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- Zena (added June 28, 2007)
- Lynx (added March 28, 2007)
- The reward for Tobias safe return has been increased to $3000. Details >>>
- Red (added March 10, 2007)
- Peanut (added March 10, 2007)
- Katrina pets documentary An American Opera - catch it if you can!
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These are only some of the pets that became separated from their owners after Hurricane Katrina or Rita. Some were definitely rescued and either adopted out or "lost in the system,"some escaped and are believed to be roaming in their neighborhood, and others fate is uncertain.
If you believe that the pet you adopted or rescued might be a Katrina pet whose owner is missing it, please look through these images, and the images at various sites at the "More Pets" link above. There was much confusion in Katrina/Rita's aftermath and not all pets identified as as "owner surrender" when they were adopted out actually were. Some animals classified as "stray" were actually owned and had become separated from their guardian.
In Memoriam:
Judge rules in favor of Katrina dog's new owner in Texas
New Orleans resident loses claim to dog she says is hers
Listen to this article or download audio file.
By Eric Dexheimer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, July 02, 2007
A cocker spaniel rescued from post-Katrina New Orleans will get to stay in Austin with its adoptive owner, a Hays County district court judge has decided.
The case of the 10-year-old, watermelon-sized dog named Hope sparked a bitter custody battle, a physical assault captured on court security cameras, and nearly $100,000 in legal costs.
In a one-sentence ruling issued over the weekend, Judge Bill Henry awarded Hope to Tiffany Madura, who adopted her after she was brought to Austin by a rescue worker soon after Katrina struck in late August 2005. The dog also had been claimed by Shalanda Augillard, a New Orleans resident whose black cocker spaniel named Jazz went missing in the chaos following the storm.
"The dog is where she should be," said Michael Murray, Madura's attorney. Augillard did not return phone calls. Her attorney, Susan Philips, declined to comment, however, Murray said Augillard has filed legal papers suggesting the verdict would be appealed.
Mimi Hunley, an assistant attorney general in Louisiana who has been helping reunite pet owners with their missing animals in the aftermath of Katrina, has been following nearly three dozen disputed pet cases. Hunley said she knew of only one other case — involving a cat in Florida — in which an adoptive owner won custody of a pet when a Louisiana owner claimed ownership, too.
edexheimer@statesman.com; 445-1774