Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned

Hoboken, NJ (PRWEB) June 20, 2008 -- More than two years after the levees broke, the world is still drawn to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and its impact. This horrific event caused the people of New Orleans to lose everything imaginable, from family and friends to possessions and pets. However, in such dire times, the best in human nature often prevails. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina led to the largest animal rescue effort in history, with approximately 15,000 pets saved. Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned (Wiley, $19.99, hardcover) relates the stories of the many pets which loving owners had to make the heart-wrenching choice to abandon in the floodwaters: dogs and cats, birds and horses, and all of the animals left behind to fend for themselves.

A veteran journalist, author Cathy Scott rushed to New Orleans to aid in the rescue efforts of these pets and to cover the plight of helpless animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina for Best Friends magazine. Scott was there during--and participated in--Best Friends Animal Society's heroic rescue efforts, and in these pages relates captivating tales of tragedy and triumph. From her front-row seat and personal knowledge as a first responder and rescuer in the field, she pieces together stories using Best Friends' expansive database, from the first moments when the animals were rescued, to their examinations, treatment, and care by volunteers, until the day they are reunited with their families or placed in new homes. Due to Scott's unmatched coverage of these brave rescues, Best Friends Animal Society later hired her as a full-time writer for its magazine and website.

Published to coincide with the third anniversary of Katrina and to honor those involved, and those lost, in the rescue efforts, and featuring a foreword by actress and pet activist Ali MacGraw, Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It conveys the depth of the tragedy of Katrina and, more importantly, it celebrates the indomitable spirit of pets and the owners (original or adoptive) who love them. Covering rescues, heartwarming reunions, and stories of the selfless efforts of strangers brought together by a disaster to save animals, Pawprints of Katrina tells a story that needs to be told. This one-of-a-kind book also features a 32-page full-color section containing 50 photos, along with black and white photos throughout the book, supplementing the fascinating stories of survival.

About the author

Cathy Scott traveled to New Orleans at the request of Best Friends Animal Society to document the plight of pets displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She quickly became a rescuer as well as a reporter. Scott's work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Las Vegas Sun, George magazine, and Reuters News Service.

Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned

ISBN: 978-0-470-22851-7; $19.99; 256 pages

June 2008

To see other Howell Book House titles, go to www.howellbookhouse.com

Howell Book House®

Since 1961, Howell Book House has been America's premier publisher of books dedicated to the care, training, and enjoyment of companion animals. Howell Book House has earned more Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell Awards than any other publisher. The Howell Book House imprint includes the bestselling Your Happy Healthy Pet series and the Howell Equestrian Library, the most authoritative, comprehensive books available on horses and horsemanship. Howell's authors include leading trainers, veterinarians, breeders, and authorities on every type of animal commonly-or not so commonly-kept as a pet. For more information, visit howellbookhouse.com. Howell Book House is an imprint of Wiley.

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