New Orleans family searches for dog

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Sioux City Journal
By Dolly A. Butz Journal staff writer

A New Orleans family displaced by Hurricane Katrina is searching for their dog, which was brought to Sioux City in October and has since been adopted.

"Mimi," a 2-year-old female black Labrador retriever was one of 12 dogs taken in by the Siouxland Humane Society this fall.

Elodie Schaeffer, who is now living in Houston with her family, said they had to leave Mimi behind when they tried to evacuate before the storm hit. Schaeffer said Mimi became extremely agitated while they waited in traffic on the interstate and she said she feared the dog might bite her 6-year-old daughter.


"She's a very sweet dog, but she's very protective," she said. "That was scaring me."

With no way to get medical attention if the dog did bite someone, Schaeffer said they decided to leave Mimi at her grandparents' house. The house, which was evacuated, is located in the highest area of the city.

"We never thought (Katrina) would be that bad," Elodie said. "I never expected it would happen."

As they were about to leave her grandparents' house, Schaeffer said she looked back at Mimi and was torn.

Schaeffer had thought her dog was in San Diego until recently when someone versed in searching for missing pets found a picture of Mimi on petfinder.com. After being rescued, Mimi was taken to Sioux City.

The Siouxland Humane Society offered to house 12 of the 40 dogs that arrived in Des Moines from New Orleans by bus in October. All 12 dogs were put up for adoption on Oct. 15.

Last week Schaeffer's family contacted Jerry Dominicak, executive director of the Siouxland Humane Society. Dominicak was unable to reach the dog's new owners Sunday by phone. When he tried later, he got a recording saying the number had been disconnected. He told the Schaeffers he would send a letter to the dog's new owners with the intention that if the family has moved, the letter will be forwarded to them.

Although Schaeffer said the exact address where the dog was found was listed with Mimi, Dominicak said the shelter was not required to track down the animals' owners under the contract they signed with the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals when they agreed to take the 12 dogs.

"With no mail services a letter would go nowhere," Dominicak said. "We were at the end of the line. The dogs had been down there for months."

Under the contract, the Siouxland Humane Society, Dominicak said, was only required to hold the animals in shelter care until Oct. 15 and list them on petfinder.com. If left unclaimed, Dominicak said, under the contract, the animals became the "property of the satellite shelter."

Although Dominicak said the shelter received e-mails from national animal organizations asking them to hold the animals until the end of December, Dominicak said they were unable to do so because of limited space. Following the regulations set forth in the contract, the animals were put up for adoption Oct. 15.

Dominicak said if the dog's current owners decide to return her to the shelter, he will contact the Schaeffers and help reunite them with their dog.

Having lost nearly everything, Schaeffer said she is desperate to get Mimi back.

"I'm so thankful that she's alive, but it's a double-edged sword," she said. "This is my mission (to get her back). I just want to spoil her."

Mimi is black with a thin white stripe down her chest. She has one dark brown eye and one light brown eye. She has been renamed "Fay" by her new owners.

Anyone with information about Mimi is asked to contact Elodie Schaeffer at (832) 321-5230.