From the AKC web site: “CGC is a certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community.”

My husband, two daughters, and I, along with our Giant Schnauzer Tango, have been temporarily displaced from our home due to the Witch fire. Our home is standing and in good shape structurally, but is filthy from soot, ash and who knows what else that blew in windows and under the doors. The reek from the food that rotted in the freezers could knock you off your feet. The fencing and much of the irrigation has burned away and, apart from the ice plant, not much vegetation survived. It looks a little like we live on the moon! Unfortunately, we have no power, and since we have our own well, if we have no power, we also have no water. Currently SDG&E estimates the return of electricity to our home mid-November. That said, we consider ourselves very, very fortunate!

We have been staying in various places during this time. The first night we were in a hotel. After that, we drove up the coast and stayed at my mom’s. Once we were allowed back in town, we stayed two nights in a different hotel. Now we are in a Residence Inn and hope to be here now until the house is fit to live in. The hotels are packed with relief workers, people and pets who have lost there homes entirely, and other like us who are just waiting to get moved back in.

Tango just turned one year-old last week. You would never know from her behavior that she is still pretty much a pup! We have, of course, dragged her with us from home to hotel to new hotel for days now. Our schedule is haphazard at the moment, so although she still gets fed twice a day, the time varies from day to day. Although she’s been getting a daily walk, she’s certainly not getting the amount of exercise she’s used to. Through all of this she has been incredibly poised and well-behaved! Each morning as I take her out, I am so thankful that I have spent so much time working with her on basic obedience and good manners. Since we live in the country and have (had!) a fenced yard, she was rarely leashed, except when we were at class or in town at my favorite coffee shop. So it really amazes me that she walks quietly through a hotel lobby on a loose leash. Even when my hands are full of bags and water bottles, she still walks quietly by my side, not pulling. She sits in front of closed elevator doors waiting for them to open. (We haven’t asked her to ride in an elevator with other dogs yet. I think she’d be fine, but I don’t want to push my luck!) When people want to admire her, she sits at their feet, leaning in to have her ears rubbed! She has not jumped up on a single person. She hasn’t peed on a single carpet or chewed any table legs! She doesn’t bark in the hotel room at all the strange noises outside our door. It’s hard to believe that this is the same wild puppy we first brought home from our breeder 8 months ago.

Tango is the epitome of a Canine Good Citizen. Her good manners allow her to be welcome most anywhere we go. She has provided comfort to me and my girls, and to several strangers! It will be fun to take her Canine Good Citizen test one of these days to make it official!

Tracy S.
Ramona, CA

Church of Christ Disaster Relief Rolls Into San Diego

The Churches of Christ have a cooperative Disaster Relief Organization
that is sending several semi-truck loads of basic necessities (food,
water, baby items, clothes, personal hygiene products, blankets, etc.)
to SD county. The first one arrived yesterday and distribution of goods
began today (Saturday) morning. More will be arriving in the next few days and the distribution will continue as long as there is a need.

The products will be staged at the North County Church of Christ, 130
Woodward Ave. in Escondido. If you know of anyone who has lost their
home or possessions in the fires and is in need of basic necessities,
please let them know that this service is available to them. If they
are unable to get to the church, there will be people available with
pickups and vans to deliver products directly to them. They can call the
offices of the North County church or any of those listed below, let them know what their needs are and where the products should be delivered. If no
one is in the office at the time they call, please have them leave a
message - we will be retrieving them regularly.

North County Church of Christ
130 Woodward Ave.
Escondido, CA 92062
760-745-7732
northcounty1@hotmail.com

CROSSPOSTING PERMITTED

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Barbara Davilman < davilchick@att.net>
Date: Oct 27, 2007 11:01 AM
Subject: Rescue - So Cal Fires
To: GetMeTherePlease@gmail.com

I'm coordinating any transports or fosters needed for RHODESIAN RIDGEBACKS. I'm the LA Coordinator for RRR Inc.  Lori Duquette and I are the locals here in So. Cal.

Please have anyone with a RR in need of help contact us at:

Barbara Davilman
Los Angeles
818-406-4877 cell
bdavilman@ridgebackrescue.org (ridgebackrescue.org)

or

Lori Duquette
Orange County
lduquette@ridgebackrescue.org ( ridgebackrescue.org)

Thanks and feel free to forward this info to any other group who might
need this info.

