Somerset —

Jasper was discovered in the days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed parts of the Gulf Coast. The nine-and-a-half month old dach-shund was matted and starving, and he was reportedly found floating on a crate in the middle of flood waters. Jasper, one of hundreds of thousands of pets left without their families after the massive storm hit in the morning hours of August 29, 2005, was rescued by boat after rescuers combed the area for human survivors and he was taken to a makeshift animal shelter to await his fate. When Sandy Stokley laid eyes on the long-haired dachshund, she said a bond was formed. Stokley and several others made the trip to New Orleans nine days after Katrina hit to help overwhelmed volunteers feed, water and shelter the furry, feathery and even leathery companions that had been left behind in the wake of the third-deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. “I don’t think I can count that high,” Stokley said about the sheer number of animals that had been left behind — by perished owners or by owners unable to come back for their beloved pets. “It was the saddest thing I’d ever seen, for both people and animals.” Stokley and the others — all from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and Illinois — who came in coordination with a rescue organization, took several animals back home with them to foster out. “We all brought animals back because they were overwhelmed,” Stokley said. Jasper came along, of course. While Stokley would foster out several other Katrina rescues, she would keep Jasper permanently. “All the animals were in bad shape,” Stokley said. “But there was just a special bond between me and Jasper.” Now, on the anniversary of Katrina, all eyes have once again turned to New Orleans, Louisiana and Biloxi, Mississippi — the two locations hardest hit by the strong Category 3 storm. As many as 700 people remain missing, and the official death toll stands at 1,836, although many attest that count is actually much higher. The survivors have begun to rebuild, whether back in New Orleans or Biloxi, or in other parts of the U.S. And those affected pets lucky enough to be rescued in the days after Katrina’s landfall can be found all over the U.S. as well. According to reports, more than 200 animal rescue organizations have placed as many as 8,000 pets in homes since the disaster. Some of them have even been reunited with their families years after the strong Category 3 storm destroyed thousands of homes and flooded whole cities. Jasper arrived in Kentucky a timid, traumatized animal. Stokley said baths were nearly impossible because the dog had developed a fear of water and rain. “Many of them (the animals) had been out in the middle of the storm,” said Stokley, who stayed in New Orleans for two weeks while she volunteered. Jasper had been microchipped, but attempts to reach his owners were unsuccessful. Stokley said there’s a possibility that they perished in the storm. Stokley allowed Jasper three or four months to recover from the trauma before she took him out. Since then, he’s recovered slowly from his experience. “He’s made a complete recovery since Katrina, but he’s still afraid to go out in the rain,” Stokley said. But Jasper’s comfortable life would be threatened in December 2009. Stokley said she came home from work, eager to see Jasper and her two other dachshunds, Madison and Jacob, to discover that Jasper had blown four discs in his back. He was paralyzed from the middle of his back down. Stokley rushed Jasper to the veterinarian, who told her dachshunds often suffer from back injuries due to their elongated spines. She was given three options: Have Jasper euthanized, have him undergo major surgery, or train him for a wheelchair. Stokley chose the third option, and, miraculously, by April of this year, Jasper began walking again. His veterinarian said he’d developed extra muscles that have allowed him to walk again. Further testament to Jasper’s will to survive, Stokley said. “This dog is pretty special,” Stokley said. Jasper has adjusted well to his new life, and he’s content to stay close to Stokley, even resting snugly in her arms as she carries him around. His expressive, brown eyes can melt hearts ... and they even convey a sense of sadness, which is either a characteristic of the breed, or perhaps a deep-seated sign of what he went through in Katrina. And Stokley knows he’s grateful for his rescue. “When he looks up at me, it’s almost like he’s saying ‘thank you,’” Stokley said. “He’s very attached to me, as I am to him.”