Long after the storm was past, The HSUS was hard at work providing care for the animals affected by Hurricane Katrina. In the end we helped rescue 8,500 animals across the region, answered more than 45,000 calls from desperate pet owners and caring individuals, and helped with or followed up on more than 2,200 reunions between pets and their families.

The emergency shelter we set up at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, Louisiana, was the largest of its kind in history—at its peak housing nearly 2,000 animals. And when the survivors were transferred out of Gonzales to shelters and rescue groups around the country, we worked with the facilities to ensure that they held the animals as long as they could to allow for as many successful reunions as possible.

We're still on the ground helping animals, and our commitment to them will continue long into the future. We partnered with the American Animal Hospital Association to create the Katrina Pet Wellness Program to help fund basic veterinary checkups for pets displaced by the storm. We pledged to help restore the animal sheltering and protection capacity of the Gulf Coast, contributing $5 million along with the ASPCA's $2.5 million to the Katrina Reconstruction Fund—with the goal of raising $10 million more. We collaborated with the ASPCA, the Humane Society of Greater Miami and Adopt-A-Pet, and the American Hospital Association Helping Pets Fund to establish the Hurricane Heartworm Treatment Program to offer treatment grants of up to $500 per pet for those taken from the disaster zone. And we're helping the humane societies and shelters across the nation that took in and helped reunite Katrina's victims and their families with $2 million in grants. 

We're proud of the work we've done to help so many animals left in Katrina's wake. But none of our successes would have been possible without the help of the many individuals, organizations, and companies that offered support. Mutts® cartoonist Patrick McDonnell raised more than $10,500 for our Disaster Relief Fund by auctioning off a hand-colored Sunday comic strip. And Red and Rover's Brian Bassett and Farley's Phil Frank used their comic strips to encourage people to support our work. Hollywood lent star power, as well—actor Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), political humorist Bill Maher (Real Time with Bill Maher), actress Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me), actor Joe Mantenga (Joan of Arcadia), singer Carrie Underwood (American Idol), and singer/actress Persia White (Girlfriends) all created television and radio public service announcements for us. Many companies also came to the aid of the animals—most notably, AOL, Hill's® Science Diet®, PETCO, PetSmart, and Schering-Plough generously supported our efforts.

Most of all, we're enormously grateful for the unprecedented generosity of the members like you who sent funds to support our work, of the more than 2,000 volunteers who traveled to the affected areas to help us rescue and care for the animals, and of our staff members who donated their evenings and weekends for weeks on end to meet the challenge. Your compassion has made all the difference. For more on our disaster preparedness and relief efforts and how you can help, visit www.hsus.org/disaster.