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Friday, 11/25 1:00PM ET— UPDATE ON NEW ORLEANS RESCUE MISSION
I just returned from working with Jane Garrison and Animal Rescue New Orleans. They have a makeshift facility staffed with a diverse group of volunteers united by their love of animals...
Monday, 11/21 9:20PM ET— HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS COMING SOON
Heidi has come back from New Orleans with many photos. We will be posting them as soon as she can upload them.
Saturday, 11/19 9:00AM ET— UPDATE ON THE LA/SPCA
The situation is dire in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA) is killing rescued animals by lethal injection after five days—tags or no tags.
Friday, 11/18 2:30PM ET— THOUSANDS OF PETS STILL LOOSE IN NOLA
Heidi Poor reports that as the city begins rebuilding, thousands of animals are still roaming the streets. Most of the unfortunate creatures still have owners looking for them...
Wednesday, 11/16 9:00PM ET— STARFISH BACK RESCUING IN NOLA
We are back in New Orleans rescuing animals. Heidi Poor, a core volunteer with Project Starfish, arrived in New Orleans last night to do what she can to help the thousands of animals still in dire need.
Friday, 11/04 10:00PM ET— NEW UPDATE ON BRUNO THE PIT BULL
This is the second update on Bruno, the emaciated pit bull who came in on the Vermont transport. We just heard from Mike, Bruno’s foster dad, and things are going a lot better.
Tuesday 11/3, 2005 7:00PM ET— SECOND PA TRANSPORT A SUCCESS
Thanks to the team effort of many wonderful people from around the country, for the second time in a month, Project Starfish transported Katrina animals to Butler, PA.
Thursday, 10/20 9:45PM ET— UPDATE ON TWO TRAUMATIZED PUPPIES
Two of the dogs we took from Broken Down Dogs Shelter in Alexandria, LA were severely traumatized and scared from the moment we picked them up.
Wednesday, 10/19 11:30PM ET— UPDATE ON BRUNO THE PIT BULL
Those of you who looked at the Vermont slide show saw Bruno, the emaciated tan and white pit bull that was close to death. We are happy to report that Mike, Bruno's foster dad, told us that Bruno is doing better.
Tuesday, 10/11 9:40PM ET— VERMONT TRANSPORT A HUGE SUCCESS!
The transport to Vermont was a huge success and was covered by the local media.
Tuesday, 10/11, 2005 9:30PM ET— PENNSYLVANIA NOW HOME FOR 32 ANIMALS
The Pennsylvania transport hit the road on Thursday, Sept. 29th at 6:30 PM. We were heading to Broken Down Dogs in Alexandria, LA to load our horse trailer with dogs and cats and come back to PA.
Friday, 10/7 10:25PM ET— TRANSPORT UPDATE
Today was an extremely busy day. Multiple transports from six different states are all happening this weekend.
Thursday, 10/06 9:30PM ET— STARFISH FUNDS HEARTWORM TREATMENT FOR 10 DOGS
We are happy to announce that Project Starfish has treated 10 dogs for heartworm in Alexandria, LA.
Tuesday, 10/4, 10:45PM ET— LETTER TO EDITOR
A Letter to the Editor mentioning Project Starfish was published in the Asheville, NC Citizen-Times today about the animals of Hurricane Katrina.
Tuesday, 10/04 8:15PM ET— TRANSPORT BRINGS 32 ANIMALS TO PA
One of our Starfishers just returned from Alexandria, LA. She is tired and dazed, but otherwise elated that she and her crew of five were able to rescue 32 animals (12 dogs and 20 cats).
Tuesday, 10/4 7:25PM ET— TEXAS ANIMAL RESCUE UPDATE
We just heard from our professional animal rescue contacts on the ground in Texas. They are rescuing animals left stranded by Hurricane Rita.
Monday, 10/03 10:00PM ET— RESCUED AUSSIES COMING TO NEW ENGLAND
Today we learned of an elderly couple and their Aussies that need our help. The Don't Be Cruel Sanctuary in Albany, LA is trying to place three beautiful, pure bred Australian Shepherds that can no longer be cared for by their owners.
