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Kelly Gaus and the Seven Strays: A Ninth Ward Furry-tail
I can hear a choir of k-9s barking as I park my car in front of Kelly Gaus' Ninth Ward home. She is the founder of Dogs of the 9th Ward (D9)-a small, yet growing New Orleans dog rescue operation focused on not only the welfare of animals, but on the community as well.
The little nose of Pauline, her most famous find, tries to shift a window curtain out of the way so she can get a better peek at what's going on outside.
I don't even have to knock; Kelly has been well notified of my arrival. There is a bit of comedic commotion coming from inside as she attempts to rearrange her herd of four from blocking the door. I can hear her talking the talk of a loving dog owner, calmly assuring the bunch that it's okay.
The handle turns and a mammoth head (of what I think is the biggest dog I've ever seen) squeezes through the opening. It belongs to Chalmette, one of Kelly's two St. Bernards who was a leftover from a closing puppy mill. I quickly step inside and am warmly greeted by the wiggling and wagging Pit Bull pup Pauline, who Kelly rescued from certain death off the streets and nursed back to health. She is D9s 'poster child.'
While playing with Pauline I get a lovely lick on my hand by Ms. B, a gentle Great Dane that was left on Kelly's front steps with a note attached saying 'I heard you rescue dogs.'
I sit on the floor getting more acquainted with the three girls when suddenly I see a slow, strolling giant emerge from the back of Kelly's colorful shotgun house.
"That's Remy." Remy is the man of the house; a giant St. Bernard that dwarfs Chalmette in size. Kelly found him in Mississippi after Katrina. He was starving, plagued with heart-worm, and full of bullet wounds. One would never imagine his history given how kind and friendly he is. He "puts things in perspective," Kelly says.
With long blond hair and bright blue eyes, Kelly is like an ethereal, female version of Caesar Milan. She was always interested in dogs growing up, especially larger breeds, and spent a good amount of time thumbing through books on various types. Although born in Australia, Kelly grew up in the Ninth Ward near St. Claud since the age of three, and moved to Franklin- closer to the 8th ward- later on. She graduated from Tulane University in 2007 and will start at Law school there this fall.
The area she lives in, and city itself, holds a special place in her heart. "It’s an inspiring place, the 9th ward in particular. It's a combination of people and traditions, and I think it's great that in an area like this, that was so completely devastated by Katrina, everyone is fighting to come back." Like many New Orleanians, she wants to help make her home a better place - and is taking steps to do it.
When she returned to the Ninth Ward in March, she couldn’t help but notice a heartbreaking problem. "There is a huge stray dog population down here, and tons of roaming animals, and I immediately wanted to do something about them."
Sadly, the Ninth Ward has become a dumping ground for unwanted pets by people from other areas of the city. Increasing numbers of strays are seeking their shelter within vacant buildings in close proximity to populated Ninth Ward neighborhoods, where they can more easily forage for food (usually in the form of leftovers and garbage.)
While Kelly wanted to help all the dogs she came across, money was an issue. She simply couldn't afford to rescue the vast number of homeless dogs roaming the streets of her neighborhood.
Pauline's case was different however. When she found her in May, she had to do something. "She looked so horrible when I found her. She had no hair. Her skin was bleeding. She was 6 months old and 15 pounds. I knew she was going to die if I just left her there."
It was from this serendipitous event that D9 was born. After several online posts about Pauline, and an article in the Times Picayune, Kelly received enough donations to enable her to rescue several more dogs. With assistance from Prytania Veterinary Hospital, she is currently getting treatment for three more dogs with various ailments, and has placed them in foster homes throughout the city.
Bart is a six month old Beagle-Lab mix who was born on the streets and followed her home one day. Scout, a German Shepherd, and Basil, a Hound mix, were dumped by their owner at the industrial canal.
Kelly's mission is not only to help abandoned and stray dogs, but to make her community safer by educating residents about responsible pet ownership, humane treatment of animals, and ways to solve this growing problem.
There are several initiatives on the horizon for D9. Kelly is currently working to get her organization 501c3 non-profit status; right now she has been giving all donations to Prytania Vet, which has generously been volunteering their services to treat these newly rescued friends. She also plans to start humane education programs in schools throughout the city, beginning with the MLK Charter in the Lower 9th.
In her mind, people and organizations - especially those working in animal rescue efforts-are more successful working together than alone; "a key piece of what I'm doing is trying to forge positive and productive relationships with the community, other non-profits and animal rescue groups."
This Sunday, D9 will have a fundraiser hosted by New Orleans Dog Nanny in the CBD. From 3p.m.- 7p.m celebrate the Feast of St. Roch (patron saint of dogs) with snowballs, cocktails, treats (both dog and human!), music and much more.
You can contact Kelly through http://dogsofthe9thward.blogspot.com/
and find a map to the fundraiser at neworleansdognanny.com.
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