Why Miniatures

Catching Up

It's been quite awhile since I have posted anything.  It's been a busy two months!  Tax season is here and I am busy, busy at work.  Added to regular 10 hour days right now, I am also doing loan signings in the evening.  I blame that one entirely on Ned as he talked me into it kicking and screaming.  I must say though that I love doing them and am making decent money for a part time job.   

Hunter spent the weekend with me last week and had fun with Ella.  He knows that he has to sit on the floor to hold her so sits in front of her pen, pats the floor between his legs and calls "Come here, baby Poppy."  Amazingly enough, he is so good with her that she does.  Yes, I am just a bit of a proud grandma... of both of them. 

House hunting and selling?   Well, that is a long enough story for it's own post as things have changed drastically!  Enough for tonight but I have much to catch up on so I will try to post more regularly.

On looking for a house

I have finally gotten the house on the market and have begun shopping for a new one.  Housing prices in this area are exhorbitant.  A tiny little 1000 sq ft house, 30 miles from anywhere starts at about $200,000.  In the last week, I have looked at the good, the bad, and the ugly.  And I do mean ugly, at least from the outside.     

I am not sure who designed this house ... if design is the right word.  The inside is nice but the outside is..... Ugly!  It is the most house for the money though.

The bad.....which mostly means small.  These houses are tiny.  The bedrooms are so small I don't think you can get a bed in them.  This house is cute from the outside and honestly adorable inside but if you have full sized kids, you will never get them in a bedroom.  There were others, one of which was obviously designed by a batchelor who has never lived with ANYONE.  It had the washer and dryer in the living room.  Ok, it was in a closet but still...   I guess you could watch tv and do laundry if you could hear the tv over the noise.

The one that I made an offer on is small but adorable.  It's in a gated lake community so the kids would be safe and have plenty to do.  I don't know that it has much more space than the other houses but it appealed to me in a way that none of the others did.  I made an offer on Sunday and can't believe that it is Tuesday and I still haven't heard anything.  I have been on pins and needles waiting.    Take a virtual tour

Just a few Volunteers from Lamar Dixon

 

It's about the people

Although I went down to help the horses, I soon found out that it was all about the people.  It was about volunteers pouring in from all over the country to help.  It was about the people of New Orleans.  It was about the staff from the vet school who worked as hard as any volunteer and in some cases harder. 

It was about Lucien who says "I've lived through open heart surgery and Katrina so God must have a plan for me."  He and his family have lost everything but he is going to move in with his daughter and help her and his grandkids, that is when he is done helping take care of the horses and finds a place to live.   

It was about the man who lost his house but found his horse.  He and his wife were at the grocery store getting supplies and bought sodas and chips for all of the volunteers at the horse barns.  They thought we needed comfort food.

It was about the man who returned to his home to find that 6 of his horses had drowned.  He was there looking for the seventh one.  On his second trip through the barns, he still hadn't found him. 

It was about a young girl and her grandfather who had spent the day looking in every stall and paddock for her horse and then had looked again.  And again.  When they stood in our barn and finally gave up.  Her tears broke my heart and I had to walk away.  Volunteers couldn't cry in front of anyone.  If one of us had started all of us would have.  When it got too much for one of us, we would just walk away.  It didn't matter what you were doing, no one asked or commented.  They all understood. 

It was about the dog and cat people who left at 6 am and returned at 6 or 7 pm to wait in line for hours to have the animals they had rescued processed. 

It was about the heroes that no one will ever recognize.  Tom from Hawaii who arrived to rescue dogs and imediately saw a need for a computer system to check the dogs in.  When he had finished setting up the systems for them, he moved on.  Right away he noticed that the food that was being brought in for the volunteers was poor quality and badly organized so he stepped in and fixed that. 

It was about the evacuees who had lost everything and were so thankful for everything that everyone did.  It was about those evacuees who slept in the shelter on a cot every night and then boarded a bus at 6 am to be bussed to work to try to put a roof over their heads again.

