By Susan Michaels, Co-Founder
Pasado's Safe Haven

It seems like far longer ago than only two years. After a long day, I had just fed our dogs
and cats, and had a pan full of kernel corn to bring out to the chickens when I decided to
turn on the TV to check on "that hurricane" that was barreling towards the Gulf. I tuned to
CNN and what appeared before my eyes would change me, both personally and professionally, forever.

I froze, with the pan of corn in my hands, as I watched a dog, clinging to a tree as the flood
waters rose beneath him. I can't even recall what the CNN anchor was saying, if anything.
I'm sure something. It didn't matter. I just saw 'that dog'.

I hit the TIVO record button, capturing from the beginning what I'd seen. I turned the TV off.
I couldn't bare to watch anymore.

I went about my business. Fed the chickens. Filled the water bowls for everyone. Then
my husband walked in the door.

"You need to see this," I said. And turned on the TV. We both watched in silence.

"We have to go," I said.
"We do," he responded sadly.

And that, was the beginning of life, and death.

Pasado's Safe Haven was a relatively small sanctuary before Katrina hit. But this "small"
sanctuary had already passed a record number of cruelty bills, achieved the first conviction of an egg farmer in the U.S., and built an international following after appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and other national media outlets. Still, we were a handful of people, with a lot of passion.

And then Katrina hit. People like you wanted to help, but the "big" orgs didn't respond to you, or didn't respond fast enough. Somehow, you found Pasado's. And we did respond, updating our website sometimes every five minutes as news would happen. Life changed after Katrina. And not all for the good.

I "met" most of you when you e-mailed through this website. People who went to save the suffering animals returned changed, forever. Some, would simply never return.

We lost one good friend to suicide. His partner of 25 years wrote to me saying that
although he had suffered from life-long depression, the one time he truly felt "alive" was
when he was rescuing beside us during Katrina. But when he returned home, despite
struggling to keep the feeling of worth he knew when he lifted a paw to safety, he simply
gave up. His partner now cares for his beloved dog.

Relationships fell. Others suffered from depression, for week or months. But with their own inner spirit, friends, family, and of course, their fur kids (and sometimes with the help of psychiatric professionals) they slowly recovered from what they saw, heard, smelled.

We all lost something. At the very least, a part of our souls.

But for all the bad, I wouldn't have done anything differently. I would never have changed
that day - that moment - when I saw "that dog" on TV -  because in the end that sacrifice helped save 1200 animals. I may be presumptuous, but I believe that others feel the same way. It was worth it.

So there are no regrets, although there will be painful memories to live with for years to
come. What helps is to realize what the future holds.

Because of our new-found friendships and alliances, we had a 1500 acre "gaucho" farm
donated for use if Hurricane Dean had ravaged the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Our
army of volunteers we had met during Katrina had already rallied, calling and e-mailing
wanting to know if they could help as 'Dean' looked like a 'bad' one. Our coveted "Pasado
Animal Rescue" t-shirts were delivered by the dozen and were ready to outfit everyone.
Luckily, Dean fell apart, but we're ready for the "next one" nonetheless.

I hope the rest of "hurricane season" spares both human and animal life. There are
"animal disasters" that happen every day that don't require hurricane force winds to make
it worthy of attention. Dogs who live their lives on chains, hens who go blind and insane
crammed in egg farm cages for their entire lives. Cows and their babies who suffer at
slaughter.

We ask that you look no further then your own backyard, or your dinner plate to find
suffering, and are moved to stop it.

If you haven't visited our Katrina memory pages, click here. And if you'd like to be part of
our animal rescue team, anytime an animal needs help, please let us know. We'd be so
honored to work with you.

And if you'd like to meet Mamacita, let us know here!