Saturday, 10/01 9:00PM ET— MASS TRANSPORT ARRIVES IN LA
The two volunteers drove a polo horse trailer filled with supplies such as dog and cat food, kitty litter, food bowls, ... . These supplies were generously donated by the people of the North Shore area in Massachusetts.
Saturday, 10/01 10:30PM ET— PROJECT STARFISH FUNDS HEARTWORM TREATMENTS
More than half of the dogs that we are rescuing in Louisiana and Mississippi are infected with heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis). Heartworm is a very serious parasitic infection that will kill its host unless treated.
Saturday, 10/01 9:30PM ET— BOGALUSA MEETS HER NEW DAD
Many of you fell in love with Bogalusa (a.k.a. Bogie). She is a real sweetie, but also a real handful! Cynthia has placed her with one of her closest friends who lives nearby.
Saturday, 10/1 8:45PM ET— PA GROUP TRANSPORTS 32 ANIMALS
The crew spent a few hours testing the dogs for heartworm (they can only bring heartworm negative dogs into PA) and ended up leaving with 12 dogs and 20 cats. Each one of the animals has a pre-screened adoptive home waiting in PA.
Friday, 9/30 11:30PM ET— RESCUE EFFORTS IN TEXAS
Huff and his crew are now based Beaumont, TX and today they rescued 80 animals.
Friday, 9/30 10:15PM ET— RESCUED DOG
...This poor girl was fenced in a yard with two male pit bulls, one of which was vicious due to abuse...
Friday, 9/30 2:35PM ET— APPEAL TO STARFISHERS IN CT, MA, RI, ETC
All dogs at this pound are urgent—dogs only get 8 days to be adopted before being euthanized.
Friday, 9/30 1:25PM ET— HSUS STILL TURNING REIGNS OVER TO LASPCA
the shelter at Lamar Dixon still has a close date of Oct 15. Please urge people to go get their animals asap. If not, they may end up being sent out of state in a foster situation with rescue groups and it will be a much bigger endeavor to retrieve their pets.
Thursday, 9/29 8:10PM ET— GREAT INFORMATION FOR FOSTER HOMES
A great thread in our forum includes information on specific needs rescue pets have.
Thursday, 9/29 5:30PM ET— APPEAL TO STARFISHERS IN MASS
Unfortunately, I don’t have any updates to report regarding when Katrina animals will be arriving in Massachusetts. I have been calling around and it seems that the shelters in our area are receiving a ton of calls about Katrina pets.
Thursday, 9/29/05 5:00PM ET— UPDATE- NOT SUCH GOOD NEWS
As of this morning, according to the coordinator for volunteers deployment to the Gulf Coast for the Humane Society of the US, the HSUS is still fighting the LA veterinarian's mandate to halt rescue activities as of 9/30.
Thursday, 9/29 3:30PM ET— STARFISHERS ADOPT TWO DOGS FROM NH
We are happy to announce that five out of the seven “Katrina” dogs we featured on our site from the New Hampshire Humane Society have found homes.
Wednesday, 9/28 11:20PM ET— UNITED ANIMAL NATIONS PRESS RELEASE
Today United Animal Nations (UAN) praised U.S. Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada) for his plans to assess the pet rescue and relief efforts taking place in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Wednesday, 9/28 12:05AM ET— WE SPOKE WITH HSUS CEO
Laura called Wayne Pacelle,CEO of HSUS today. She asked him to if they'd considered getting keys from families to their homes to make home rescues easier.
Wednesday, 9/28 12:01AM ET— A SUCCESS
Spaymart, located in NO and Picayune was in desperate need for cat food for their shelter animals and to feed their feral cat populations around the city.
Tuesday, 9/27 11:35PM ET— ASPCA REQUEST
The emergency shelter in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans is in urgent need of shelter staff, rescue teams and dedicated hard workers.
Tuesday, 9/27 9:00PM— HAPPY ENDING UPDATE
I just received a picture that made my day (or week, or month, or even year!)
Tuesday, 9/27 8:20PM— GENERAL UPDATE
The crew in this transport will then spend several days at the shelter helping in much the way that Cynthia, Karin, and Heidi did before. We also have two volunteers heading to Lamar-Dixon on Sunday, so this means we will be getting more updates!
Monday, 9/26 9:45PM— UPDATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS
We have heard that Massachusetts will soon be in a position to take animals (but no word on when they will arrive).
