Pet Safety: Tornado Season Comes Early to the Ozarks

Tornado Image: homeinsurance.com

Night before last my sleep was disturbed by a strange voice.  I ignored it.  The third time was the charm and it penetrated my sleep when the voice mentioned my neighborhood and order:  "You should be headed to your shelter."

That opened my eyes!  I shook Gary to tell him what was happening and headed out to the family room.  Jeffie and Rudy were thrilled we were getting up so early.  It was a little after midnight and the local television stations had all switched to live coverage of the storm system bearing down on the Ozarks.  It came bearing gifts: tornadoes.

I ran back to our bedroom to grab clothes, shoes, and try to get Gary to wake up enough for the warning to register.  Then ran to the mudroom to grab the dog harnesses, leashes, and my new halogen lantern. Gary joined us in our shelter after he'd grabbed the radio and there we road out the storm together.

The whole time I was thinking about Joplin and Kari Wilkes.  When the EF 5 tornado hit and demolished Joplin, Missouri last year, Kari Wilkes was headed into her shelter when the storm literally pulled her dog, Hanah, out of her arms.  Kari and her family know Hanah survived the storm thanks to a couple of picture taken by someone afterwards.  That person was trying to seek help for the injured, distressed, white American Bulldog.  In fact, someone in a black SUV reportedly picked up Hanah to carry her to safety.  However, Hanah has not been seen since.

Kari Wilkes' White American Bulldog, Hanah, is still missing.

Kari Wilkes launched a massive effort to recover her dog,  Hanah, and you can read about it at Bring Hanah Home.


What does this have to do with us cowering in our tornado shelter the other night?  Well, in spite of both Gary and I having grown up in tornado country and feeling a sense of personal bravado about these storms, we now have a weather alert radio.  Set for our geographic area, it emits a long squawk and then gives the specific weather warning.  It repeats until you turn it off.


Our dogs are microchipped.  They now wear their collars with identification tags 24/7.  Their harnesses and leashes are handy to our storm shelter.  We've taken other steps to keep us all safe, too, using ASPCA Disaster Preparedness guidelines.


The Joplin tornado disaster forced us to pay attention.  Hundreds of people and pets were left homeless by the tornadoes that hit Joplin.  Many pets never again saw their people.


Cavalier though we were, we now are determined that all of us - people and pets - will ride out the storms together as safely as possible.

We were lucky this week.  No damage here at the For Love of a Dog homestead and we're all fine.  We're doing our best to keep it that way.  

Joplin Tornado: Over 650 Pets Adopted, More Are Available

According to the ASPCA more than 650 dogs and cats were adopted from the Joplin Humane Society on Saturday and Sunday at the special Adopt-a-thon held for the homeless pets that survived the devastating tornado that hit Joplin on May 22.

The event offered people the chance to adopt a dog or cat without the usual adoption fees.  Over 5,700 people from 24 different states attended during the two day event.  On Saturday 426 pets were adopted.  On Sunday another 234 found homes.

If you couldn't attend the Adopt-a-thon, but would still like to adopt a pet, there are still a few that did not find homes.  In addition, another 200 pets, including newborns and injured animals, will become available for adoption in the coming weeks.  

The Joplin Humane Society will continue to offer free adoption of these animals through July 9.  All pets are spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, vaccinated and come with a free ID tag

Visit the Joplin Humane Society website for more information.   You'll find photographs and detailed information of some of the special needs dogs that are available for adoption.  Please note that you will need to complete an online adoption application and specify which animal you are interested in adopting.

I must note here the good news that a couple of these pets were returned to their owners in the past day!

Joplin Tornado: Over 400 Pets Adopted on Saturday

The adoption event for the pets who were homeless due to the May 22nd tornado in Joplin, MO, appears to be a real success.  According to the ASPCA over 400 pets were adopted yesterday.

The ASPCA estimated that nearly 1300 pets were housed at the Joplin Humane Society's animal shelter due to the twister.  Of that number, somewhere around 500 were reunited with their owners.  The organizations promised the Joplin community that none of the pets would be euthanized.  The adoptathon held this weekend aimed to find forever homes for all those dogs and cats.  The event continued on Sunday.

