100 dogs homeless displaced by BP oil spill are heading to St. Hubert's (NJ)

[Donna]

One hundred dogs in shelters along the Louisiana coast who were given up by their families due to economic hardships caused by the BP oil spill are about to get one-way tickets to Chatham Township and, hopefully, new homes.

The president of St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center said Monday that hundreds of people who relied on the fishing industry for their livelihoods began relinquishing their pets after the spill because they were faced with the decision of feeding their pets or themselves.

"Unfortunately their families are breaking up by having to give up their animals. We wanted to extend our arm and help in any way we could, by helping to take in the new animals.'' St. Hubert's president Heather Cammisa said.

On Thursday, approximately 100 dogs are scheduled to make the 24-hour drive from Louisiana to St. Hubert's shelter in Chatham Township. Adoption centers around New Jersey will then take the dogs and try to find them homes.

While the dogs are due to arrive Thursday, shelter officials are not sure when the dogs will be available for adoption.

"We're in a unique position to be able to assist,'' said Kim Saunders, a member of St. Hubert's Board of Trustees and vice president of shelter outreach for Petfinder.com, a website that lists animals available for adoption and has a foundation that is providing a grant to help pay for the transport operation.

Saunders had talked about the situation facing many pets along the Gulf of Mexico with Cammisa and the Humane Society of the United States, and plans to transport the animals were put in motion. The Humane Society is organizing transportation for the animals.

Several coastal parishes began reporting an immediate spike in the number of owners giving up their pets after the spill, according to the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

At St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter, one of several expected to send some of its dogs to New Jersey in the operation, 117 owners surrendered their pets in June. The year before, the shelter only saw 17 surrenders in that month. The shelter took in 288 animals in May, up from 60 the same month the previous year.

"Folks are moving into apartments, they are uncertain about employmenet opportunities for the future and reliqinquishing their pets to feed their families,'' said Katherine LeBlanc, communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, which has arranged similar transports to other parts of the U.S.

Saunders said the operation on Thursday will be carefully orchestrated so pets are cared for quickly and in the least stressful manner possible.

Cammisa said Thursday's forecast is hot, so volunteers and staff members will be sure plenty of water is available for the dogs when they're unloaded.

Some of the shelters partnering with St. Hubert's to take the dogs include Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter in East Hanover, Noah's Ark in Roxbury, Animal Alliance in Lambertville, the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as well as St. Hubert's North Branch and Madison shelters. That shelter has a Madison mailing address but is located in Chatham Township.