It’s hard to believe, but it’s been more than eight years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Nearly 2,000 human lives were lost and hundreds of thousands were displaced by the time the Category 5 storm dissipated, making Katrina one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.
The storm also hit the animal populations of states like Louisiana and Mississippi hard. Families fleeing the rising waters sometimes faced the heartbreaking choice to leave their pets behind. Dogs and cats frightened by Katrina’s high winds and walls of water wandered the streets, and many animal lives were lost.
But sweet German Shepherd mix Trina is one dog who managed to survive. Rescuers found her walking down a debris-littered road after the storm died down. Trina was one of 16 dogs transported from Katrina-ravaged Gulfport, Miss., to Delaware County, Ohio, in the aftermath of the destructive storm.
While many of the other 15 rescued dogs staying at a local Ohio rescue were eventually reunited with their families, and others found homes with new owners, Trina hasn’t been so lucky. She survived one of the most devastating storms of the century, but Trina hasn’t yet found the forever family she’s been hoping for since 2005.
“Trina is the one dog who has fallen through the cracks,” says Ohio animal rescuer Michael Spitale.
When she was first rescued, Trina was around 1-year-old; now 9-years-young, Trina is a senior dog. But Spitale says for Trina, age is nothing but a number.
“To be here as long as she has been here, and to be as loving as she is, there’s something special about her,” Spitale gushes, hoping someone somewhere will realize what a gem Trina is and finally give the Shepherd mix the home she deserves.
“She connects with you the minute you get here,” Spitale adds passionately. “She connects — she wants to be with people.”
Now Spitale and other rescuers who know and love Trina are reaching out in hopes the perfect family will come forward and adopt the loving dog they took in eight long years ago.
“We want to do the best job we can finding her a home now that she’s a nine-year-old, so she can wind time down in a nice loving home,” Spitale tells ABC News.
If you are interested in adding Hurricane Katrina survivor Trina to your happy family, please contact her caretakers at ahomefortrina@yahoo.com today.
Source: ABC News, Life With Dogs
