Katrina Update

Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005

Hello Friends of Helen Woodward Animal Center,

Thank you for all your support!  We are receiving many foster applications and many offers of crates!  Your kindness has been so encouraging in a time of such need.

Hopeful News!

We may get up to 60 dogs and cats here midday on Wednesday, Sept. 21. (Once again, I emphasize may, and the time and date is only tentative.)  These will probably be adoptable animals who were in shelters and up for adoption before Katrina came.  By getting these animals out of Louisiana, we are making room for rescued animals to get into those shelters.

 

How you can help:

We need transportation from San Diego Airport.  But our needs are very specific. 

1. At the commercial entrance to the airport, we have been asked to bring as few vehicles and passengers as possible, preferably only one person per vehicle. 

2. We need 2-3 cargo sized vans with ventilation approved for animals.  These are the kind of vehicles like our HWAC Center vans in the photo above.  Most SUV's and mini-vans will not hold more than one or two large animal crates.  We expect to have a high percentage of medium to large dogs in crates averaging 27 inches wide x 40 inches deep x 30 inches tall.  Many vehicle doors will not fit this size crate.  Please email me if you have a ventilated van with the above requirements and if you available Wednesday midday until early evening.  Email me by Monday noon.  I will try to confirm by Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.

3. Everyone going will need government issue photo identification such as drivers license. An HWAC staff person will need to verify (visually observe) that each driver has a current drivers license, and a current insurance certificate.    If you are a new center Friend I will need a release filled out and faxed in or brought to the center before we caravan to the airport.

4. With our last trip, we were able to load donated crates on the same plane.  We are not sure if the plane is returning to Louisiana or not.  So we are still on hold on asking for crate donations.  At this point do not bring them to the center.  (If that changes I will let you know to bring them.)

 

Thank you again!