September 17, 2005 Update     The trip to the gulf coast was a tough but necessary one. It was important for me to see first hand what was needed so that Stray Rescue could focus its resources to have a direct impact at saving lives- we succeeded. In Defense of Animals has a sanctuary, Project Hope, in Grenada Mississippi and we teamed up with the wonderful Doll Stanley and her "crew" to hit the gulf coast. I have to say what I saw can not be put into words and give justice to the devastation, loss of life and tens of thousands of now homeless, scared and sick companion animals. It broke our hearts but gave us the drive needed to act. Sadly, communication is very poor and some of the larger national organizations are overwhelmed and have lost some focus reminding me of the same breakdown of the first responders to hurricane Katrina as we have seen on the news. However, Project Hope and Stray Rescue were able to set up a staging area at ground zero on the beach in Wavelyn, Mississippi. We spent our nights trapping animals and our days transporting supplies and animals from one make shift shelter to the next with stops along the way to care for pets in desperate need. It was great to see Teresa Williams, St. Charles Director of Humane Services, holding up the fort for Noah's Wish in one isolated devastated town. Many wonderful folks from the St. Louis area are down in the "war zone" lending a hand from all organizations in our area. We were able to bring back to St. Louis 20 dogs on our first trip, all now safe and cozy in a foster home. Stray Rescue has made a commitment to leave every Wednesday of each week of each month taking supplies to Project Hope and bringing back homeless companion animals. This is a big undertaking but we can not turn our backs on the hundreds of animals we can save and give them that special second lease on life- we can't and we won't. We are willing and able to assist Noah's Wish as well during these distressing months to come. Please continue to support our efforts as we, the animal loving St. Louis community, continue to make a difference in the lives of many animals and people. A special thanks to Derek Cohen and Donna Lochmann for going on this trip with me. They endured sleepless nights, no showers, and little food but showed such amazing dedication and love for the suffering animals and never once complained. We all arrived back as dirty as the dogs we brought with us! Please check our web site for additional updates as this journey unfolds as it is important to us to keep our supporters informed of our efforts. Once again, thank you for your support and generosity during these tough times. Click here to see photos of our trip to Mississippi. Woof! Randy Grim

1463 S. 18th Street Saint Louis, MO 63104 Phone: 314.771.6121

Home | Site Map | Contact Us | About Us | Site Credits & Permissions