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Dog Rescued After Hurricane Katrina Goes Home
Dec 5, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dog Rescued After Hurricane Katrina Finally Goes Home! Fort Myers, Florida, 12/2/05-One of the dogs rescued by Lee County Animal Services' staff while providing relief efforts in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina is finally going home. Payne, a black and white, male shepherd mix was brought to Lee County Animal Services (LCAS) in September when the Mississippi shelter that was housing him ran out of room. He was scheduled for euthanasia the day that LCAS employees brought him back to Fort Myers. Soon afterward his owner, Amy Baron, was located but, now there was no way to get him back home. A plea to the public through the local media brought offers of help. One was from Steve Ludt, a Fort Myers resident with relatives in Mississippi. He offered to drive Payne home. In the meantime, LCAS veterinary staff diagnosed Payne with heartworm disease. Without treatment, the disease would eventually take his life. However, just having lost everything in the hurricane, his owner could not afford the expensive treatment. LCAS provided Payne's heartworm treatment at no charge and after several weeks rest he was scheduled to go home November 11th courtesy of Mr. Ludt. After surviving Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi and then Hurricane Wilma in Fort Myers, Payne experienced another round of bad luck. His recovery took a turn for the worse and he was unable to make the trip home until he recovered from pneumonia. After a tough recovery, Lee County Animal Services is finally happy to report that Payne will be going home soon. LCAS staff will take him to SW Florida International airport at noon on December 7th. Delta Airlines will fly him at reduced rate to St. Louis, Missouri where his owner, who has relocated to Millsteadt, Illinois, will pick him up. Payne's health certificate, necessary to fly, is being provided courtesy of Dr. Diana Gonzales of Animalife Veterinary Clinic and his airline approved crate has been donated by PETCO. For more information on Payne or pets available for adoption call Lee County Animal Services at (239) 432-2083 or view the website at http://leelostpets.com. Lee County Animal Services provides animal control services throughout Lee County and operates an animal shelter to house stray and abandoned domestic animals. It also administers low-cost spay/neuter programs, animal cruelty investigation, education, rabies control, and bite case management programs. The shelter is located off Six Mile Cypress Parkway next to the Lee County Sheriff's Dept. |