There are still some miracles left in the city. That’s the mantra that keeps rescue workers at the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continuing daily missions into New Orleans, searching for survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

To date, more than 8,000 displaced pets have been rescued, and at least 500 of them have been reunited with their owners, and thousands have been exported to shelters and foster homes around the country. The rescue effort, lead by the LA/SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in the state, has drawn volunteer help from across the country.

Humane Officer Jennifer Ranero has been with the LA/SPCA for one year, and the 24-year-old hasn’t had a day off since animal rescue teams were allowed in to New Orleans. She often rides with Officer Tasha Gray, 22, who had joined the team just two months before the hurricane hit. Their days, which have begun at 5 a.m. since the storm hit, are sometimes heartwarming, often heartbreaking and always exhausting.

Imagine being blind, sick, and knowing that while you are being airlifted to a safe hospital your best friend was left behind in a flooded New Orleans East apartment. This is what Denise Okojo, a blind woman suffering from cancer, had to endure when she was taken to safety and her 6-year-old seeing eye dog, Molly, was left behind.

Okojo was airlifted from her roof to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital’s Oncology Unit, when her two- story apartment was flooded after Hurricane Katrina hit. Molly, her black Labrador retriever was left alone for 10 days, hungry, scared and susceptible to seizures. The seeing eye dog, who is epileptic, had no one there to administer her much needed medication. She waited patiently for a rescue team of her own.

Okojo, in her early 50’s and in need of chemo and radiation treatment, was distraught without Molly. When she shared her story with the hospital’s oncology nurse manager, Penny Choates, the wheels to save Molly were set in motion. The Louisiana SPCA and ASPCA knew they needed to get to Molly. Laura Maloney and Caroline Page of the LA/SPCA joined forces with Laura Lanza and Joelle Rupert of the ASPCA in an amazing water journey that took nearly six hours by boat.

To continue rescuing pets and reuniting them with their owners in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we are asking you to help us start over. According to LA/SPCA Executive Director Laura Maloney, while volunteer support has come from around the nation over the past six weeks, the assisting agencies are now transitioning the power back to the LA/SPCA. She is thrilled that the ASPCA and HSUS have pledged funds to help the organization rebuild, but acknowledges there is still a tough road ahead.

"We are grateful to have all the assistance we have had since the hurricane hit, these organizations and others have sent down volunteers, supplies and have really stood by our side," Maloney said. "But as we prepare to start from ground zero in New Orleans, we need more help. Many of our employees, volunteers and donors had no choice but to leave the city when they lost their homes."