Canine hurricane victim reunited with family

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

By Terri Daoust
Portola Editor1/4/06 Plumas County News

This is the saga of Jesse Jane, a purebred chow whose personality has touched many lives from Louisiana to Plumas County.



This past summer, as the world watched in horror, thousands of people saw their lives change in a flash as Hurricane Katrina swept in off the Gulf of Mexico, taking everything with her.

In the aftermath of the storm, many found their lives entwined across thousands of miles, even reaching rural Plumas County.

Among the many who lost their homes that day were Hazel, Albert, Andrew and Brittany Jones of New Orleans-along with their four dogs.

Andrew said Jesse began her life with the family quite by luck.

Jesse's sister Brittany was heading home from her aunt's house one day when she ran into a man on a bike being followed by a puppy.

The man said he no longer wanted the puppy and offered her to Brittany. ...

As the hurricane began baring down on the city, residents were ordered to evacuate.

"We didn't want to leave the dogs, but because of limited space in our small SUV with five people, including my grandmother, we couldn't bring the dogs with us," said Andrew.

The family also believed they would be gone for three or four days at most.

Andrew said they filled a storage tub with a 55-pound bag of dog food and filled 10 large pails with water. ...
As the days dragged on, the family members found themselves unable to return home and lost track of the dogs who had by then been rescued themselves.

Oscar, Samantha and Beanie ended up in Gonzales, La., and were found via the Internet. ...

Jesse had traveled from Louisiana to Portola, Calif., and was being taken care of by High Sierra Animal Rescue. ...

Although the family is still unable to return home, they are all together once again-which is what really matters.