By Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine
PASADENA, Calif. (Reuters) – The pit bull mix arrived at the Pasadena Humane covered in ash, the pads of its paws sore from walking on fire debris, its lungs choked with smoke. A Good Samaritan found the dog lying in the rubble in Altadena, wrapped it in a blanket and brought it to the shelter.
Still too weak to walk on Saturday, Canela was reunited with his owner — thanks to CNN's coverage of the act of kindness. The injured pet continues to receive medical attention and is one of more than 400 animals that have arrived at the Pasadena facility since the Southern California wildfires began last Tuesday.
Animal facilities, veterinarians and rescue organizations have taken in and helped dogs, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and other creatures displaced along with their human owners by the ongoing fires.
The Humane Society began taking in animals as a temporary shelter when families evacuated their homes. But the circumstances were evolving as the disaster widened, killing 13, burning 39,000 acres (157.83 square kilometers) and forcing at least 153,000 people from their homes.
“Now we're seeing more injured animals coming in,” said Dia DuVernet, president and CEO of Pasadena Humane. “We're also starting to see people who brought their animals to what we thought was a temporary shelter, but they don't have homes to go back to, so it's turning into a longer-term shelter.”
Some animals bear scars from the ordeal, such as a badly burned husky with tanned fur and burnt paws.
“Nobody came back to claim him,” said the humane society's chief veterinarian, Dr. Maria Pyrdek, saying that the dog is showing gradual signs of recovery. “He didn't even look up when he came in. He was just completely exhausted.”
The organization has entered a new phase of disaster response, search, rescue and recovery, DuVernet said. Pasadena Humane is prioritizing calls to help live animals in burn zones — including eight injured peacocks.
One man in Altadena contacted the Humane Society to help him get water for the cows, sheep and bull he couldn't get to because the fire destroyed the bridge.
“We strategized how we could get a significant amount of water over this ravine and up this hill so that these animals wouldn't die of dehydration,” DuVernet said.
During the crisis, DuVernet said the community provided enough donations to fill five U-Haul trucks.
REFUGE FOR HORSES AND DONKEYS
In nearby Burbank, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center took in about 400 animals, mostly horses, but also a few donkeys. Some were brought in by owners who evacuated their homes and others by law enforcement who found them running free.
The Eaton (NYSE: ) A fire on the east side of Los Angeles has affected an area full of horse lovers.
“People have horses in their backyards in these neighborhoods,” said Leigh Anne Claywell, the equestrian center's general manager. This is where the Hollywood Western was born because of all the cowboys and ranches that used to be in this area.”
Some of the evacuated horses seemed stressed when they arrived in their new environment, Claywell said, “but overall they all seem to have kind of fallen into a routine.”
On Saturday, dozens of volunteers helped walk and feed the horses and clean the grounds. The center was filled with donations of apples and carrots for the animals and pizza and sandwiches for the people. Smoke could be seen from the Palisade fire to the west and from the Eaton fire to the east.
At one point, all the stalls in the center were full. The premises opened when some evacuation orders were lifted and owners were able to get their animals back.
Karrie Saydah was picking up her two donkeys and two horses she had brought to the center when she was forced to evacuate her home at 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.
“It was so scary, kind of like fire in the sky,” said Saydah.
Borrowing a horse trailer from a neighbor, Saydah headed to a spot near the Rose Bowl only to find it full. After finding a place for horses Zippy and Sonny at an equestrian center in Burbank, she returned with donkeys Midge and Thelma.
On Saturday, Saydah said she was grateful to the staff and volunteers and said her animals will likely miss their generous supply of treats.
“We share so much help and so much goodwill,” said Saydah.
