New Orleans Homeless Animals Head to California as New Rescue Program Gets Underway

Business Wire, Oct 25, 2006

Wells Fargo, Best Friends Support 'Adoption Days Around the Bay'

NEW ORLEANS -- Three Wishes Foundation, a New Orleans nonprofit animal welfare organization, today announced a national effort to find homes for many of the thousands of dogs and cats still on the streets in the city more than a year after Hurricane Katrina battered the area. The Three Wishes re-homing program gets underway this week with the first transport of over 100 dogs and cats to animal rescue groups throughout Northern California.

Wells Fargo & Company is providing its trailer used to transport horses for the Wells Fargo stagecoach to move the New Orleans animals across the country. Best Friends Animal Society is providing equipment and supplies to assist animals during the journey. Southern Animal Foundation out of New Orleans is coordinating the effort to ensure that all the animals have health certificates, rabies tags, vaccinations and micro chips and are spayed or neutered before leaving the city.

"The enormous rescue effort in place during Katrina and immediately after made a significant difference to the lives of many homeless animals, but as the year went on the situation continued to deteriorate for those left behind," said Cody Riess, founder, Three Wishes Foundation. "We are enormously grateful to Wells Fargo, Best Friends, and the rescue groups in Northern California who responded to our call for assistance as it became clear our local Louisiana groups could no longer cope with the magnitude of the problem. We have heard from other shelters and rescue organizations around the country that also want to help. Re-homing is not the entire solution to the problem, but it will help and give many animals a second chance."

"Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flooding was a wake up call across the country to make better provisions for our animals during a natural disaster," said Kathi McDermott, Best Friends community program manager. "Best Friends was on the ground rescuing and sheltering Katrina animals and we will continue to support the local rescue groups to provide aid, and where possible assist in re-homing the far too many animals still on the streets in the Gulf region."

Rescue Groups Involved

Among the Northern California rescue groups receiving animals that will be offered for adoption at fairs and events currently scheduled are: Bay Area Cat Rescue (www.bayareacatrescue.org), GEPDA USA (www.gepdausa.org), Homeless Animal Rescue Response (www.harp-rescue.org), Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue (www.ittybittyorphankittyrescue.org), KATMOM (www.katmom.com), LaHonda Mountain Cats Rescue (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA1027.html), TOPCats on the Ridge, Inc. (www.paradisecats.org), Purrfect Cat Rescue (www.purrfectcatrescue.org), Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (www.arf.net), Town Cats (www.towncats.org).

Elena Bicker, executive director of Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, said, "Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation invests in these inspirational collaborations to help address the issues created by Katrina. ARF believes these partnerships will serve to strengthen the ties between organizations so together we can enrich the lives of companion animals and elevate their status in today's society."

About the New Orleans Homeless Animal Crisis

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had one of the largest stray animal populations in the US with estimates as high as 500,000. Despite the massive rescue efforts of animal welfare organizations, thousands of animals - possibly as many as 250,000 - perished as a result of Katrina. While 15,000 animals were relocated to animal shelters and foster homes around the country and Canada, thousands are still in need of help.

About Three Wishes Foundation

Three Wishes Foundation is an animal welfare organization focused on coordinating the rescue, feeding, spay/neuter and shelter efforts of local Louisiana animal rescue groups to deal with the area's huge homeless animal problems. Creole Critters is the Foundation's program to relocate homeless New Orleans animals to shelters and rescue groups around the country where chances of adoption are greater.

To request information about Three Wishes Foundation or find where the Northern California Adoption fairs are being held go to: www.threewishesfoundation.org.