One other thing pet lovers can do locally for the relief effort

[ehrnst]

Red Cross volunteers are being deployed on short notice. Most are only able to take a few weeks off of work, but some are having problems finding care for their pets.

I found this out when I answered an ad on my local craigslist from a volunteer who needed someone to care for her beagle Leo for 2-3 weeks while she is in New Orleans.

She told me that her coordinator at the Red Cross was too swamped to call around for kennels that might take him for free.

She gave me the number of her coordinator, and now I'm working to create a list for volunteers of people in the area willing to petsit for a few weeks. This list will be made available only to volunteers being deployed.

The coordinator told me that there would have been no way for me to reach her through the usual channels - all non-essential contacts are being put aside right now. So, unless you have a direct contact within your local Red Cross, coordinating this type of list for them will be difficult.

I'm seeing so many offers to foster Katrina pets from people far away from the hurricane region, so I'm sure that there are even more people who'd be willing to foster local pets for a very short time.

I think that if we get the word out for people to post offers to petsit for Red Cross volunteers on their local bulletin boards and craigslists, that we could fill another immediate need.

This might also be a way to increase interest in being a foster once the need for homes for Katrina pets has decreased.

Any other ideas on how to approach this?