Back Home from Missouri

When I pulled into the parking lot this morning I was surprised to see Lisa, one of the League's loyal volunteers, playing with a young beagle in the dog park.  It's not unusual to see a volunteer in the dog park with one of the dogs, but what surprised me was that the volunteer was Lisa.  She, along with three League staff members, had just spent more than a week in Joplin, Missouri.  The ASPCA was called in by the Joplin Humane Society to lead the emergency animal sheltering operation after the May 22 tornado decimated the community;  in turn, the ASPCA asked  the League and other organizations to come help with the care of the animals.  Lisa told me that the destruction in Joplin was beyond any possible description.  I really can't imagine what she saw and the nightmare that people continue living weeks after the twister hit.   She, however, was quick to point out  that there were  many emotional highs, especially when she was able to reunite an animal with a searching guardian.   Imagine losing everything you own and wondering if you would ever see your beloved animal companion again?   And, then, after days of searching, there he is at the makeshift shelter in the arms of a caring volunteer like Lisa!