Foster care for storm orphans

[depakid]

One of our fist thoughts when we heard about the guy who wouldn't leave Galveston because no one would help him with his lion was WTF? People keep lions as pets?

As time went on though, we wondered about the animals that were doubtlessly left behind- which is how we stumbled onto this:


Galveston residents Thomas and Debra Scales are reunited with their German shepherds, King and Heidi, at the Houston SPCA on Monday, Sept. 23. The Scales said they own a very small vehicle that forced them to leave the dogs behind when they fled Hurricane Ike.

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Sunday morning when the loudspeaker at the SPCA trumpeted the arrival of a load of Galveston animals, volunteers were already lined up outside to provide foster homes for animals who had evacuated earlier.

For Operation Save a Life, the Houston SPCA is asking local residents to take in a homeless animal for 10 days, offering the comforts of home and making room for animals that are still arriving from Galveston and other devastated areas.

Shelter staffers hope the pets will be reunited with their owners. But that may not happen. So after 10 days, the volunteer family can keep the pet or bring it back for adoption. Sunday, 45 foster homes were found for evacuee pets from Galveston.

Here are some highlights from a day at the SPCA shelter at 900 Portway.

First match

There was some disappointment when the doors opened a little after 10 a.m. and it was announced that there were no small dogs available at the moment.

While others in line decided to wait for a small dog, Manne Olivarez and his family of four kids quickly found a not-so-large and very friendly hound to take home.

The kids were smiling, and the dog didn't stop wagging his tail while Mom filled out the paperwork and Dad handled the leash.

Olivarez said his girls talked him into coming for a foster dog. They had filled out the adoption papers for an earlier free adoption day but didn't find a dog that matched their family.

This time there was little hesitation when the girls saw the black-and-white spotted dog.

Ten-year-old Emily seemed most excited. "I've been watching the show Animal Cops: Houston on Animal Planet for a about a year," Emily said. "I think someday that maybe I can work here."

First reunion

When Galveston evacuees Ashley and her mother Ann Harris got the call that their rescued cat was in Houston, they cried. Then they started packing so they could go get her.

Ann still gets a little misty-eyed thinking about leaving their 11-year-old cat Brittany behind when they evacuated.

"The dogs were easy to get," Ashley said. "But the cat was hiding. We couldn't find her."

A friend who rode out the storm in Galveston found the cat when he checked on their house, and he took Brittany to a collection point at an elementary school. Brittany was shipped to Houston with the other animal evacuees. Her paperwork had the Harris' phone number. The SPCA called to tell them their cat would be ready at 11 a.m.

Mother and daughter, who were staying at a San Antonio hotel, headed for Houston. They will be moving into a condo in Clear Lake that a friend found for them.

More: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/6018401.html