Friday Sniff: Helping L.A.

Understanding what is happening, and what will happen.

As most everyone is aware by now, Los Angeles is being ravaged by fire. Thousands of people and their pets have been forced to evacuate—to abandon their homes and most of their possessions. No matter how much we see and read online about what’s happening, it’s almost impossible to fathom from afar.

I have never experienced anything like fleeing from a natural disaster, but I was a part of the recovery effort of the 2018 Camp Fire, the most destructive and deadly fire in California’s history to that point. After the fires had been extinguished, I went to Paradise, CA with the North Valley Animal Disaster Group (NVADG) to help document the destruction, reunite lost dogs with their families, and raise funds for the long recovery effort.

The aftermath was eerie. What I had seen in the media weeks earlier was chaos and violent destruction: an inferno ripping through communities and people fleeing for their lives. But what I saw in person was…nothing. Nothing except chimneys. What once was a neighborhood of homes was now ash. A charred wasteland. I had to listen to my host, a NVADG firefighter, to try and comprehend what had happened:

“The Camp Fire burned fast and hot. It was very dry, with humidity in the single digits and heavy fuels – pine trees. Once it started it drove incredibly fast. People were in the hospital and were coming off of anesthesia to get out. An ambulance caught fire. We saw a chocolate Lab – his pads were burned off. His eyes looked right through us. He was in shock, paralyzed mentally. We could feel the PTSD everywhere. We’ve sheltered 2000 animals at the peak and are down to 1350 – horses, chickens, goats, sheep, reptiles. We pulled 62 Koi from a pond – no fish left behind. We rescued a hermit crab from a girl’s room. If we can’t capture a dog or cat, we’ll feed and water an animal in place – ‘shelter in place’. We send 20 people a day to feed and water the animals.”

Later on in the day we visited a makeshift pet-food pantry, where people could come to get supplies for their dogs and cats. I heard more horror stories:

“We were in the fire storm in Paradise together. I got her and my snake, but I forgot my turtle in the backyard. The house behind us was already on fire. It was time to go. There was no time to think. I would’ve been freaking out a lot more if I didn’t have my pets with me. I had to be calm for them.”

In speaking with the people who came to the pantry, one sentiment became a theme: people had lost everything, but because they had their pets, they had all they needed. They talked about their homes and all types of things they lost, but they said it all while looking into their dog’s eyes, and you could tell they felt a sense of hope.

Not everyone was so lucky. Eighty-five people perished and countless animals were lost to the fire. Many people couldn’t even get back to their houses to try to save their pets.

I think of the people now by thinking back to the Camp Fire victims. Can you imagine going towards the path of a rapidly moving fire, not only to see your home ablaze, but to hopefully save your terrified dog from a horrible death? Could you imagine not being able to find them and having to flee without them? Could you imagine seeing someone else’s lost dog fleeing the fire, not knowing where its family is? Many pets will be reunited with their humans, but many won’t. These are the types of stories that will unfortunately be real in the coming days and weeks.

I will be keeping close attention to the situation as it develops, like so many around the world. I have several close friends who have already lost their homes, and it will be years before the affected people and areas are able to recover and rebuild.

If you’re able to help, here are a few fundraising efforts that I think will have a very meaningful impact to the recovery effort:

Canine Rescue Club: Palisades Fire Canine Relief Fund

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Adoption Center LA: Amazon wishlist

Rags2Wags Palisades Fire Evacuation GoFundMe