Happy Reunions
Brinda and Lady
Brinda Singh, a pediatrician from Southern California, was visiting a friend in New Orleans when people began evacuating for Hurricane Katrina. Because the airline wouldn't let her bring Lady onboard, Singh had to leave her behind.
When called to work in a New Orleans emergency room, Brinda's friend left Lady in his apartment with food and water. When the levee broke and flooded New Orleans, Lady was trapped.
Back in Orange County, Brinda was frantically calling shelters looking for Lady. Then, she saw a story about pets being airlifted to the Bay Area as part of Operation Orphans of the Storm. She called the Marin Humane Society, and together they were able to confirm that Lady was there.
Brinda immediately flew to Oakland and headed to the Marin Humane Society, where she was greeted with a lobby filled with staff and TV cameras.
Tia and Bertha
Tia was ripped from the arms of her 80-year-old guardian, Bertha Huff, by an official on a causeway in New Orleans because the shelter Huff was going to didn't accept pets. Without being given a receipt for her dog, Huff was terrified she'd never see Tia again.
Tia ended up at the already overcrowded Lamar-Dixon emergency shelter in Gonzales, Louisiana, and from there was evacuated to the Marin Humane Society as part of Operation Orphans of the Storm.
Huff and her daughter, Sharon, evacuated to Houston where they continued to search for Tia — and found her on PetFinder.com, which maintained an online database of pets displaced by Hurricane Katrina and Rita. On September 28, 2005 a Marin Humane Society volunteer flew to Houston with Tia to faciliate a very happy reunion at the airport!
Photos by Chelle Putzer
Angel & The Lugenbuhls
Maryanne and Milton Lugenbuhl lived with their four pets in St. Bernard's Parish before Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home.
The Lugenbuhls were heartbroken when they were forced to leave their three dogs behind. Though they were able to bring along their 14-year-old cockatiel, the situation became so severe that the bird died in Maryanne's arms from drowning.
Later, the Lugenbuhls found out that two of their three dogs drowned in their attic.
But what happened to their third dog, Angel?
Imagine the Lugenbuhls surprise when they received a call saying that Angel was in California! Somehow, Angel was able to escape and was brought to an emergency shelter, where she was then evacuated to the Marin Humane Society. She was reunited with her family in November 2005.
Since her return to Louisiana, Angel has suffered from allergies, skin and orthopedic problems. The Lugenbuhls tried everything to help her, but concerned that the climate was affecting her health, they returned her to the Bay Area in June 2007.
Angel is now recovering from major orthopedic surgery and will soon undergo treatment for heartworm. The Marin Humane Society is committed to getting Angel the care she needs and, ultimately, finding her a permanent loving home. Because of her special needs, Angel is currently being fostered by a MHS staff member.
