On August 29, 2005 a community and its animals were irrevocably and tragically altered. Katrina, one of the deadliest and strongest hurricanes ever recorded, exacted a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast leading to the loss of thousands of lives, both people and animals. The destructive storm and its aftermath were horrific and unprecedented. That it ravaged the physical landscape in a catastrophic blow was only one level of its strength. Its blow to the mental landscape was just as extreme. When people experience or witness a trauma on the scale of Katrina it strips away all the extraneous facets of life and brings us back to our core. Our connection to family and friends, our bonds of love and friendship become as essential as food and water. Amidst the chaos emerged one of the most enduring of bonds – the human-animal bond. During the hours, days, weeks and months following the storm that bond has only strengthened. In our relationship with animals, it became painfully clear that we needed them as much as they needed us.

As the Louisiana SPCA marks the one-year anniversary of Katrina it’s done so with sadness and reflection, but also with a sense of hope and urgency to provide a better future for the animals we protect. Most importantly though, when acknowledging Katrina one year later we do so as a testament to all of the animals who’s lives were lost or dramatically altered following August 29, 2005.

Looking back at the past year, it’s almost unimaginable that we were able to not only survive our unprecedented hardships, but also overcome them. Most staff lost their homes, clothing and all their possessions. Those who worked the front lines during the rescue operation worked non-stop from the moment we left New Orleans on August 27. There was no break in anyone’s lives – they had no chance to assess or even comprehend their personal losses. They gave their all to the LA/SPCA and the animals that needed rescue. The staff performed like machines. And when we returned to New Orleans, the months that followed were fraught with change and uncertainty and a constant need to get it done and move on to the next hurdle, the next project, the next program.

The story of Lassie and Lassie’s return to New Orleans in late June 2006, more than any other we’ve encountered, touches many of the issues that have evolved from the Katrina animal rescues.

Animal reunions were simple tales pre-Katrina. A family’s pet was lost. Maybe it scooted out of the yard or dashed out of a kitchen door left ajar. Owners would knock on neighborhood doors, post flyers, run ads in the local paper or go to the local animal shelter looking for their lost pet. With persistence and time, often times the animal would be found, the pet would return to its familiar environment and the world would go one, owner and pet reunited at last.

Katrina of course was more than just a door left ajar. Debates raged and continue to in the animal welfare community over stories of lost and reunion.