Babs

Welcome to KAT 5 Animal Rescue
California Wildfires Animal Rescue Needs
October 25, 2007 : 6:49 PM

"The California wildfires are like Katrina in size and scope but not in animal need. There are more people willing to help than tasks", said Richard Crook, Rapid Response manger of Best friends Animal Society.

An evacuee naps with her dog at Steele Canyon High School Tuesday in Spring Valley, California . Getty image.

KAT 5 Animal Rescue has been monitoring the animal rescue needs in California. We are told that we are not needed on the ground at this time. Supplies and placement are needed. KAT 5 will update the supply needs and volunteer needs as information becomes available.

Residents have largely evacuated with their pets. Local animal groups and authorities are well organized.

KAT 5 has compiled a list of temporary placements for animals of every species. Please contact KAT 5 for this information or any form of assistance.

KAT 5 Animal Rescue: 972-898-3300

kat5animalrescue@yahoo.com

Firsthand volunteer and supply needs to be updated daily:

1. New Leash on Life: 661-255-0097 (ask for Claire or Stephanie)

16742 Placerita Canyon Rd.
Newhall, CA. 91321

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to help to construct/resurrect the dog runs that were blown down in the winds. They need strong hands that have construction know how. The need is immediate so that they can let the dogs out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Del Mar Fairgrounds: 858-509-5245 (spoke with Carol Nolson)

2260 Jimmy Durant Blvd

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for horse feeding and to clean the horse stalls. Volunteer times are 7 AM and 2 PM everyday. They are good on supplies but need volunteers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Oaks Stable: 714-316-9537 (Michelle).

30753 LaPata Ave.
San Juan Capistrano, CA. 92675

Surf City Animal Response Team is in charge here and they are good on volunteers but they are desperate for horse supplies. They just got 180 more horses from Camp Pendelton. They now have 700 horses!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Carrots
Apples
Wheel Barrels
Shavings
Big buckets for water
Pitch forks
Rakes
Halters
Lead lines
Lurche lines

Can bring supplies anytime. If send must say, "Attn SCART".

Thursday:

I'm glad to say that we're now safe from any fire danger from the current fires burning across the state. We may expire from smoke inhalation -- all the schools were on "inside activities only" alert. We have health alerts here when the air quality is not good. Today was a Stage I, the highest for bad air quality. You can walk outside and look up to figure that out. No matter what direction you look it's smoke and haze.

I used to think that living in the desert some where meant you were going to hell. It was pre-Hell and you were getting your practice for it. Now I know the truth. . . livng in LA means your going to hell. These fires are our preview of it. When you are surrounded by orange and heat, you know that isn't normal. It's hard to imagine the horrible beauty of fire. The terror overrides your ability to appreciate the beauty -- and the destruction it leaves is all you remember. Charred remains of entire houses make you realize that someones' life has been forever altered.

The reward for information on the arson(s) has been upped another $100,000.00 dollars. Some of the fires were truly accidental, but some were arson. The feeling that someone purposely did this is awful. I can't imagine how anyone could do this to others -- innocent people they don't even know. If they catch the arsonist, they get charged with murder among other things -- if someone dies as a result of the fire. Nothing they do will be enough to punish someone like that.
 
The many selfless acts of kindness by strangers gives us hope. The heroic efforts of all gives us hope. The response of others to help those affected gives us hope. We all need hope, it keeps us going when nothing else can. In the next few days they will have all these fires contained. Hopefully they will be out in a weeks' time. There is a sense of relief in the air, along with the smoke. I doubt there are adequate words to describe how thankful we all are for the firefighters and pilots who worked endlessly to save homes and get the fires contained.

Marshmallow and hotdog prices are also returning to normal. Gas prices are again the highest thing around.

It's good to be back to the status quo.

State Line Tack Has Set Up A Charity Program:

As the wildfires continue to rage in Southern California, many horse rescue organizations are in desperate need of help. For every $1 you donate, we here at State Line Tack will donate $2 worth of products to help support displaced horses. We've already donated much needed fly masks, halters and leg warmers to one organization which took on almost quadruple the amount of horses they can handle. Donate $2, we'll do $4; donate $10, we'll do $20, and so on. You do your part, and we'll do our part to help make this dire time dissolve as smooth as possibly.

