day, the people at Best Friends took my picture, gave me a number, and used my new name Jesus, because if you said HSUS out loud, that's what it sounded like. On the day she said good-by, she cried. I followed her along the fence line as she left Best Friends for Montana. I hoped that one day I would see her again.


My name is Stacey Russell. I was the volunteer that became friends with Jesus. He was a beautiful Shepard cross. Cream colored with anxious, but soft brown eyes. He was very affectionate, but uncertain of people. While in Mississippi, he bit me several times and I was very concerned about his chances for adoption. I knew he was in the best possible place, but it was still devastating to leave him. I returned to Montana and followed his progress. After several months he was placed at the New Jersey 11th Hour Rescue. It was luck that I found him as his number and name had been changed. I called the shelter and spoke to their veterinarian, Dr. Dashfield who told me they had not yet found a foster home for him. I asked if it was possible to fly him to Montana to be with me, but the answer was a firm, 'we do not fly animals.' I spent the next few months worrying and wondering about his future. After I started working at AniMeals in Jan. 2007 I contacted the rescue again about the possibility of bringing him to Missoula, this time armed with better resources. When Dr. Dashfield returned my call she had heart stopping news; after 1 year and 6 months, Jesus family had located him. They were living in Maryland and were coming to bring him home. A few hours later I received photos of their reunion. Jesus, after all this time, had changed so much I hardly recognized him. He had gained weight, his hair had grown out and the fear and worry in his eyes had been replaced by pure joy. He was beautiful. And he was home.

Less than 25% of the survivors rescued after Hurricane Katrina and Rita were reunited with their families. Most have been adopted, fostered, or are living at rescues such as Best Friends. The enormous, heart breaking losses will never be forgotten, yet the few happy tails remind us of why we all do what we do to keep the creatures of this earth safe from harm. We can only hope that one day, we will all be out of a job.



photos are of Jesus at intake camp and 1.6 yrs later, Budda with his human