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Ms. Harrington reads The Two Bobbies

Added Nov 29, 2023 •

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Listen as Ms. Harrington reads us a tale about a dog and a cat surviving Hurricane Katrina together.

Show Transcript

hi today I'm going to read to Bobby's a true story of Hurricane Katrina friendship and survival it is written by Kirby Larson and Mary nethery neither Bobby the dog nor Bobcat has a tail and some say that's what brought them together no one knows for sure how they met perhaps their owner had a soft spot for pets with no tails but the two Bobbies as they've now come to be known for each exactly the friend the other needed at exactly the right time this is their story the City of New Orleans on the mighty Mississippi is a place many people and pets call home jamming with jazz and dressing up fancy for Mardi Gras it busted with the life day and night on August 29th 2005 Hurricane Katrina Bordentown on the city and everyone who live there including a wisp of a cat and one puppy Gwen's roared to 110 miles an hour impounded hard-and-fast strong winds pushed the walls of water from the Gulf of Mexico into Lake Pontchartrain some of the levees holding back the lake gave way water poured into the city in deeper people who had stayed through the storm or finally forced to leave their homes they had to say goodbye to everything they loved many were told they could not take their pet Bobby and bobcat we're Left Behind Bobby had been tethered with a length of chain Bobcat stayed by her side together in the silent heat they waited for help to come After the Storm volunteers from across the country came to New Orleans to lend a hand they brought food and water they rescue people stranded on the roofs of their homes and they rescued many animals but with so much damage and confusion the to Bobby's World rescued their food and water gone Bobby finally broke free she dragged along the broken chain with Bobcat close behind her in the early days after the hurricane the two Bobbies tried to make their way around oily water littered with debris after the waters receded they traveled the buckled streets with no place to call home month after month passed as Bobby and Bobcat wandered the devastated City their days and nights were filled with danger packs of hungry homeless dogs roamed the streets fighting smaller animals for food we're Bobby and Bobcat chased away from any scraps they might have found with little food to eat or clean water to drink Bobby's ribs began to show bobcat brown sugar markings started to fade to dull White one day in January for long months later Bobby and Bobcat strayed onto a job site a construction crew hammered and stalled fixing up a motel damaged by the hurricane a dog rest over to play with Bobby the owner's dog Rich notice Bobcat to he saw how thin the two Strays were and he began feeding them trimmed Bobby's chain leaving enough to Jingle the ground because Bobcat like to follow it but every time Rich tried to touch Bobcat Bobby proud after a week of caring for the two Bobbies Rich got some bad news when his boss came back to the job site he had given permission for one dog but not two dogs and a cat he said Bobby and Bob had to go Rich was determined to take them to a safe place but Bobby still ground whenever Rich got too near Bobcat she would not let him pick up or even touch her friend so rich a bowl full of kibble Bobby follow the food to riches van and Bobcat followed Bobby Rich drove them to a temporary shelter that Best Friends Animal Society had set up in Celebration Station A4 a video game arcade the shelter was completely filled with homeless dogs and cats but a volunteer welcome them in even naming them Bobbi and bobcat for their bobtails they were placed in rooms all night long Bobby Howard and Bart Bobcat paste back and forth no one could sleep with Bobby making such a Ruckus so volunteers made a large pin for her and put bobcat and his small carrier inside Bobby's new cage Bobby lay in front of bobcat in winter the volunteers open the small cage to see what would happen the two Bobbies touch noses together again at last for the next few minutes the volunteers studied Bobby and Bobcat they noticed how Bobcat stayed close to Bobby they saw how he walked with his neck stuck out and how carefully he looked his front paws place in them down as if you were unsure of what he might step on someone waved a hand in front of bobcat face Bobcat did not jump back another volunteer waved a hand bobcat didn't even blink everyone was stunned Bobcat was blind all that time on their own body had been Bobcats seeing eye dog the volunteers and even and Ace Pet Detective search for their family with no success Slater Celebration Station closes doors but Bobby and Bobcat still did not have a home there was only one thing left to try the two Bobbies made a television appearance on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° the very next day the best friends volunteers left New Orleans one of them drove Bobby and Bobcat to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah where they would stay until a new family could be found they were on their way west when the news came in hundreds of people wanted to stop them it would take a very special family to adopt them together. a made a list and invited everyone on it to come and meet the two Bobbies only Melinda and her Boston Terrier Gus Gus made the long trip to Utah that night Bobby and Bobcat had a sleepover with Melinda and go in one of the cottages on the sanctuary grounds would the two Bobbies choose Melinda the next morning everyone knew the answer Bobby and Bobcat we're stuck to Melinda like velcro they also like to Gus Gus and he like them finally Bobby and Bobcat had found their new family now they live with Melinda Gus Gus and Amelia on a ranch in southern or Bobcat has a window seat to sit in he likes to play with the robot vacuum cleaner he turns it on all by himself Bobby helps with the ranch chores she goes along on horse rides on hot days lounges in the frog frog and fairy pond at the end of every day Bobby and Bobcat snuggle up together they have toys and treats and lots of new friends even a camel best of all they have each other what a beautiful story about these two animals who survived hurricane I want to read to you after the storm so that you can see what happened like thousands of others the two Bobbies lost their family and everything dear to them when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans after they came to live with Melinda and Gus Gus the veterinarian discovered debris and grit deep inside Bobcats ear canals his right eardrum was broken did Bobby Bobcat from the dirty floodwaters that had filled New Orleans no one will ever but it is very likely that a blind cat like Bobcat would not have made it without Bobby's protection and turn Bobcats friendship may have made Bobby stronger and giving her a reason to go on Bobby Bobcat Survived Hurricane Katrina they did it by linden each other up Hall

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Ms. Harrington reads The Two Bobbies

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