NO SHIPPING WILL BE CHARGED

EMERGENCY HELP NEEDED -- MOVE HORSES FAST--PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERY HORSE PERSON YOU KNOW! CONTACT PHONE IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BULLETIN

DUE TO FIRES IN CALIF THE RESCUE PLACE IN VICTORVILLE IS RECEIVING MANY EVACUATED HORSES AND SO CANNOT LEAVE TO GO GET THESE HORSES IN NEVADA TO TRANSPORT BACK TO VICTORVILLE -- URGENT--THESE ARE TWO BABIES, ONE PREGNANT MARE, AND ONE MUSTANG -THEY ARE AT A FEEDLOT TO BE SLAUGHTERED, THEIR RELEASE HAS BEEN ARRANGED, TRANSPORTATION IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED--IF YOU CAN HELP TRANSPORT YOUR GAS WILL BE RE-EMBURSED IN VICTORVILLE UPON ARRIVAL -DETAILS AND CONTACT BELOW - PLEASE SEND THIS INFO EVERYWHERE!

**TRANSPORTING BABIES SAFELY IS A HUGE CONSIDERATION-

There is an urgent horse need - Not sure if anyone has the time and
equipment to do this - Please pass this around to see if anyone can
help.

I just received a phone call that there are four (feed lot) horses
in Hawthorne, Nevada that need to be moved down to Victorville, CA.
The location in Victorville is currently an evacuation point for all
the fires in California, so they can not leave to pick up the horses.

There are: Two small foals, a BLM Mustang and a 16-2 Pregnant
Percharon Cross.

It's urgent that these horses get moved in the next few
days......Once the horses are at the Victorville location, they have
raised $600 to help defray gas costs.

Please contact Tania Bennett at taniabennett@hughes.net, (760) 868
2457

From the time we moved to California two years ago, we have made it a point to be prepared for fires. We live in the country, a mile or so from town, so fires are a very real danger for us. We keep the brush cleared well away from the house. All of our important papers are in one spot, easy to grab and go. Decisions about what to take have been made (family pictures, the computer, etc) and everyone, children included, know what those items are and can help load them if needed. We've chosen a meeting spot and an alternate meeting spot in case we get separated. We have pet carriers available on an easy to reach shelf in the garage for the cats, the dog, and the bunny. We keep a gallon jug of water (and collapsible bowls) in each car for pets to drink.

Sounds good, but it NEVER occurred to us that we might not be home when the fires started and that we might not be allowed back in. "The best laid plans. . ."

So here is the scary story--I was on an airplane flying home from Minneapolis with our 10 year old daughter. My husband was in downtown San Diego for the day with our other daughter. They put the dog in her kennel in the garage, left home at 9:30 that morning with what they needed for a day at Sea World, shorts and tee-shirts, a bottle of water. At about noon, the Witch fire started, about six miles from our home. Hwy 78, near Magnolia, was closed by the time they got there at 3:00. The authorities wouldn't let them go back home as fire was racing down the road to our neighborhood. Tango was still at home in her kennel!

Fortunately, our neighbor checked our house as he was forced out, saw the dog, broke in through a garage window, picked her up, kennel and all, and put her in the back of his pick-up truck as he left. He also put the entire rabbit hutch in his truck! We didn't know this for several hours, so you can imagine the horror, and then the relief of knowing she was OK. She reeked of smoke and was covered in flakes of ash, but is otherwise unhurt and is now basking in the sun and playing endless rounds of tennis ball chase up here with us.

At the moment we're staying up the coast near San Luis Obispo, where my mom lives. We've heard that our house is still standing although we've not been back ourselves. There's been some damage to fences, vegetation, garage, and everything is covered in soot, but that's about it, thankfully. I'm guessing that all the important papers, family photos, etc., we couldn't grab are all fine.  And I don't even care!  I truly, unequivocally, honest-to-God, without any doubt, don't care. The entire place and everything in it could have been burned to the ground and I'd feel thankful that all of us and the animals are OK and together!

We've heard we may be allowed back in at the end of the week--depends on wind, whether or not the water and electricity in town is restored, etc. School won't start up again until at least Monday. Homecoming was supposed to be this week-end, but of course not now.

I tried to get the dog an appointment at several local groomers here. I thought she might like a "spa" treatment after her ordeal so she didn't smell so strongly of smoke. But without her proof of rabies, no one would take her! So poor pup got a cold "shower" in my mom's backyard with the hose and Suave shampoo and cream rinse! You should have seen her zoom-zoom around the yard after that!