Monday, 9/26 9:30PM ET— UPDATE FROM LOUISIANA
We have heard from our contacts on the ground in Louisiana that there are two areas that need help immediately.
Monday, 9/26, 2:00PM ET— UPDATE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE
Project Starfish is going to sponsor two of the dogs from St. Charles Parish in New Orleans that are now living at CAHS.
Monday, 9/26, 12:20PM ET— UPDATE FROM LAURA IN CALIFORNIA
A cat rescue group in New Orleans that urgently needs help is holding 200-300 cats in two locations, one New Orleans and one in Picayune, MS...
Monday, 9/26 11:15AM— PROJECT STARFISH FORUM LAUNCHED
We strongly encourage you to join our forum since it is only as a community that we will attack all of these issues head on.
Sunday, 9/25, 11:25PM ET— CONVOY UPDATE
If you are a vet tech (or vet) and can join our convoy, they would be really grateful your help...If you live in or near Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, or Jackson, they can pick you up and drop you off.
Sunday, 9/25 7:20PM ET— KATRINA CATS AND DOGS AVAILABLE IN MO
Two of the dogs featured in our slide shows are now at HSMO. The HSMO has taken about 150 animals from Lamar-Dixon to their shelter.
Sunday, 9/25, 5:30PM ET— UPDATE FROM NEW ORLEANS
Teams were out early this morning rescuing animals in the city. In fact, a few teams were already out yesterday afternoon. The shelter at Lamar-Dixon is gearing back up and is taking in animals again.
Sunday, 9/25, 12:25M ET— PS TO SPONSOR SIX RESCUED DOGS
...These six dogs are in pretty bad shape. For example, a lab has chemical burns from the sludge. Each needs medical care and Project Starfish is happy to announce that it will be sponsoring the vet bills for these dogs...
Saturday, 9/24, 9:00PM ET— UPDATE FROM LOUISIANA:
Cynthia has now also left Lamar-Dixon. Last night, she tried to get back into the facility, but since she didn't know the "secret password" they didn't let her in.
Friday, 9/23, 8:30PM ET— UPDATE FROM LAMAR-DIXON
Laura checked in and she has left Lamar-Dixon. She had been planning to stay longer, but was ordered to leave by FEMA. Only a small number of volunteers were allowed to stay
Friday, 9/23, 7:30PM ET— UPDATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has issued an emergency order: "as of this date, and until further notice, no dogs or cats will be permitted entry...
Friday, 9/23, 10:45AM ET— UPDATE FROM LAMAR-DIXON
Cynthia and Laura both recently called in with reports on what is going on at Lamar-Dixon.
Friday, 9/23, 10:30AM ET— UPDATE FROM WASHINGTON DC
Congressmen Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut), and Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) are co-sponsoring a bill that would require pets to be included in evacuations.
Thursday, 9/22, 10:10PM ET— UPDATE FROM LAMAR-DIXON
Laura, our volunteer from California, called in with a report of what is going on at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.
Thursday, 9/22, 2:45PM ET— UPDATE FROM NEW ORLEANS
According to Cynthia, rescue workers were let out into the city today but they had to be out by noon. Cynthia and her friends from HSMO rescued a few cats and one large pig.
Thursday, 9/22, 2:45PM ET— ANOTHER ARTICLE:
We were written up in the New London Day, Connecticut.
Wednesday, 9/21, 12:30PM ET— UPDATE FROM LAMAR-DIXON
Cynthia just reported that Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans is not allowing any animal rescue groups into New Orleans today due to Hurricane Rita.
Tuesday, 9/20, 9:20PM ET— UPDATE ON FOSTER/ADOPTION
I wanted to give you an update on the fostering/adoption process. I know the wait for an animal has been frustrating and I wanted to give you the latest information we have.
Tuesday, 9/20, 8:30PM ET— UPDATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Earlier today I spoke to Carter Luke, Executive Vice President at the MSPCA-Angell in Boston. Luke is managing the entire logistical operation for bringing these animals to Massachusetts
Tuesday, 9/20, 2005— IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Since we launched our website on Sept 4, we have been amazed at the outpouring of support. These past few weeks have been the most inspiring time of our lives. We don't want this to stop. We want to continue being a source of information, on-the-ground rescue, and a voice for animals. We want to fight for spay and neuter efforts, low-cost vaccines, and stiffer penalties for animal cruelty. We want to stop kill shelters and fight for legislation requiring mandatory evacuation of animals in disaster areas…
Tuesday, 9/20, 3:25PM ET— RESCUED!
