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 and many were chosen by connections rather than by skill level.

Before she left, Laura noticed one dog that had a phone number on its tag. She called the number and got the owner's cellphone. He was thrilled to find that his dog was safe. It turns out that despite being in Lamar-Dixon for TWO WEEKS, nobody thought to call the number on this dog's tag. She tried a few more tags and found that nobody had called these owners either. This was likely due to disorganization. The sad part is these dogs are being sent off without the owner having ever being contacted.

Lamar-Dixon is basically empty now. It looks like the effort there will soon be over. We don't know if the rescuers will go back to New Orleans or not.

In the meantime, Laura drove over to Tylertown, MS and is now helping at the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary (Best Friends Hurricane Relief Center). There are about 12-15 people and about 40 animals at this facility. They are now bringing them in out of the rain.

If any of Laura's friends or family are reading this, she wanted you to know that she is safe and out of harm's way.