This last paragraph is someone else's story to tell, but I thought I should mention that K9 Action Sports in Escondido, where Tango and I are learning to herd sheep, was evacuated. It's right across the road from the Wild Animal Park. Terry's home and animals are undamaged, but the roads in and out are still closed, although I've heard they let them in briefly to feed and water the sheep.

Wednesday:

Now a half of a million people have been evacuated, that's a lot of displaced people. You have to imagine that's a lot of needs to be met. Fortunately, we are a state full of caring and compassionate people, for that matter, we are a nation of the same. I'm always amazed and grateful how we rally for each other. The many stories of incredible generosity and people going more than the extra mile to help others. I truly believe that you reap what you sow. Today I help you, tomorrow it may be me that needs help. There will always be rotten people who seek to benefit from the disaster no matter how unscrupulous the methods. Hopefully they will also reap what they sow. But what gives me hope is the unselfish acts of kindness at a time when people need that the most.

Less smoke and ash floating around today. My lungs don't burn so much and for that I'm grateful. I think they have made significant progress in starting to control these fires. I imagine in the next few days it will be over -- or close to that. Then the rebuilding of lives and homes can begin. Earthquakes make people move, not fires. I cannot imagine what those people who lost homes must feel but I hope they keep in mind the most important part of this, you are alive to rebuild. Things can be replaced, cars bought again, houses rebuilt; but people are a loss that can never be recovered. Hard as it is to lose so much of our material lives, nothing is worth losing your life for. The most important part of any disaster is the safety of family and others -- for everything else, there's FEMA. (kind of sounds like a Master Card commercial).

A big cheer to all the hard working and dedicated firefighters, pilots and volunteers of all kinds. You all rock, we all appreciate your efforts. Now, I'm going to go hug the kids and the dogs.

Rach

In the face of advancing flames, and under urgent evacuation orders,
people reach instinctively for their beloved pets, but in the rush to
leave, often forget to take the food and other provisions necessary
for their care. In order to help fill this need, Dennis Sprung,
President of the American Kennel Club, has coordinated with Susan
Sholar, President of the California Federation of Dog Clubs, to send
an immediate donation of food, collars and leashes, and crates to
help those dog owners affected by the devastating fires in southern
California.

CFODC members, and anyone else needing assistance in providing for
their pets' security and well-being as a result of these fires,
should call the California School of Dog Grooming at 1-800-949-3746,
and ask for Susan. The school, located in San Diego, is the
designated site for distribution of the donated supplies, as well as
a growing list of volunteers with offers to foster care, or with
available kennels, dog runs, RV parking spaces, spare bedrooms, sofa
beds, and the like.

The AKC and CFODC, in order to maximize their opportunity to help,
ask that you cross post this message wherever possible.

Thank you.

Board of Directors
California Federation of Dog Clubs

From a friend in the LA Area who has horses, but lives in an area that has remained safe:

Now that so many people and their animals have evacuated so quickly, in mass, and the fires are backing off a bit because the winds have died down, now that they are settling into temporary "digs" it's becoming obvious that everyone (a lot) need the basics; food, water, & a place to sleep and potty. Initial emergency supplies are becoming depleted because shelters over crowded.  I.E.: The horses at Del Mar (racetrack and fairgrounds) are all down to 1/2 flake of hay per day because everyone is sharing (comparison: my horses get 4 full flakes a day)

Many areas have opened back up and residents and horses can return but power and water lines are still out. They are hoping for 2-3 days...they say...

To: Emergency Medical Alert Network (EMAN) Participants

Date: October 24, 2007

Medical Updates Regarding the Fires—October 24, 2007, 1:00 p.m.

• All hospital emergency departments have beds available for patients. Fallbrook and Pomerado hospitals remain closed.

• The UCSD burn unit is reserving four intensive care unit (ICU) beds for burns and may divert ICU trauma patients for this reason. Trauma patients are being accepted but are being evaluated by the on-call trauma surgeon on a case-by-case basis.