Joplin Tornado Survivor: Family Searching for White Bulldog Hanah

Photo: Bring Hanah Home

I've written about Hanah in a previous post about pets and the Joplin tornado.   Hanah is still missing and her family is desperate to get her back.  Thanks to a photo taken after the twister and another siting, they know that Hannah survived the tornado.  Unfortunately, if Hannah returns to her home, there's nothing there.

Please take a look at this slide show about Hannah and pass it along via Facebook, Twitter and any other way you can share it.  Hannah may very well have been picked up by well meaning animal rescuers and now could be just about anywhere in the United States.  Pets who have been rescued from the storm will begin to be adopted out this weekend.

Hanah is 5 years old and weighed 110 pounds before the tornado.  She's an American Bulldog and a spayed female.  Hanah is white and has one blue eye and one hazel brown eye. 


Hanah has been seen twice since the tornado his Joplin on May 22.  Once on E 26th Street in Duquene.  Hanah lived on 27th Street.  The post-tornado photo in the slide show was taken in Duquense.  The people who live at that location have livestock.  Hanah was carried to the side of the house.  When the sirens went off in JHoplin the second night after the tornado, Hanah ran into some bushes.  Neighbors at a house two doors down spotted her in the yard later.


So far, Hanah has not been spotted at the Joplin Humane Society animal shelter.  There is a reward for her return - no questions asked.  If you see Hanah - at a local shelter or on a venue like Facebook - contact her owner, Kari Wilkes at 1-417-529-8088.  If you see Hanah in the Joplin area, please do NOT approach her.  Call that phone number to report the siting and someone will come asap.

You can read more about Hanah, her family, and the massive effort that has been launched to find her at Bring Hanah Home.

Wayside Waifs Adoptathon Starts Today; Includes Joplin Tornado Pets

The Wayside Waifs Adoptathon pet adoption event begins today, June 17 and continues through June 19.  Hundreds of dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies are looking for their forever home, including some who were evacuated from the Joplin Humane Society due to the tornado on May 22.  All adoption fees will be half price and include current vaccinations, spay and neuter surgery and microchip.

Joplin Tornado: Adopt a Dog or Cat Event June 25 - 26

More than three weeks after an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, nearly 900 dogs and cats remain sheltered at the Joplin Humane Society, most of them unlikely to ever be reunited with their owners according to Alan Scher Zagier of the Associated Press.

Adopt-a-thon scheduled for June 25 - 26.

Hundreds of dogs and cats peer out from their cages at the Joplin Humane Society, some with cuts, infections and broken bones from the deadly tornado that turned their lives, like of those their owners, upside down.

Since the tornado, the Humane Society has found itself overflowing with animals, with about 900 now calling the shelter home — three times its usual inventory. One way or another, the pets became separated from their owners in the chaotic aftermath of the May 22 twister that tore through this town, killing 153 people. In some cases, the owners — scrambling to find housing for themselves after 7,000 homes were destroyed, leaving nearly one-third of the city's 50,000 residents homeless — have simply given up their pets.

But the Joplin Humane Society is determined to find a home for every cat and dog. To that end, it plans an "Adopt-a-thon" the weekend of June 25-26, when animals that haven't been claimed by their owners will be given away free to good homes, after being spayed and neutered.

"The reality is, a lot of these people aren't in a position to come get these animals," said Joplin native Tim Rickey, a field investigator for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "They've lost everything."

Executive director Karen Aquino said it's not that the Humane Society hasn't tried to find the owners.

"We feel we've exhausted every avenue to get the word out," Aquino said. "We've placed 250 yard signs. We have posters at food and donation distribution points, public service announcements on radio and TV, ads in the newspaper — everything we could think of to let people know their pets might be here if they're missing."

To handle the additional cats and dogs, the organization fixed up two vacant warehouses next to the shelter into air-conditioned kennels. A gravel parking lot outside a former used appliance store has been converted into an owner's waiting room, with plastic chairs and Polaroid snapshots of unnamed animals stuffed into thick three-ring binders.

