Saline County Humane Society assists in flood relief

Kaitlyn Howey, an employee at the Humane Society of Saline County, prepares crates last week for the journey to Louisiana to assist in flooding relief efforts. Director Ann Sanders and volunteer Karen Waldroff came back Thursday with many dogs and cats from a shelter in Belle Chase, La. The animals are now available for adoption at the Saline County shelter in Bauxite.
Kaitlyn Howey, an employee at the Humane Society of Saline County, prepares crates last week for the journey to Louisiana to assist in flooding relief efforts. Director Ann Sanders and volunteer Karen Waldroff came back Thursday with many dogs and cats from a shelter in Belle Chase, La. The animals are now available for adoption at the Saline County shelter in Bauxite.

— In light of the flooding in Louisiana, the Humane Society of Saline County loaded up its mobile unit last week and headed for the neighboring state to help save dogs and cats.

Ann Sanders, shelter director, and Karen Waldroff, a shelter volunteer, left Wednesday morning in the “Charlie 1” mobile unit and headed back with 23 dogs and 13 cats on Thursday. They picked up the dogs in Belle Chase, Louisiana, which is part of the greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area.

The Saline County organization is part of the Emergency Placement Partners of the Humane Society of the United States. Sanders said that as a member of that program, it’s common to retrieve dogs and cats from shelters in natural-disaster areas.

“These animals are strictly from shelters available for adoption and not just lost or misplaced from home,” Sanders said.

Officials are calling this flooding the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012. According to a news report, about 40,000 homes have been damaged, and the death toll had risen to 13 as of Wednesday. President Barack Obama has declared the flooding a major disaster, and 20 parishes are included in that declaration. Already, more than 70,000 people have registered for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.

The name of the mobile unit comes from Charlie, a white boxer who came to the Saline County shelter with cancer.

“We didn’t think he would make it very long, but we ended up having him at the shelter for six years,” Sanders said. “He was our mascot and went with us wherever we went.”

Charlie died a year and a half ago, just before the shelter secured the mobile unit, Sanders said.

“His face is shown on every side of the mobile unit, and he’s always with us in spirit,” she said.

The trip to Louisiana went well, Sanders said Thursday on the way back to Arkansas.

“Everybody we ran into on stops along the way was extremely nice and supportive of our efforts,” she said, noting that one woman even offered to pay for the travelers’ gas.

Sanders and Waldroff were expected to make a stop in Memphis to see what animals the shelter there could accept. The rest of the pets were headed for Bauxite, where the Saline County shelter is located.

After about 24 hours to get the animals acclimated at the shelter and complete the necessary paperwork, Sanders said they would be available for adoption, adding that the animals are spade or neutered.

The Saline County shelter makes road trips about every other week, Sanders said, to transport animals for various reasons. Volunteers are welcome to help with the driving, she said.

“Our schedule may change with this disaster, as we’re focused on getting these animals from Louisiana placed,” she said, “but we could use help driving.”

The trips are usually to locations about six to 10 hours away. Sometimes if the trips are longer, representatives from the other shelter will meet the Saline County crew halfway, Sanders said. Anyone who would like to assist the shelter in its efforts may come by the shelter at 7600 Bauxite Highway or call Sanders at (501) 557-5518.

Upcoming Events