• The following community clinic sites are closed: Borrego Medical Center– Julian office; Family Health Center -

Grossmont (may open today); Indian Health Council – Rincon; Mountain Health and Community Services -

Alpine and Jacumba; Neighborhood Healthcare – all sites closed except El Cajon and Temecula; North County

Health Services – Ramona; Planned Parenthood – Escondido, Carlsbad; Southern Indian Health Council – Alpine, Campo

• The status of medically fragile evacuees at the Qualcomm Stadium shelter is currently dependent upon facility readiness:

o 125 evacuees are to be sent to the Remmington Club Health Center in Rancho Bernardo

o 85 evacuees are to be sent to Villa Monte Vista in Poway

• San Diego County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers are currently deployed at various county shelters, including Qualcomm Stadium, the Del Mar Fair Grounds, Valley Center shelter and Escondido High School.

The number of MRC volunteers willing to provide assistance far exceeds the current demand. Please note that MRC volunteers need to be deployed through the County Medical Operations Center before providing assistance at shelters.

Thank you for your continued participation.

10-24-07 2:01 p.m.
Livestock camp in El Cajon needs buckets and sleep supplies. The horse and livestock shelter area that has been established at the corner of Cuyamaca Street and Weld Boulevard in El Cajon requests donations to assist in its operation. This pasture area is comfortable for the larger animals, but there is a need for large buckets to contain food and water. There is also a need for cots, pop-up tents and sleeping bags at this location for those families staying with their animals.

El Cajon Animal Shelter accepting pets.
The El Cajon Animal Shelter at 1275 N. Marshall can still take in domestic animals and small livestock for boarding from pet owners who have been evacuated. For more information, call (619) 441-1580.

Small acts of kindness mean so much in times like these:

=========================================

The Fire Chief in Tijuana, Mexico, sent a fire engine and crew across the border to help with fires.

=========================================

Canada has sent a huge plane to help fight the fires:

B.C. water bomber leaves for California fires
Sandra McCulloch , CanWest News Service; Victoria Times Colonist
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

VICTORIA - A Martin Mars water bomber was expected to leave B.C. at dawn today for San Diego, where weary U.S. crews are battling wildfires that so far have burned more than 750 homes and forced the evacuation of more than half a million residents.

The water bomber's owner, Wayne Coulson, flew with 10 employees to San Diego on Tuesday and will meet up with the aircraft as it arrives.

www.firehall.com/index2.php

=========================================

The Red Cross at the Steel Canyon High School in Spring Valley says it needs the following help with RVs:

Propane/Diesel/water tanks/assistance with septic tanks

=========================================

Channel 10 has been on 24/7 live and today they did a film showing some dogs in a rural area who stayed behind.  Firefighters put out the fire and left fresh water for the dogs.  The film was very sweet.  www.10news.com/video/14036255/index.html

=========================================

The Wild Animal Park is doing well -- only lost a couple of animals, which is a major miracle.

=========================================

Julie Barnhill posted the request for hay on AZCOR in Phoenix, AZ, and received an email from Kathy McRae advising that "Hay is to be delivered to Lakeside Rodeo today . . . . any questions contact Rebecca at four paws 619-334-1293.

Many thanks to all of you who are helping.

In an effort to reach as many people as possible, here is a list of resources and requests for help related to the SoCal fires:

========================================

San Diego County Emergency Home Page (includes maps):

www.sdcountyemergency.com/

========================================

Amazing map of San Diego County showing locations of fires, evacuation center and other emergency-related locations

maps.google.com/maps/ms

========================================

Frequently Updated Website With A Variety of Information On All Aspects Emergency Services, etc., in San Diego County

twitter.com/kpbsnews

========================================

Evacuating With Small Pets/Animals:

Qualcomm Stadium is now accepting small animals (cats and dogs) as it is being used as a shelter staging area. Please bring animal in crate if you can, but crates and carriers will be provide if you do not have one. Bottom line is, if you need to evacuate GET OUT ASAP and bring your fur family with you.

For those of you that do not need to evacuate yet, please plan to evacuate and get everything together and placed in your car. This fire is moving at an extremely fast rate.

Pet parents in threatened areas are encouraged to evacuate with their pets and to take all necessary pet supplies, including crates and medicines. If you cannot evacuate your pets on your own and require assistance, please call 619-236-4250 and press "1" for emergency services.

========================================

Red Cross Operating Multiple Shelters for Wildfire Evacuees

(San Diego County) - American Red Cross Shelter Locations:

Escondido High School , 1535 North Broadway (Thomas Brothers Map Page 1109, H-6)

Santana High School , 9915 Magnolia Avenue , Santee (Thomas Brothers Map Page 1231, E-4).