Aquino said none of the pets left homeless by the tornado will be euthanized.

"If all of them aren't adopted, we'll start looking to rescue organizations and ways to get some of them to larger cities where they have a better chance at adoption," she said.

More than 100 volunteers from across the country, many from other shelters, are in Joplin helping out — cleaning cages, providing veterinary care and exercising the animals. On most days, a half-dozen veterinarians are at the shelter tending to the wounded.

The work is exhausting, the plight of the animals sad. But spirits are buoyed by good news, such as the recent story of a cat found alive by its owner 16 days after the tornado.

"We've heard some amazing stories," Aquino said. "Animals are pretty resilient."

When Steven and Debbie Leatherman found their lost dog, Sugar, at the shelter, her back legs were paralyzed. Someone had apparently dropped off the 10-year-old cocker spaniel after finding her in a drainage ditch and about to drown. The University of Missouri says the Leathermans' son, Daniel, drove the dog to its veterinary hospital in Columbia, where veterinarians performed spinal surgery that gave Sugar back the use of her legs.

But some owners, such as 47-year-old Linda Head, still haven't been able to find their pets. Since the storm, Head has been looking for 2-year-old Isabel, a labrador/Great Pyrenees mix, and 5-year-old Puddles, a cockapoo.

Both dogs hunkered down with Head, her 23-year-old son and a third dog, Max, in and around a bathtub in their home that was obliterated by the tornado. Head lost Puddles when the dog jumped through the shattered window of a car as Head's son was driven to seek medical care. Max also jumped out in the tumult, but he turned up nearly two weeks later at a Kansas veterinarian's office. Isabel hasn't been seen since the tornado, though Head's hopes were briefly buoyed when a neighbor thought he saw the dog running loose. He was mistaken.

Head visits the shelter twice a week, hoping her dogs will turn up.

"Honey, when I left here the first time, I bawled all the way home," Head said during a recent visit to the shelter. "I'll bawl all the way home today, because I don't have my buddies."

For more information visit the Joplin Humane Society on the web.  There you can view photos and information of the pets currently in their care.

Adopt a Dog Rescued from Joplin Tornado and SE Missouri Floods

On the left is a beautiful Mountain Cur dog named Smith.  He is one of nearly 70 animals Wayside Waifs transferred from the Joplin Humane Society to make room for animals affected by the terrible tornado. 

For one weekend only, Wayside Waifs is reducing their adoption fees by half to find homes for every animal in their shelter.  It's a part of a revived Kansas City Pet Adopt-A-Thon.

Wayside Waifs is packed with more than 300 adoptable dogs, cats, puppies and kittens - many of them rescued from the storm stricken areas of Joplin, MO, Reading, KS, and Caruthersville, MO.  these animals were evacuated from those tornado and flood devastated communities and brought to Wayside Waifs for adoption.

Many of these pets were surrendered by their owners who can no longer care for them;  others were homeless before the storm hit and needed to be transferred to their facility to make room for pets displaced by the storms.  All animals will be current on vaccination, microchipped, spay/neutered and ready for their new homes.

Adopt-A-Thon hours:  

Friday, June 17   6 am to 8 pm

Saturday, June 18   8 am to 6 pm

Sunday, June 18   Noon to 6 pm

Wayside Waifs will be closed Thursday, June 16 to prepare for the Adopt-A-Thon.   Wayside Waifs is located at 3901 Martha Truman Road, Kansas City, Missouri.   For more information you may call them at 816-761-8151 or visit Wayside Waifs on the web.

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Pet Reunions with their Families

There is some good news coming from Joplin after the devastating tornado swept through the town on May 22.  Thanks to the efforts of many animal welfare groups, including the Joplin Humane Society, the Missouri Humane Society,  HSUS and ASPCA, over 1,000 pets have been rescued and almost 300 have been reunited with their families. 

