Torteval Irish Wolfhounds

As most of Toni and Cliff's neighbors had lived through Hurricane Camille and elected to stay put, they did so as well. They were prepared for some flooding, and went through the house moving things up off the floor for what they hoped would be 2' of flooding, but as they watched the news of Katrina bearing down on New Orleans Toni had a terrible feeling about this one. At this point though, she heard that all the roads were jammed with cars like a huge parking lot, so they had no choice but to remain - five adults, four cats and three dogs. With a sense of urgency now, they started moving things higher.

When the storm hit there was a great deal of wind and rain, they saw their storage shed disappear and watched as the water came up over the road. Soon it was in their yard and then up to the doors of their home. They had sand-bagged the doors, but the water soon broke through the windows and they were standing in about 2' of water. It was still storming and the wind was still very strong.

Again, they walked through the house tossing things up higher. As the water rose to Toni's mid thigh (she's approx. 5'6" tall) they decided to move into the attic. They tossed their four cats and Hannibal (pomeranian) up first, along with food, water and candles. They went through the house pulling off doors to lay on the rafters to form a floor. The water level now was up to Toni's chest and she saw Caesar going by and heard him breathing hard, then panic set in as she realized he was not walking but swimming.

Access to the attic was from the master bedroom, where the water-bed was now afloat, so they placed Gamete (samoyed) and Caesar on it. The dogs instinctively knew to stay put and floated around the room while some of the adults went up into the attic. When it was Toni's turn she made Cliff and Chris promise that Gamete and Caesar would be next. Gamete was easy; then Caesar: Cliff and Chris lifted him up but then struggled to raise him high enough, in spite of Caesar cooperating throughout the ordeal. As the men struggled, Toni placed a towel around Caesar's front legs behind his elbows, and hoisted him up with the guys pushing from behind.

Caesar stands 34.5" at the shoulders, and once in the attic couldn't stand upright. All through the night they could hear the rain and wind, and experienced the changes in pressure. They feared the looming prospect of the attic floor giving in and worked out plans for different scenarios as they watched the water level rise. Toni would reach down and mark the wall to measure the water level - it reached 7'2", but they were fortunate that it never reached the attic and heard stories afterwards of people drowning in their attics.

As it started to subside Chris put on scuba gear and swam to the homes around them with his first aid kit. Later, they managed to reach Toni's adoptive mother's home, where they took refuge. Toni goes back to the house every day to salvage what she can and feels very fortunate that she can do this. So many have nothing, and she says that what you see on television is only part of the devastation - it really is as bad as it looks. They are coping well, and hope to find or build a home a little further inland. Mold has replaced the cheery colors on the walls and the house will have to be torn down and rebuilt. Teresa Kuntz, Caesar's breeder, has offered to take in all the animals until they have a new home, but for now, although very grateful for the offer, Toni is not prepared to part with any of them as they have been such a source of comfort to her throughout the ordeal.