Reuniting Animal Flood Victims With Their Owners

An effort is underway to reunite flood victims and their lost pets. The Humane Society has set up a temporary shelter in Coffeyville, Kansas and will remain in town until the end of the month. There

Saturday, July 14th 2007, 3:58 pm

By: News On 6

An effort is underway to reunite flood victims and their lost pets. The Humane Society has set up a temporary shelter in Coffeyville, Kansas and will remain in town until the end of the month. There have already been dozens of success stories, 90 animals reunited with their families. The News On 6â€™s Chris Wright reports the Humane Society hopes to add to those successes before it leaves town.

"A lot of them came in covered in oil and needed to be cleaned and bathed. A few of them had injuries that needed to be addressed by veterinarians," said Mary Prewitt with the Humane Society.

Humane Society employees say the situation was overwhelming when Coffeyville flooded, and the oil refinery leaked, two weeks ago. The organization has made a great deal of progress since then, but nearly 100 animals are still waiting to go back home.

"That's where they belong, reunited with their families,â€ said Dr Barry Kellogg of the Humane Society. â€œThat's what makes us tick; it makes us do what we do. When we have a reunification here, it's fun to be part, and actually see that happen."

All of the animals will remain in the shelter at Whittier Elementary until July 30th, hopefully to be reunited with their owners. After that, they will be transferred to other shelters. Adoptions will not be allowed until the temporary shelter is shut down, and if an animal's owner has yet to claim it then adoption is an option.

Some flood victims have left their dogs and cats at the shelter because their homes are now condemned. Other animals were found wandering the streets after the water receded.

"There's sad moments, but a lot of happy moments too," Prewitt said.

Happy moments like this, for the past two weeks volunteers have been bottle-feeding several newborn, motherless kittens. On Saturday they tried to introduce them to a mother who already has a few of her own. Fortunately, mom didn't seem to mind the extra company.

Volunteers have been showing up several times a day to walk dogs and clean cages. Anyone interested in helping out can make their way to the Humane Society shelter, located at Whittier Elementary on 3rd and Walnut.

Watch the video: Reuniting Flood Victims And Their Pets

For more flooding information, check out our STORM ZONE web page.