I was sent this yesterday by Ami Moore, K9 Cuisine’s Training and Dog Behavior Expert
Dear Friends,
Please accept my apologizes for sending you this email. Here in Illinois we have been hit hard by the hurricanes. They have really been hit hard by them in Jamaica-and there is one brave little animal rescue that is doing it’s best saving the dogs, cats and even horses of Jamaica. This shelter is a recognized non-profit in Jamaica and is actively seeking US non-profit status. They have lost everything in the hurricane and they are still trying to serve the community. Here is their story in their own words. If you can donate, please help. They are doing everything right: training dogs, a trap-neuter-release program for cats,
Here is their story:
“In the days leading up to Hurricane Gustav we were lulled into a false sense of security. “It is going to pass to the north of Jamaica” said the forecasters on August 27th. “It has been downgraded to a tropical storm” they said on the morning of August 28th. Even as late as 10:00 p.m. On August 28th local television reporters were telling us that the worst had passed. How wrong they all were. By 11:00 p.m. we were in the midst of a raging storm - not a tropical storm with winds less than 70 miles an hour, but a full-blown hurricane with winds that gusted up to 110 miles per hour.
When it did hit, we were in for a long, frightening and very dark night.
The power had died from about 10:20 PM and with it our ability to keep up with where Gustav was, and how much longer we had to put up with its wrath. As the wind howled and the night became filled with the frightening sounds of roofs being blown away and trees crashing, we tried to keep our 100 plus dogs and 45 cats calm. But they were having none of that…they knew instinctively that something was wrong and all huddled in their kennels or crouched in their carriers, eyes large and uncomprehending, but, by and large, very quiet We had been advised to turn our one horse out into the pasture where, we were told, she would be safer than in her fragile Caribbean-style stable. I kept thinking of her as the storm grew in intensity, worrying about how she was dealing with the flying limbs of trees and other debris that was being hurled through the black sky.
About 8:00 a.m., the winds started to slow down a little, and the rain took over. Even though the rain was of torrential strength and drenched us for the next twelve hours without respite, it was better than the wind of the night before. We might be getting wet, and, yes, even pretty badly flooded, but the animals were safe from serious injury. And, best of all, it was now daylight.
Doing a quick assessment of the damage we saw that our perimeter fence was down in three critical places and two kennel gates were smashed. Supplies (food and medicine) were soaking wet despite our frantic attempts to protect them (plus we would lose more of our supplies over the coming days due to lack of electricity). And we would later discover that our electrical wiring had been so badly damaged - either by flood or lightning) that the entire building would have to be re-wired before we could be reconnected to a source of power.
Be that as it may, the most important discovery was that all of our animals were safe and unhurt. The dogs, the cats, and Baby Girl, the horse had all come through unscathed. For that we are extremely grateful.
What was lost, damaged or destroyed can be repaired or replaced. We have already found a donor who is willing to pay for the re-wiring. And we are asking the world to help with the rest.”
