VOLUNTEER FOR OUR:

RAPID RESPONSE ANIMAL PROTECTION TEAM

HSL would like you to participate in our RAPID RESPONSE ANIMAL PROTECTION TEAM, which will help us investigate and solve crimes against animals. By developing a database of concerned citizens who will help us fight and solve these crimes, we will be able to deploy trained volunteers to investigate crimes against animals and use the resources of people from around the country to help us improve our investigative capabilities. HSL is calling this list of volunteers and concerned citizens our Rapid Response Animal Protection Team. See the article below for details on the EDGARD 5 and how the Rapid Response Animal Protection Team began.

Complete the form below to join the Team:

VOLUNTEER FOR OUR RAPID RESPONSE PROTECTION TEAM First Name: Last Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Emai Address: Emai Address:

THE EDGARD 5

All of us care about the suffering of animals, and all of us sometimes feel powerless to act against the abuse that we see or hear about. At times, I share those same feelings of frustration, and I work full time for a humane organization. As the only full-time investigator for The Humane Society of Louisiana, I receive reports of abuse and neglect sometimes on an hourly basis from all over Louisiana. Working with a very small group (fewer than 8 full-time workers) with very limited resources, I tried to imagine creating a different approach to responding to these endless reports of abuse. The recent report of a nursing mother dog being fatally shot on a side road of the rural community, Edgard, Louisiana, gave me a new perspective. The carcass of the mother dog was found by a neighbor, who also discovered 4 now orphaned puppies. The local animal control department answered the call for assistance on a Sunday afternoon, and the puppies were taken to a veterinarian's office, where they are thriving.

Typically, these types of calls would be filed away and left to collect dust. No one witnessed the shooting, and the community, like many in Louisiana, simply wasn't going to do much else about this problem. Our humane society received the report a few days after the shooting, and we decided that we would use this tragedy to create something positive and, hopefully, lasting. We decided that we would use the energy of caring individuals like you and go on site to this crime scene and try to either solve the crime itself and/or give it the attention it deserves. We decided that we would ask people from around the state and nation to help us respond to these calls and that we would call this new group of concerned individuals our Rapid Response Animal Abuse Team. The purpose of this program is to conduct these types of investigations on a wider scale -- through the dynamics of the Internet and by channeling new resources to our investigations.

Update on The Edgard 5

To give an identity to the victims of this senseless crime, we have called the mother dog and her wonderful puppies The Edgard 5. On Sunday, we traveled with a team of 7 volunteers to Edgard, Louisiana, and we canvassed the neighborhood. We spoke to about 2 dozen residents, handed out flyers, told household members what happened and explained that a reward fund had been established. We even visited the site where the mother dog was found, and we placed flowers on the ground in her memory. We also identified the complainant and thanked her for calling the authorities. We accomplished a lot in a short period of time. Imagine, however, what 20 volunteers could have accomplished. Imagine if we had a reward of several thousands of dollars, instead of $500. Imagine if CNN sent a crew to go with us. Finally, imagine if someone came forward with incriminating evidence and an individual was arrested and charged for committing this crime. With your help, we can do exactly what we imagined.

The Next Steps

We plan to forward our report to the Investigations Department of the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office, and we will send updates on this case to news outlets around the state. Next week, we will focus on the actions of a New Orleans Municipal judge who found a horse owner guilty of cruelty yet awarded him custody of the horses! We plan to file a complaint for his conduct and rulings with the judiciary disciplinary board. This week, we also met with the Parish President of Tangipahoa Parish, Mr. Gordon Burgess, to discuss issues and concerns we have identified at the Tangipahoa shelter. He and his staff promised to address our concerns. Members of our group also visited the Tangipahoa Animal Control Shelter, and the 2 agencies pledged to work more closely together on cruelty investigations. Next week, we will also discuss the case of a cat being shot in the head on a rural road in Tangipahoa Parish allegedly by a juvenile, who was seen carrying a rifle in the vicinity. The youngster has yet to be interviewed by authorities, even though the humane investigator for our Tangipahoa Chapter, Mr. Randy Stegall, identified the boy's residence and is the primary witness to this crime. However, after we pushed the issue, a detective was assigned to the case, and she will conduct the initial interview with juvenile authorities.

How You Can Help

If you haven't already, please register to join our Rapid Response Animal Protection Team. When you register, you will receive regular updates of our cases and campaigns around the state.

Other Action Steps You Can Take Today

Send in a donation to our Reward Fund and/or our Cruelty Investigations Fund - donations to this fund will allow us to purchase surveillance equipment and new supplies. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, La 70174

Purchase an "Edgard 5" t-shirt and wear in solidarity with our other team members. Send $20.00 to HSL, Edgard 5, P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70714. Shirts come in small, medium, large, or x-large sizes. Please designate the size and quantity.

Make a donation through our Paypal account or purchase one of our Fleur de lis "Paws for a Moment" pendants.

Send us a gift card for Wal-mart, Home Depot, or Petco. Donations will be used to offset our operational expenses at our facility in Tylertown, Mississippi.