It was for the man with his dogs in the Red Cross evacuee's animal shelter who arrived to take care of his dogs and his mother's dog at 4 am every morning on his way to work and again at 10 pm every night on his way home.  Exhausted he explained to me that he and his wife had one daughter and another on the way.  He was working extra hours to put a roof over their head but still took time to come by to feed water and walk his pets.

It was about Dr Dennis French who practically lived at the barns, who worked harder than any volunteer and never failed to have a word of encouragement for the volunteers or a moment to speak with someone about their horse.  There were many times when I didn't think I could lift another shovel or push the broom another foot and I would look up to see Doc pushing the cart or sweeping the floor and it would spur me on to finish whatever task there was to do.

It was about the people who found their horses and those that didn't.  It was about the evacuee family who went to the store to buy the horses a bag of apples because one of them was named after their little girl. 

I could go on forever and never tell the story of all of those who touched my life and my heart in the 11 days I spent in Gonzales, LA.  They touched me and they changed me and only time will tell what I can build out of that change.  I paid a little on my debt but I also learned the one thing that I heard from every single volunteer.  It doesn't matter how much you do, or how much you give, the volunteers in New Orleans will never feel like they did enough.

Another Horse Story

I had been at Gonzales and working in barn 6 for a couple days when I noticed that one of the horses was drinking an extremely large quantity of water.  Both his buckets would be dry in the morning and he would have his nose in the bucket as soon as I came by with the hose.  I filled two 5 gallon buckets and continued down the aisle.  When I came back 10 minutes later, one bucket was dry and the other was only half full.  Concerned I asked the the Maria, one of the vet students about it.  She checked his temp, respiration, etc and commented that he was a little dehydrated but not much.  Had I noticed that his stall was really wet?  Nope.  Seemed about normal for a gelding.  She said he just was a horse who drank a lot of water.  We might try to add some electrolytes to help with the dehydration.

In the meantime, one of the volunteers told me his story.  The rescue team had gotten a call about a lady's horse that had been turned loose in a pasture on the levee with some other horses because the owner was not there to evacuate her.  A friend had checked on her and they wanted her picked up and brought in as there was no food and the water was polluted.  The rescue team goes out and the lady's horse along with two TBs were loose.  One of the TBs had some injuries and both were in poor condition.  The owner of the TBs had told them not to take her horses.  The rescue team loaded up the original ladies horse and started to leave.  Deciding not to be left behind, the two TBs chased the truck and trailer for some distance before the team stopped and put them on the trailer.

He was a funny horse.  When I took him out, he would grab the halter with his teeth like a bit while I was trying to put it on and then he had to hold the lead line too.    I am not a TB person preferring the personality of Arabs but this horse was unflappable and had a sense of humor.  I was walking down the aisle one day and heard water running in his stall.  Peeking in, I saw him take the bucket in his teeth and very carefully turn it over so all the water ran out of his stall and into the walkway.  Then he took a drink from the other bucket and did the same thing.  Water mystery solved!!

He and the mare were very bonded.  She freaked out whenever he left his stall.  I finally just took them out together whenever I had to hose his leg.  She would get upset and he would whicker to her and calm her down.  I know I sound like a little kid with her first horse and in a way I feel that way too.  I would have brought him home if I could have.  When I left, they were still unclaimed but it looked like they were going to foster the horses in LA for a year to give the owners time to find and claim them.  I can't argue with that policy so I left a piece of my heart in Louisiana and my only regret is that I won't know the end of the story. 

Where can I take my dog??

By Thursday, we were pretty sure that Rita was going to hit close enough to New Orleans to cause trouble there with flooding, winds, etc.  It was a busy day at Lamar Dixon Horse Unit too.  In preparation for high winds and torrential rains, we were moving everything inside and securing things, preparing to move horses if needed, circling the wagons (rvs and horse trailers) around the barns to block the wind.  Even things in the barn needed to be secured as we didn't want things flapping around in the wind upsetting the horses.  The horses could already feel the freshening breeze and drop in pressure and were restless and off their feed a bit. 

