Dogpatch Press

Co written by Pup Matthias and Patch.

Joe Garcia and Heidi. Photo: David J. Phillip / AP

Hurricane Harvey has been one of the biggest storms to hit the US.  As a category 4 storm, it hit Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana over the weekend, filling our newsfeed with stories of tragedy, courage, and sacrifice. It puts us as a nation and people to the test. We’ve heard the stories: from big ones like the news crew finding a man trapped in his truck and flagging down emergency vehicles to help – to smaller personal stories of neighbors helping neighbors.

Outside of the storm’s path, there’s a lot of talk about how the effects impact the country in many different ways. (Our own Uncle Kage addressed evacuation from his experience as an Emergency Manager Coordinator.)  If you can only watch from afar, the most important way to help is by donating. Even now, all emergency organizations, along with groups and personal accounts are asking for donations to combat the damage Hurricane Harvey will leave.

This is a great time to highlight efforts to help animals. Furry news is a good place for it.  The Furry community has always been proud about raising funds for charity, and that isn’t just for cons.

Remember that 250,000 pets were displaced or died in Hurricane Katrina, and some people refused to evacuate without them – it has become an important part of disaster planning, according to this video about saving animals in Hurricane Harvey. 

News stories from People, ABC News, and NBC have covered more efforts to help animals in need. I’m sure several of you heard or seen the hawk story. Many others will struggle to be heard. Patch has been collecting as many as he can find so we can spread the word and assist with donating what you can.

To help out our furry friends, below are a few local organizations and GoFundMe pages that Patch found. We encourage you to share, donate, and provide info on others we may have missed.

Organizations and Funds:

• Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward Project – a Houston Non Profit. They had a sketch artist rewarding donors for a limited time with sketches of their pet. Perhaps some furry artist would like to volunteer more?
• Austin Pets Alive! – APA’s FaceBook Page. They are housing hundreds of animals and hope for $20,000 in support.
• American Humane – A highly rated national organization sending volunteers to help.
• Houston SPCA and SPCA of Texas – Facebook pages (1) and (2)
• Louisiana SPCA – Currently recommending donation to the Texas SPCA’s above.
• Dallas Dogrrr – They are on the scene with boats.
• Doug and Sherry Jackson – They rescue dogs but the hurricane wrecked their home. Help them get $15,000 for repair.
• 4 Paws Farm/Harvey Disaster Animal Fund – This nonprofit is partnered with I Love My Dog, an online community of over 5 million followers.
• List of animal shelters and rescues in the path of Hurricane Harvey.

Again, help spread the word and donate what you can. We Furries pride ourselves in helping those in need. If you have find others, please send them our way. There haven’t been any specific furry-fandom angles brought to our attention, but we can boost that kind of story unlike other places for news.

Like the story of the starfish, even if we might not save everyone, we can still save one and make a difference. Thank you to Uncle Kage for forwarding us that story.  And thank you for retweeting and reposting ours to help.  Until next time fluffer nutters, have a nice day.

-Pup Matthias