"The Navy's Here!"

Ingenuity in action.

"Deep in St. Bernard Parish, just south of New Orleans, a man stubbornly refused to leave his home, insisting he must stay with the only things he had left in the world — his two bulldogs and eight young puppies. And three friends wouldn't go anywhere without him.

"So a Navy crew built a kennel at the nearby base and, with the dogs safely secured, finally persuaded the group to leave their homes. By Wednesday they were headed to a shelter in Texas — dogs and all, Navy Commander Mark Scovill, captain of the USS Tortuga, said Wednesday…

"So, one winning argument, said Scovill, revolves around people's pets, since many rescuers won't allow residents to take their beloved animals with them. "The guy didn't have much to begin with and his dogs were more important than anything he had," said Scovill, in a telephone call from his ship. "He would rather stay there and be uncomfortable and miserable with his dogs, than be comfortable without them."

"As of Wednesday, sailors from the Tortuga had brought in about 50 pets, including dogs, cats and a few parrots, and put them in the newly built kennel at Naval Station New Orleans. After the pet owners were given food, water, medical attention and some rest, they were reunited with their animals and usually put on buses to shelters that would accepts the pets or to meet up with other family members."

posted by Harrison at 6:48 AM