Mira Mesa High School , 10510 Reagan Road (off Mira Mesa Boulevard ). The Poway High School shelter is CLOSED.

Steele Canyon High School , 12440 Campo Road , Spring Valley (Thomas Brothers Map Page 1272, B-7)

Campo Community Center , 976 Sheridan Road , Campo

There are approximately 1,500 people in all Red Cross shelters as of 2:30 a.m. Additional evacuees continue to arrive.

These facilities will remain open as long as there is a need. Residents will be provided a safe place to stay, drinks and meals, and basic health services at these locations. Additional shelters are being opened and operated by municipal and partner organizations. Residents in the potential path of fire should monitor local media for the latest information about services, or call 211 San Diego .

Residents with large animals are instructed to take them to the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds, located at Highway 67 and Mapleview Street, OR the San Diego County Fairgrounds in Del Mar. Residents are urged to place their household pets in carriers or crates plus supplies such as food and leashes if they are brought to Red Cross shelters. Bring all necessary daily edications, supplies for your children, and any other critically needed items for the next 24 to 72 hours with you to the shelter.

The Red Cross advises all residents to heed any evacuation orders immediately. For the latest information, please return to the American Red Cross website at www.sdarc.org under the "Current News" section on the home page. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

========================================

San Diego Humane Society Assisting with Animal Evacuations for Harris and Witch Creek Fires

Oct. 22, 2007 - The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA's Animal Rescue
Reserve team (ARR) is currently working to evacuate animals and livestock threatened by the Harris and Witch Creek Fires.

The ARR are working in conjunction with the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services, as they are the lead animal welfare organization during a county emergency.

As of Sunday evening, several dozen animals have been evacuated to temporary holding locations. Among the animals evacuated were horses, goats, ducks, and dogs. The ARR is continuing to monitor the fires through the night and will continue to provide aid to those pets in danger.

Pet parents in threatened areas are encouraged to evacuate with their pets and to take all neccessary pet supplies including crates and medicines. If you can not evacuate your pets on your own and require assistance please call 619-236-4250 and press "1" for emergency services.

========================================
SOCAL ALERT - Urgent Need For Hay/Hay Transport For Horses Evacuated Due to Fires:

There is a very desperate need for hay in the San Diego area (Ramona). Over 100 horses were left behind by their owners when they
were forced to evacuate from the wildfires. These horses are out of food now, since the people who stayed behind to care for them weren't
expecting 100 horses, and all of the local feed stores are shut down. Someone has set up a drop point for the hay, but there is no
transportation available to get it up to the drop point, or from the drop point to the horses. Below is the information about the
situation and the information about the drop point. If anyone can help at all, please contact Betsy at straicat@hotmail.com.

We have arranged a local drop-off point for hay!!

Please take it to:

10161 Foothill Blvd.
Lakeview Terrace 91342
Directions: Foothill to Esko, Esko to Jimenez, R at Domineca to top
of the hill. Ranch is on the left, across from J-Bar Ranch.

FROM RAMONA, CA, FIRE AREA:

Good afternoon,

I apologize for this only slightly bunny related email - as I am trying to help my parents that are stuck in Ramona and are trying to
help the over 100 horses left behind after the evacuation. I'm sure you have heard about the raging wildfires, and I hope that wherever
you are that you are safe from them. My parents live in Ramona and were not able to evacuate because they have 3 horses and only one
horse trailer. They were able to get to an emergency animal shelter, where some kind people are keeping horses until people can return.
They have over a hundred horses that people left in the evacuation, but have only 10 bales of hay. My mother often provided myself and
local shelters with hay for my bunnies when I was living in Los Angeles, and now I'm trying to return the favor by trying to find
anyone in the Ramona area that is still left that can provide hay to this shelter. They cannot even find an open feed store to purchase
the hay from.

If anyone can get in touch with anyone in the Ramona area that has hay, please have them get in touch with me at straicat@hotmail. com
and I can coordinate how they can get hay to the ranch. Please forward this if you can, or if you have any ideas about where I can
post this request it would be very much appreciated - I have posted on craigslist already.

