We drove down to Englewood, Florida, right after Hurricane Charley hit. We had to wait until the State gave us our tasking number. A number of volunteers gathered together with as much equipment as we could muster up to help. When we got to the Humane Society in Englewood, you would have thought that the cavalry had arrived. Everybody was amazed to see us coming in with all of our equipment. It was a beautiful sight. Crews started unloading all of the animals and transporting them to Pinellas
County. Connie Brooks was receiving them and by doing so was making room to use Englewood as a staging area to bring animals to for holding in the area. We unhooked two of the trucks from their trailers and headed into Punta Gorda to find the Animal Control Director, Keith. We tried to explain the type of equipment we had, but Keith could not fathom it. He assigned one of his officers to take us around town town to find a suitable location to set up. We chose a county recreation park due to its size and location to everything. We set about clearing the lot of all debris which took chainsaws and a lot of muscle work. Everyone chipped in and we got it done.
We then went to get our equipment and move it in. Keith and his assistant Brian were shocked when we rolled up. Their Animal Control office was destroyed, so we gave them our 28 foot enclosed air conditioned trailer to use for a base of operations. The Florida Dept. of Agriculture came down and used our Kenworth Motorhome as a base of operations. We used about 8 portable generators and found out quickly that they burn up in extreme heat and use. They were never designed to run 24/7.
The animal rescues went great. We used the ball fields to enclose cattle and goats until their owners were located. Ronnie and Linda adopted a female goat and named her Carmella, who surprised them with a baby the following January. She was named Windy. Even baby raccoons and squirrels went through our compound. Volunteers from all over Florida showed up in portable spay and neuter clinics and vet clinic trailers to help. It was the best response that we had ever seen and Charlotte County was more than happy to have us there. They delivered fuel and water to us on a daily basis after they got their truck operating again.
It was during Hurricane Charley that Ronnie had a life altering experience. A 12-year-old Beagle (of course it had to be a Beagle, Ronnie's favorite breed, of which he has 4) came into camp after normal hours with two older women in a Ford pickup. The Beagle had been hit by a car. The emergency vet was open, so we called over there. They said first off that it was $65 to walk through their doors plus the actual care required. The ladies had no money. Ronnie took $200 out of his pocket and gave it to them. They wanted his address, but he would not give it out. This act convinced him to sell his drag racing team and start funding the Sumter DART team. Needless to say, his wife Linda was ecstatic.
This is how the right side of our compound was set up.
This is the left side, where the animals were brought first. They were then sent to Englewood where they were kept so folks could find their pets.
Part of our rescue team and equipment.
Water Buffalo sent from the Sumter County Sheriff.
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