Horses Left Homeless By Wildfires Need Our Help

Dana

TW has always been blessed to have friends all around the globe, both in this life and the last. One of those friends now needs our help. Not for herself but on behalf of the horses lost and misplaced due to the Bastrop, TX, wildfires. Dana is a Texas gal through and through. In fact, those who attend #Nipclub might remember I dedicated my Blues' night set to her because one of her passions is blues music. She challenged TW to listen to it and embrace it. Dana bought TW her first Mahalia Jackson LP—yes, that's LP—and she was the first friend to telephone after 9/11 to see that the peeps were alright.

Living in Bastrop, TX, another one of Dana's passions is horses. Among the horses Dana owns is a gorgeous paint mare named Benecio. On Labor Day, 500 homes were detroyed in and around Bastrop by a particularly lethal wildfire. Dana and her son were evacuated from their home. Although they've since returned, these fires are still smoldering, with new ones breaking out seemingly daily. Texas wildfires have been burning since November, 2010. They've already burned over 3 and a half million acres in the state. As some of you know, this has been an unusually hot, dry summer in Texas, which serves to exacerbate—I can't believe I just used that word—the problem. Many of those who lost homes had horses and house pets. Clueless Texas Governor Rick Perry recently slashed the budget for the Texas Forest Service, which provides a first line of defense against wildfires.

Dana has axed us to promote the efforts of the Bluebonnel Equine Humane Society, who along with Lost Pines Riding Club, are working to get help to the equine and other livestock victims of the wildfires. Lost Pines is housing horses and livestock that have been evacuated due to these fires, as well as stray livestock found fleeing the fires. They need donations of hay and grain, as well as money that can be used to purchase hay and grain to feed these animals. Donations can be made to the wildfire fund via Paypal here or may be mailed to Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, P.O. Box 632, College Station, TX 77841. Please include a note with any mailed donation marking it "Bastrop wildfire recovery fund."

Benecio came from Bluebonnet Equine HS.

One of the places evacuated in the Bastrop fires was the Bastrop Animal Shelter. 160 animals were rescued from the shelter and taken to Austin Pets Alive. An army of animal welfare volunteers have flocked into the area to help injured animals. A Houston-based, no-kill shelter brought in its mobile shelter to help treat injured Bastrop animals until their owners can be found. Workers have found some animals wandering alone and sometimes with minor burns. Anyone in Bastrop looking for a lost pet should check with Friends for Life, Austin Pets Alive and the Austin Humane Society. The AHS site is worth going to just to see the adorable rapping dog video on their home page. There is a Facebook page, which lists found pets in the area.

I know we in the anipal community have been axing for your peeps' green papers a lot in the recent months but these horses and cattle can really use your help. TW, Dana, myself and the animals would appreciate your help one more time.