Thank you very much,

Elizabeth "Betsy" Dougherty
straicat@hotmail.com

Journal Entry from Rachel Morgan, Director, SCGSR, who lives in Sylmar, CA:

We are not sissies here. Earthquakes, mud slides and fires are what we get to cope with at times. Right now it is FIRES. I'm surrounded by them and it seems as if the whole state is burning. Marshmallows are at premium prices. Nearly rivaling gas prices.

At 1:00 this afternoon the sun was just a fluorescent pink spot in the sky and it looked like it was 6:00 PM it was so dark. Smoke is all you can see and smell. We are advised to seek medical attention if breathing becomes to difficult. Local channels are having continuous fire coverage and the news is not good.

Seven counties have been declared disasters and no doubt the whole state will get the same status.

I've been through other huge fires, once they enacted the emergency broadcast system. It wasn't a test. That fire lasted three weeks and we had other ranches evacuate to our ranch. All the small animals were moved to a vets in town. We had the stock trailer hooked up and the llamas, longhorns and horses corralled, just in case we needed to run.

There are several things you can do to help yourself in such situations.

1. One, pack ahead of time. Put your pictures, papers and VIP's (very important papers) in a file or box and put them in the car. When they tell you to GO . . . you don't want to run around trying to find things.
2. Pack your own little bag of clothes, medications and essentials.
3. It won't hurt to have a supply of food for you and the critters.
4. Keep those cages and carriers close.
5. Don't let the cat out for it's daily romp . . . . you need to know where everyone is at all times.
6. If you think your going to be told to evacuate, do it ahead of time. There's nothing you own worth losing your life over. You can't fight a huge fire with a garden hose.
7. Keep that brush cleared at all times. The local authorities will tell you how far from the house you need to clear. Use common sense and do what authorities tell you to do. If the worst comes to pass and you lose the home -- at least you are alive to rebuild.

I was helping dig a fire line/break once. The lead man told us that if he said "run" we were to drop what we were doing and run as fast as we could, opposite the way of the fire. About 40 minutes into the digging, he yelled "RUN, NOW" we looked up and there was a wall of flames coming down the hill. I turned into an Olympic Sprinter and for good reason. You cannot imagine what that does to you. It is so scary that you almost don't believe you can escape. Some people don't escape.

At this time, the wind is whipping up but not the 80 mph gusts of the last two days. The winds are not whipping more than 40 mph now and are not sustained. The air support is here and in force. The horizon is dotted with helicopters and planes dropping their water and fire retardant where needed.

A Journey Worth Making:



Sunday, I was honored to help transport a 12 year old Lab mix to Bakersfield to go on to her forever home. When we walked out to the truck, people were picking trees off their cars. High wind advisories were in effect and we had gusts up to 80 or 90 mph. We drove over "The Grapevine," which is part of Interstate 5. It's known for high winds but this wind was knocking over semi trucks left and right. We saw smoke from the Castaic Fire but it seemed far away. After visiting with my best friend in Bakersfield, I decided to leave early to be ahead of the traffic and just in case the Castaic Fire had changed directions. We were going along just fine until SUDDENLY -- near zero visibility. The sun was a tiny pink dot and our eyes started burning. Smoke was rolling across the freeway the way fog does. Traffic slowed down to about 35 mph from a zooming 70 mph. If they closed I-5, we had a 3 ½ hour detour drive.

We did get home just fine, the kids love anything that seems dangerous so they were thrilled. The next morning, the truck was covered with ashes. They headed off to school singing "I fell in to a burning ring of fire."

By Monday afternoon, more fires were burning out of control and we were literally surrounded by fires. It's hard to tell where and who are truly affected by the fires so everyone I know who lives out-of-state, has called me to check in and see if we are OK. I don't live close enough to the hills to be too concerned but anything is possible with unpredictable nature.

Tuesday:

We awake to yellow light. Smoke fills the air and it makes the sunlight eerie yellow. The sun itself is the bright pink dot again. Watching the news it's heartbreaking to see so many homes destroyed, lives turned upside down in minutes. My friend and I are on call, in case someone needs to evacuate horses. All in all, it's a tense and long day for everyone. Thankfully no call for help. More planes and helicopters endlessly making trips back and forth to water and to the fires. I have friends who live in the fire areas but you can't get through on the phones. You realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. The fires do what they want, go where they want and destroy what is in their path, despite the efforts of truly heroic people. We will eventually win, but in it's wake is such destruction and devastation. Then the rains will come and we face mudslides. You can't be a sissy in California.

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