Pets Rescued From Katrina Still Inspire 3 Years Later

Three years ago today, Bourbon nearly lost his life in Hurricane Katrina. His owners fled, leaving the 10-month-old cream-colored Spitz mix alone as rain and wind pounded his home in New Orleans. When the levees broke, the home filled with muddy toxic water.

Bourbon remained in that flooded house for three weeks before he was found and brought to the Washington Animal Rescue League. The dog, which usually weighed 55 pounds, weighed only 25 when he was discovered trapped under a couch.

About 70,000 pets were in the city when Katrina struck, and about 15,000 were rescued, according to the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Hundreds found homes in the Washington area. The D.C. rescue league alone brought up 126 dogs, including Bourbon.

Bourbon was nursed back to health by rescue league doctors, then adopted by Ron and Jessica Simon of Silver Spring.

A framed photo of Bourbon in his destroyed home now dons the wall of Living Ruff, the Simons' pet supply store, which opened this month in Silver Spring. Ron Simon said that when people see the photo, they share their own animal rescue stories.

"Our inspiration for this store all started with rescuing him and wanting to do whatever we can to give back to the animal community," he said.

Bourbon still has many fears because of trauma from the hurricane. He is particularly nervous around new people and in new environments, his owners said.

"He's afraid of everything," Jessica Simon said. "When we brought him home, we quickly realized he wasn't going to be the dog that people could come up to on the street and pet . . . but that's okay. He's part of our family, and we adore him, and he adores us."

The stories of Bourbon and other Katrina dogs adopted in the area can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/pets.