Katrina Survivors Facing Eviction; Unwitting Victims
COOPER: Now, welcome back to the surreal scene in St. Bernard Parish. This shrimp boat which has been deposited by the storm here in a residential community, or what remains of a residential community. Human beings can usually help themselves and one another as well, but as we saw as the waters rose after Katrina, animals can do neither of those things. They're entirely dependent on people. Those were some of the scenes that we saw in those terrible days after Katrina. That picture I took myself, that dog in a tree. So many dogs on the roofs of homes, floating on debris, not sure what would happen to them. They have been taken care of by hundreds of volunteers over these last several months. One of the shelters in particular that we found here in New Orleans is about to shut down, and there are hundreds of animals there, still in need. Take a look.</s>COOPER (voice-over): Cassie (ph) is one of Katrina's littlest victims. For the last several months, she's lived in a makeshift shelter, along with hundreds of other abandoned animals. Dogs and cats, birds, there's even a monitor lizard. On Tuesday, however, this shelter is closing. And the volunteers from Best Friends Animal Society, who run it, are desperate to find homes for all the pets.</s>COOPER (on camera): Is it hard getting these animals adopted?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes. Sometimes it's hard with the pit bulls, sometimes it's hard with the animals that don't look, you know, so pretty.</s>COOPER: Some animals are particularly difficult to find homes for.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Red, and Red is really fabulous.</s>COOPER: Red was partially paralyzed when he was hit by a car while wandering the streets. He's now in a wheel chair, but it doesn't slow him down. He still loves to play catch.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This guy is -- he's friendly to people, he's great with kids. He's great with other dogs, I mean, even with little dogs. This skin condition makes him look a bit funny. And he got that from the water here in New Orleans and all the chemicals.</s>COOPER: Polluted flood water, lack of food, Katrina was tough on so many of the animals here. Some are still scared from their experiences. (</s>On camera): So these two don't like to be separated?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they don't. This is Bobby and that's Bobby and they were found on a construction site...</s>COOPER: So they're both Bobby?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're both Bobbys.</s>COOPER (voice-over): Bobby the cat is blind, and follows Bobby the dog by listening for the sound of her collar tags. Juliet (ph), one of the managers of this shelter believes they must have come from the same house. She's hoping to keep them together. Juliet (ph) says the animals who aren't adopted, will be taken in by other shelters across the country or brought back to Best Friends headquarters in Utah. She promises none of the animals here will be put to sleep. As for Cassie, she's already spoken for. (</s>On camera): What's going to happen to her?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want her -- trust me.</s>COOPER: And a lot of people want her?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she lives with me. She's my little girl and I got her after I had been down here for two days and I took her off the truck myself and she now basically runs my life and I just pay for it. And she's awesome. She has an incredible little spirit. And she is actually a beagle/datsun mix, but we don't say that loudly.</s>COOPER: Why?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because she likes to be known as a pit bull/rottweiler.</s>COOPER: A happy ending for one little dog. An uncertain future for many others.</s>COOPER: Well, we wouldn't tell you such a story without also telling you how you can help. In this case to see what you can do about the needy pets in New Orleans, you can visit bestfriends.org. "On the Radar" tonight, our story about the two schools, one mostly African American, the other largely white, brought together by the storm. A lot of people writing into the blog. Frank in Tustin, California, says, "It is a bit sad that in the 21st century it took a disaster to bring these children together. But it is a VERY happy thing that they are finally getting to be in school together and make friends. We can but hope that their children won't have to think about that at all." And Stan in Baton Rouge, put it this way, "You want to solve the race problems in American then just turn the matter over to our kids and watch them work. Race problems only occur when adults intervene and impose their adult feelings. It's a shame that so many adults pass their hatred on to their children." Well put. A lot more ahead, stay with us.