In the midst of our preparations, Lucien (from Mid City Carriages) introduced me to a captain of the  New Orleans Sheriff's department.  He was there because his family was being evacuated and could not take their dog.  I was sure that someone there could help him and scurried off to do some more chores.  A few hours later, I saw him again with a red cross volunteer over by the volunteer sign in tent.  I stopped to ask if he had found a place and he said that the HSUS would not take the dog because it was not a stray or abandoned pet.  :(  My heart went out to him but as I was leaving early the next week, I could not take on the dog and not be sure that someone would watch it after I left.

In the next aisle in my barn, the Red Cross had a section for the evacuees animals.  The evacuee shelter was also at Lamar Dixon and they had to come and take care of their own animals.  I had just seen Joe (Red Cross Volunteer in charge of the animals) come back from the shelter and although I hadn't had time to talk to him about the situation, I sent the officer over there.  I knew that the Red Cross didn't officially recognize the animal part and I wasn't sure if Joe would be able to help him or not. 

I should have known better.  Joe told him that he absolutely could bring his dog there as long as he could come by and care for it.  The relief in the man's eyes was obvious.  He told me that he would not evacuate and leave the dog so until Joe said he could stay there, he wasn't sure what he was going to do.  Here is a man in a position of considerable responsibility who was worried about his family, his city and his dog and he spent half his day trying to find someone to care for his pet while he took care of his family and his city. 

Red Cross and FEMA need to recognize the importance of pets in American society and take steps to provide shelter for them.  And if these organizations can't and won't then we as citizens need to step up and find answers.  If 100 people died because they couldn't take their pets when they evacuated, then that is 100 too many.  If 10 people died then that is 10 too many. 

The horses of Katrina

When I arrived at Lamar Dixon, there were still about 300 horses there.  They were housed in 3 barns and paddocks in the arena.  I really didn't know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised at the conditions under which they were being kept.  I was pretty tired when I arrived so I just wandered thru the barns peeking at the horses. Silly me, I thought I would have time and energy later on to go back thru and see them all. 

I did stop off to see the New Orleans Mid City Carriage company horses.  They were all being housed together as the teams were pretty dependant on one another.  They are such big gentle horses and a couple of really big mules. 

We tried to get each horse out in the paddock or to walk every single day.  Quite a few of the horses were used to being on pasture and not normally kept stabled.  A few were not halter broken and almost all of them were traumatized to some degree.  We struggled to keep a routine and to let the horses adjust.  Most of the horses did not want to go out of the barn or out of their stalls.  We coaxed them gently and let them take their time standing in the aisle looking outside or we walked them with a quiet escort horse.  My barn had 36 horses when I arrived.  We also had a hospital ward with 6 horses in it that had come in with a virus.  They were kept totally separate from the other horses and we disenfected after we had cared for them. 

After the first week, owners started coming in to claim their horses.  The man, Steve,  pictured here had 7 horses at the shelter.  He had extensive damage to his home and although he was not in the initial area that President Bush had declared a disaster area, still did not have electricity, water, etc at his home three weeks after the hurricane.  He had no idea where his horses were until someone mentioned Lamar Dixon to him at the store.  We take the internet, television and newspapers for granted.  He had no internet access, no television and the New Orleans paper was flooded and not being printed.  He told us that his family had no idea the amount of damage that had occurred in New Orleans for over a week.  He also had no idea of the help that was available to his family at first.  Because he was north of I-10, he did not qualify for the emergency assistance that FEMA offered.  Still, he was so happy to find his horses and so grateful that they were safe and being well cared for.  So many people thought that they would have to pay to have their horses released especially those who had required vet care. 

I can't tell you how many people we had come through our barns that had not been able to find their horses.  We were on the end so ended up being the first and last  barn they looked in.  We always advised people to make several trips through the barns as they would often miss their horse the first time.  It was a little overwhelming and quite a trek in 100 degree temperatures.  Some people said that they had been told that their horses had been picked up and brought here but they werent there.  There were rumors (perhaps not rumors) that there were people picking up horses and carrying them out of state or taking them to other facilities and charging people to get them back.  I can only hope that this isn't true. 

