8 State Hurricane Kate

Saturday – September 16, 2006 – Billabong finds a new home!

Taken from the following website – written by Barry, Billabong’s new owner.

http://www.sandpiperconcepts.com/winkipop.htm

I first heard about Billabong from the following post from Jenny Pavlovic on the ACD-L on 9-3-06:
I received a message about three cattle dogs in the Roicy Duhon Animal Control Center in Lafayette, LA. They have been held over from a scheduled death sentence more than once-the next date scheduled is September 7th. The problem is that the shelters down there are still being overloaded by stray Katrina animals and their offspring. The chances of them being pulled or adopted locally are slim to none.
One of the workers down there has a special fondness for cattle dogs and has been looking out for them as best she can. She wrote: “My heart belongs to the precious little blue Heeler who has known very little kindness. Someone has not treated her well, and she is scared to death. She has been held over before, and I am making a special plea for her. Please, someone pull her and show her people are not all cruel. Each of these animals is awesome, and deserving of a second chance. Please try and make one space to save a life.
Please help if you can.
The 3 cattle dogs are listed at the following links:
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6902904

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6922543

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6941837

Given I had been thinking about getting a second ACD as a companion for Winkipop and I wanted this dog to be a rescue and I had such high regard for Jenny in as much as her rescue work…I checked out the links and saw this beautiful little girl in the first page:

WOW – what a beauty! So without hesitation I posted back:
Thanks for the heads up, Jenny. I’m interested in helping and would take the female. I think she and Winkipop would be superb together.

What’s the next step? Any chance we could get her to Florida a little closer drive for me? I’m near Daytona Beach.
And so the wheels began to turn……over the next few days Jenny contacted a friend (Nancy) who arranged to have Billabong pulled by another friend. Then she also contacted another area friend (Suzanne) who put together a request for transporting Billabong from LA to FL, this to be done by a group of volunteers who each transport Billabong a given distance (or leg) until she arrives at her forever home.
The transport run was reduced from 12 to only 4 legs! You see…Nancy, who sprung Billabong from the shelter and graciously cared for her that subsequent week (including taking her to her vet for checkup and meds), saw how Billabong was a bit shy and timid around strangers and asked that she carry Billabong exclusively into the Florida panhandle all the way from Louisiana, an incredibly generous offer. Her ONLY concern was to lessen the stress of this little Cattle Dog by reducing the number of relays in the transport. Nancy..you are an angel!
Other players who chipped in and graciously donated their time and efforts in this transport and thereby saving this little girl’s life are Jon and Linda (THANK YOU!!!) and Bob and Lynn (THANK YOU!!!).
So Saturday came and everything went as planned. Billabong started the day at the home of Nancy and ended the day at her forever home with Bazza and Winkipop. Here are some photos of that day:

Bazza, Winkipop and Billabong head home

Winkipop and Billabong having a good old play

Written by Jenny on Saturday, September 16, 2006 (the day that Billabong traveled to her new home) 8:12 PM:
I received a message from Lynn that Billabong and Winkipop (Barry’s first blue heeler) got along great this evening and that Barry is on his way home with the two girls. Thanks so much to everyone who made this rescue happen. Billabong had just a few hours left at the Lafayette, LA shelter on September 7th when Nancy’s friend Irene pulled her for Barry. Nancy took Billabong to the vet and took care of her for over a week, then drove her all the way from Louisiana to Florida, where Jon, then Lynn and Bob continued with Billabong on her journey to meet Barry.
I first heard of Billabong’s plight in an e-mail sent to me by Cindy (in Virginia), who I met in Gonzales, LA last fall after Hurricane Katrina while standing in line to get a rescued blue heeler (Kate) vetted. Debbie (in LA) had forwarded the info to Cindy, among others. Nancy and I had also met, literally, over Kate, who we were both watching out for at Gonzales after Hurricane Katrina.
Here’s the rest of the story….I would not have met Cindy or Nancy or Barry or Lynn if it had not been for Kate (www.8StateKate.net). And today is the one year anniversary of the Saturday night that Kate and I both arrived at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA, where our paths crossed. I do believe that Kate is smiling down on all of you tonight.
Jenny