In a followup to the update this morning about the woman who called us with her address, there is good news and bad news. They got to the address and went into the attic to find two of the dogs dead but one still alive.
Tuesday, 9/20, 1:30PM ET— DOGS IN I.C.U.
She went into the Animal I.C.U. area of Lamar-Dixon and couldn't believe what she saw. About 40 animals who were in such sad shape that she started crying. Dogs who couldn't move anything but their eyes, little puppies with blue slippers on because of damage to their feet, bald dogs without fur, etc.
Tuesday, 9/20, 11:35AM ET— UPDATE FROM CYNTHIA
She told me about a pit bull they just rescued that is in the van with them now. He was in an alley and they thought he was dead at first because the flies were eating him, but he moved his eyes and looked at them...
Tuesday, 9/20, 11:15AM ET— RESCUE ATTEMPT
Last night at almost midnight, we received a call from a woman in tears who could not get in touch with anyone to go try and rescue her dogs. We took her address and she told us they were left in the attic above the garage.
Monday, 9/19, 10:40PM ET— ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
I just had the opportunity to speak with Julia Cumes, a photo journalist who was out with the rescue team on the water today. She arrived yesterday at the Expo Center and described her first 24 hours. Here are the highlights of our conversation.
Monday, 9/19, 9:00PM ET— UPDATE FROM CYNTHIA
Cynthia spent the day in a Tyvek Suit decontaminating animals at the staging area in New Orleans. This is the temporary station they set up for rescuers to bring the animals to after they are removed from streets and empty houses.
Monday, 9/19, 4:50PM ET— UPDATE FROM NEW ORLEANS
The first rescue that Cynthia described took place in a house that had been flooded for quite some time. In this house were two small and terrified dogs. They were filthy and huddled on an upturned mattress.
Sunday, September 18, 11:45AM ET— UPDATE FROM NEW ORLEANS
On their way into New Orleans, Cynthia and her crew already had successful rescue. They were sitting in a traffic jam on I-10 and Cynthia saw what she thought was a pair of ears sticking up from the embankment on the other side of the highway.
Sunday, 9/18, 10:45AM ET— WRITEUP
We were written up in the Boston Sunday Globe (North Shore Edition, where Cynthia lives) today.
Saturday, 9/17, 7:40PM ET— UPDATE FROM CYNTHIA
Many dogs scatter when they try to rescue them. They can basically run in any direction since the city is so empty. They run down the highway, down streets, or wherever. The rescuers will leave a lot of food and big gallon containers of water everywhere so the animals can eat and drink after the rescuers leave.
Friday, 9/16, 10:30PM ET— A "STARFISH" WAS SAVED TODAY
we sent an urgent appeal to our list of people in NC waiting for a Katrina pet. Many have offered help and today a wonderful person saved K-7 # 1139 URGENT from a certain death.
Wednesday 11/16, 2005 10:00PM ET— PETFINDER.COM POLICY
A few people have asked us about how Project Starfish attempts to reunite animals with their owners. We wanted to explain how we work, especially regarding posting dogs on Petfinder.com.

It is important to understand the scope of our work. Project Starfish facilitates the transport of animals, but we do not house any animals. Instead, we work with approved humane societies, shelters, and rescue groups across the US who house, vet, and foster out the animals.
Tuesday 11/3, 2005 7:30PM ET— AN IMPORTANT LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDERS
You may be wondering why the updates on ProjectSarfish.org have slowed down lately. It may look like we have not been working hard, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we have been working so hard that we have not had time to keep you updated. We know that is not a good thing and want to improve.
Wednesday, 11/16 9:00PM ET— PROJECT STARFISH BACK RESCUING IN NOLA
We are back in New Orleans rescuing animals. Heidi Poor, a core volunteer with Project Starfish, arrived in New Orleans last night to do what she can to help the thousands of animals still in dire need.

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