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Support Pet Rescue Efforts

On May 22, 2011, the city of Joplin Missouri was demolished by a tornado.  Where there once were neighborhoods and businesses there is now prairie filled with rubble.  Hundreds of pets were displaced and animal rescuers sprang into action.  Watch this inspiring video showing the Joplin Humane Society in action, then join us in supporting their efforts. 

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Pet Rescuers Race Against Time

The race is on. The window of opportunity to rescue pets after the devastating tornado that hit Joplin on May 22 is closing.  The bulldozers are on the way and demolition will soon begin.

Postings at community forums around the area point out the fact that not all pets have been found and time is running out. Just one example:  With the talk of demolition starting we NEED to get the word out about the still missing Miss Hanah! PLEASE help circulate her picture and information. White American Bulldog, 110lbs, two different colored eyes. Last seen as recently as Saturday at: 4224 E. 26th street. Her house once stood at 4915 E27th st. Searchers meeting tomorrow at 430 to go into the area to look for her. Please look at her pictures and circulate.  I cannot express how dearly she is missed.

Multiple animal welfare organization are using the Joplin Humane Society as a clinic for sick and injured pets.  Three warehouses are being used as an emergency shelter.  As of this past Friday, 944 pets have been rescued and 292 of those have been reunited with their owners.

One dog gives rescuers hope and underscores their belief that there are other pets that need to be saved.  12 days after the EF5 tornado struck, the ASPCA's on site rescue team found a dehydrated dogin a twister-demolished house, huddled under a bed with debris covering it.

Agencies are still deciding when to draw the line.  Until then they'll keep searching.  As Kyle Held, ASPCA Midwest Director of Field Investigations and Response said:  That's why we do what we do to save the one animal that couldn't be saved.

 

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Elephant Assists in Recovery Efforts

It's not just dogs who are helping out in Joplin, after the tornado hit May 22.  The latest cleaning crew includes an elephant from the Piccadilly Circus.  Scheduled to perform in Joplin, the venue was destroyed by the EF5 tornado ravaged the town on May 22.

Some folks watching the elephant move heavy debris, some thought it was simply a publicity stunt.  Other observers thought it was great.  According to one Joplin resident:  "A St John's pediatrician told me that children, who'd been scared and jumping at every noise, broke out into big smiles and thought it was very, very cool indeed.  Everyone here is very stressed, but let's try to keep a generous spirit as much as possible.  Just look at the volunteers who've driven miles and put their lives on hold, just to help us dig ourselves out, in 90 degree heat.  Thank you circus!"

 

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Pet Rescue in Action by HSMO

Exclusive video of the Humane Society of Missouri Disaster Response Team animal rescue operations in action in Joplin after the May 22 tornado.  Since early last week the 23 member trained Disaster Response Team has been on the scene in Joplin searching for trapped, injured and lost pets.  They've been hard at work rescuing them, transporting them to shelter and helping reunite them with owners affected by the devastation wrought by last Sunday's tornado.  If you're able to make a contribution you may do so at their website.

Dog Saves Dog in Joplin Missouri Tornado Wreckage

A search and rescue dog found another dog yesterday who'd been buried in rubble since the tornado swept through Joplin, Missouri on May 22. 

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Prayer and Remembrance Today

Don Zolecki (left) of the Sunrise Beach MO Fire Department leads rescue dog Amber Alert in a search for survivors in Joplin.

An official State Day of Prayer and Remembrance has been declared by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon for today, Sunday, May 29. A community wide memorial service will be held at 2 pm.

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr says 139 people are now confirmed dead after a deadly tornado roared through the city on May 22.  According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety 100 individuals are still missing.  As the death toll rises, Joplin remains focused on finding life.  

More than 400 volunteers and 50 dog teams continue working to try and find tornado survivors.

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Stray Dogs, Cats and More Find Shelter

Pomeranian found Friday. Photo: Amy Buckley

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Dogs, cats, rabbits, parakeets, cockatiels, more than 30 chickens and a pot-bellied pig – animals of all kinds have found shelter at the Joplin Humane Society following last Sunday’s deadly tornado.

