Thank you so much for your continued support of the Louisiana SPCA. On November 3, 2006 we held our 25th Annual Howling Success Gala to benefit the hundreds of homeless and neglected animals we serve everyday. Had it not been for Hurricane Katrina, November 2005 would have been our 25th year. One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the Dorothy Dorsett Brown Humanitarian of the Year Award to New Orleans broadcasting icon, Angela Hill. True to her selfless, loving and giving nature, Angela brought tears to the eyes of many with her humbled acceptance of a truly deserving honor.

If you were unable to attend our Gala you also missed out on a wonderfully fun and entertaining live auction of donated gifts, art pieces, jewelry, paintings and prints. But you can still be a part of our post Gala celebrations and it’s only a click away. We invite you to take part in the tail wagging excitement of our Pawsitively New Orleans Auction. Now through November 12, 2006 you can bid on some wonderfully unique and original items, from an Andrew Wyeth original print, Master Bedroom, signed by the artist to a Desire NOLA sterling silver fleur de lis necklace. Thank you for helping us rebuild and continue our work to better the lives of the animals we serve for the next 25 years and beyond. Your generosity warms our hearts and those of our furred friends.

Sincerely,

[Editor’s Note: Bella’s Story is one of a chance meeting. A chance meeting between a woman and a dog and how in helping to heal a physically damaged creature, the journey changed both their lives for the better. It helped Bella, a “beautiful” creature reach beyond her physical scars, and it helped the human who embraced her gain a richer life. More than just revealing a diamond in the rough, Bella’s story reveals that special gift we receive when we allow ourselves to truly see one another’s inner beauty.]

March 2005 – I was on my way home from the Louisiana SPCA animal shelter in noontime rush-hour traffic, headed to a 5-hour-long Ornithology lab to be held at the Audubon Zoo. Needless to say, I was in a hurry so I wouldn’t get left behind for my “field trip”. I took my normal route home from the LA/SPCA, along I-10 East to South Claiborne, then onto Toledano and Louisiana Avenue all the way home.

I always dreaded finding strays in certain areas when I was coming home from the shelter. It always seemed that no matter how hard I tried, they were too scared to come to me. The day I found Bella, though, I got lucky.

Giving of her time, selfless in her work, altruistic in her life, Angela Hill is a living symbol of a true humanitarian. A broadcasting icon that has graced our lives for over three decades in her career with WWL-TV, Angela Hill is more than just a familiar face. She has become someone that we trust and have welcomed into our homes for many years. Respected equally by her peers, she was inducted into the New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame and has been honored by the New Orleans Press Club with the illustrious Lifetime Achievement Award.

As remarkable as her contributions to television broadcasting are, Angela is just as well known for her dedication to animal welfare causes. She has a profound love of animals that is as much a part of who she is as what she does. “My love of animals has been the one constant in my life literally since childhood. It is truly what has made my life rich,” says Angela.

It has been fourteen months since Katrina struck and the Louisiana SPCA lost everything, only to regain more than we ever thought possible. The LA/SPCA has always focused on disaster awareness and educating the public; but Katrina heightened everyone’s awareness of the catastrophic impact of disasters on our community. It drove home in life and death terms an urgency to educate the public about emergency preparedness. During this year of relative quiet in the Gulf, the LA/SPCA has been churning our own waves.

We’ve been hard at work forging new relationships in areas of prevention and response, and have created a campaign to teach animal lovers across the state the steps they must take to protect their own safety and those of their furry companions.