We had a beautiful grey arab in my barn.  When we started taking horses out for their walks, she would fret in her stall and pace herself into a sweat.  When we took her out, she went out with an older gelding.  Still it took 10 minutes to get her out of the barn and when she got outside, she would just stand and look around.  Her owner finally found her and told us her story.  She was the last of their horses and they lived out on the penisula part of New Orleans.  You had to take a ferry to reach their house and the communities below her had been totally destroyed.  When they got there to rescue this girl, she was standing chest deep in water.  Her owner was now looking for a place to board her until after the hurricane season.  "Ro Ro" is a 12 yr old pure polish mare and the last of the "K-line".  She has never been bred or shown but you would never know it when she walked out of the barn.  She is a breathtaking mare and I'm sorry that I don't have better pictures of her. 

Katrina Equine Relief Effort Pt 1

Wow!!  I don't know what else to say about the equine relief effort in Gonzales.  My first impression of Lamar Dixon Expo Center was mass confusion.  Muttshack had given me a contact person and phone number so that I could check in when I got there.  Well..... never did get in touch with them, no one had ever heard of them but I did end up talking with the volunteer coordinator, Elizabeth when I arrived on Friday Sept 16th.  After I had explained my experience and qualifications, she sent me to barn 6.  I checked in with them and then went to pitch my tent. 

I could tell stories about the people and the horses for days and days but what I want to get out right now is that the Horse Unit was extremely well organized.  The horses got excellent care and the best of veterinary care.  There are a couple of people that I would like to mention.  First and foremost is Dr. Denny French.  He is an incredible man and a wonderful vet and can muck stalls with the best of them.  He looked in on every horse twice a day and knew most of their stories, what injuries they had, where they were picked up, etc.  Bonnie Clark, publisher of the Louisiana Horseman's Guide, was the Horse Unit Coordinator and was incredible at keeping everyone organized and moving. Elizabeth, volunteer coordinator, was another essential part of the Horse Unit team.  Bonnie and Elizabeth were there pretty much around the clock 7 days a week.  Dr French was there from early in the morning until 10 or 11 at night. 

There were so many other volunteers, vets, vet students, vet techs there that I find it impossible to mention them all but everyone there worked through long hot days under adverse conditions.  The horses and their owners were the winners and whenever we got too hot, too tired or too exhausted to go on, someone would come by and find their horse and tell us their story and we would find the strength to much another stall. 

I have heard a lot of criticism of the operation there and I think most of it is unfair.  From what I saw when I was there, there are no hidden agendas, no one person or group who is gaining anything.  The people there care about 2 things.... the horses and getting them back to their rightful owners.  The foster/adoption proposal is tough but fair to the horses and their owners. 

This is the first of many posts on my 10 days there.  I went down for the horses but learned that it was all about the people.  The volunteers, the evacuees, the horse owners, the National Guard, the Red Cross Volunteers...... so many people and each with their own story. 

Volunteering for Katrina Animal Relief

I got an email yesterday saying that they needed experienced people to volunteer to take care of horses rescued from Katrina.  They have 300-500 horses that are being housed at LaMar Dixon Expo center in Tylertown, MS.  As I can take leave from work, I offered to go down.  I have read the news of all the people who have lost everything over the last two weeks and wished that I could do more than donate.  So many people did so much for me when my house burned down and there has been no way to repay them, this seems like a way to begin to do that.

I hope to leave on Thursday and right now am struggling with logistics... how to get there, what to take to eat for 2 weeks, how to transport  it all.  My original thought was to take down supplies for the animals but after they sent me the list of personal supplies needed, I realized that my car would be full of my own water, food, tent, etc. 

Pictures of the Mares

I trimmed the mare's feet and wormed them today.  While I had help, Lexi snapped some pictures.

Shady is my homebred mare. 

Bright Eyes is the first mare we bought.

And then this is Deuce.  He is by Cola out of Bright Eyes.