Approximately 500 animals have been brought to the temporary shelter set up by ASPCA at the old Dent and Ding appliance next to the humane society’s new building. With close to 100 staff, volunteers and a temporary shelter set up by the ASPCA ,they can house up to 1,200 animals now and they plan to dispense donated pet food and supplies to those affected by the tornado.

Calls started rolling in early Monday and a temporary shelter was set up later that day, opening to the public Tuesday. Wednesday they took in nearly 250 animals. Many families have been reunited with their pets, but even if they cannot take their pets with them it is important to come down and identify them, Aquino said.

They will look at a 14-day window to identify the pets before moving to the adoption process and may reach out to local foster networks to help house the animals. Members of the Neosho-based Faithful Friends Animal Advocates say they’re ready to step in when the temporary operation rolls out, but that moment has not come yet said Kathryn Destreza, southeast regional director ASPCA Investigations and Response.

The shelter will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Organizers ask anyone who is sheltering a dog, but does not know it’s owner to bring them to the shelter so they can be reunified with their families. Pets are also being listed at www.joplinhumanesociety.com. Finding families for the stranded pets is why they are there, Destreza said.

“We love them and we walk them and we take great care of them, but we’re not their family,” she said. “This is all about reunification with the owner.”

Those reporting to the shelter are asked to bring as much identifying information as possible and a picture if possible.

Kathy McDonald was all smiles as she left the shelter Friday afternoon with her pit bull mix Sophia Marie in tow. She was not home when the storm struck, but a neighbor told her he’d seen Sophia headed toward 26th Street.

“I knew she was alive,” McDonald said.

On Thursday, she found her frightened kitten cowering under a piece of drywall. The six-pound cat had lost nearly two pounds.

“She’s still traumatized,” McDonald said.

Her search is not over yet.

“I’ve still got two kittens out there,” she said.

Tim Rickey, southeast regional director ASPCA Investigations and Respons,e once lived in the Joplin area.

“All of my family and my friends are here,” Rickey said. “I’m dealing with the same thing everybody else in this community is. We all know people affected by this.”

Getting animals back to their owners lifts their spirits and helps build the long-term community recovery, he said.

“This is a beacon of hope,” Rickey said.

What you can do:

Volunteers are needed to move supplies and clean cages. They can register at the Joplin Humane Society, but may be placed on a call list. Donations can be placed online at www.joplinhumanesociety.com.

Joplin Missouri Tornado: Dog Cat Pet Rescue Efforts

HSMO Joplin MO Disaster Response 

We live in the Missouri Ozarks.  We've spent a lot of time in the past few days watching the sky and taking cover from tornadoes.  We also recently made a donation to the Humane Society of Missouri for the Joplin Relief Fund.

Their Disaster Response Team is hard at work sifting through rubble in the tornado ravaged town of Joplin to find animals that need help.  70 dogs and cats have been transported from an overwhelmed vet clinic to the Joplin Humane Society, where displaced animals are being sheltered.  Many dogs and cats have also been removed from abandoned properties and taken to safety. 

These trained volunteer Disaster Relief Team members are canvassing the area to rescue distressed pets and providing carriers to residents who need help transporting their animals. 


The HSMO is the lead animal welfare agency (as named by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency) to respond to disasters and other emergencies in Missouri.  Currently, a 23 person Disaster Response Team consists of animal rescue, sheltering and veterinary professionals and trained emergency volunteers are working in the Joplin area. 

If you'd like to make a donation to help their rescue efforts, you can donate online at their web site www.hsmo.org or by phone at 314-951-1542.   You may also text SAVEPETS to 20222 to donate $10.  Follow their progress at their special, new Joplin Animal Rescue Facebook page.

The Joplin, Missouri area is being overwhelmed with donations of supplies and with volunteers, so a central clearinghouse has been set up to coordinate things.  If you wish to donate supplies, or wish to personally volunteer, to help people or pets, you need to contact the area United Way.   There you'll find up to date information about the most pressing needs. 


Please note:  people are advised NOT to travel to the area unless they've received official authorization.