luvthatduke
It's not a vacation unless it's a road trip.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2004
- Messages
- 2,953
Blind Katrina Victim Reunites With Guide Dog
(There was a nice picture w/this but I couldn't link it)
Hurricane Katrina separated thousands of families,
and many are still searching for their loved ones.
A New Orleans man is one of the lucky ones.
James Mercadal is back with his partner of five years,
someone who's truly his best friend in every sense of the word.
"The day of the hurricane, I was in my home and it was just my dog and myself and the good Lord," Mercadal said.
Mercadal tried desperately to ride out the storm.
"I was lying on the floor in the den
and the next thing I felt was my feet getting wet," Mercadal said. **
A neighbor rescued Mercadal from his flooding house,
but told him he had to leave his dog behind.
But Jake isn't just a beloved pet, he's Mercadal's guide dog.
"Without him, I feel like I'm blind again," Mercadal said.
Mercadal was relocated to a Red Cross shelter in Houston.
He was desperate for news, but never lost hope that Jake would be found.
"Life without him is a thought I refuse to have," Mercadal said.
Church members contacted Leader Dogs For The Blind,
the organization that trained Jake, for his microchip identity number and a photo and posted fliers on over 20 Internet sites.
"People just went to work so fast, all the volunteers,"
shelter volunteer Shelly Thornton said.
The moment when the waters receded, National Guardsmen
came to post the missing dog notice on Mercadal's front door.
They found Jake waiting patiently for his master.
"All I can say is God answers prayers," Mercadal said.
After nearly three weeks and a six-hour car ride,
Jake found his way home to his master.
** Reading that made my blood run cold.
(There was a nice picture w/this but I couldn't link it)
Hurricane Katrina separated thousands of families,
and many are still searching for their loved ones.
A New Orleans man is one of the lucky ones.
James Mercadal is back with his partner of five years,
someone who's truly his best friend in every sense of the word.
"The day of the hurricane, I was in my home and it was just my dog and myself and the good Lord," Mercadal said.
Mercadal tried desperately to ride out the storm.
"I was lying on the floor in the den
and the next thing I felt was my feet getting wet," Mercadal said. **
A neighbor rescued Mercadal from his flooding house,
but told him he had to leave his dog behind.
But Jake isn't just a beloved pet, he's Mercadal's guide dog.
"Without him, I feel like I'm blind again," Mercadal said.
Mercadal was relocated to a Red Cross shelter in Houston.
He was desperate for news, but never lost hope that Jake would be found.
"Life without him is a thought I refuse to have," Mercadal said.
Church members contacted Leader Dogs For The Blind,
the organization that trained Jake, for his microchip identity number and a photo and posted fliers on over 20 Internet sites.
"People just went to work so fast, all the volunteers,"
shelter volunteer Shelly Thornton said.
The moment when the waters receded, National Guardsmen
came to post the missing dog notice on Mercadal's front door.
They found Jake waiting patiently for his master.
"All I can say is God answers prayers," Mercadal said.
After nearly three weeks and a six-hour car ride,
Jake found his way home to his master.
** Reading that made my blood run cold.
