LEWISTON — An ash-colored poodle was among the lucky ones.
The male dog shivered in a kennel in a rear room of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society shelter days after he was displaced by the catastrophic Blake Street fire.
“Chill out,” soothed Zachary Black, the society’s operations manager. He picked up the dog and held him in his arms. “Chill. Chill.” After a moment, the dog’s shaking stopped.
Since the fire, the pooch has been bathed, his nails trimmed, his vaccines checked and he’s been given plenty of food and water. The society gave similar care to six cats, three of whom were reclaimed by their owners after they found a place to stay.
“We’re here to help,” Black said. There’s no charge. “This is just a community donation.”
It’s an effort that started while the plumes of smoke were still rising above the city.
The shelter offered help to Animal Control Officer Wendell Strout and the American Red Cross.
“The owners brought their pets over around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. that night,” Black said. The owners were unable to take their pets to their temporary housing. “We came in and we stayed until almost midnight, in case more pets were taken out of the building.”
The next day, Black and other workers took a van to the fire site and offered pet food and other supplies.
“We’ve given out lots of dog food, lots of cat food, bedding, pet-related supplies,” Black said. Among the recipients was a mother dog and her puppies.
Black and others have also taken the calls from frantic pet owners who lost either their dog or cat in the fire.
“Luckily, a few people have found their animals,” Black said. “There are still those people who are frantic because they don’t know where their pet is. They’re worried. They give us as much information about the pet as they can.
“They think, we’re the humane society so we should know where their pet is,” he said.
If only it were that easy.
The descriptions are kept in a lost-and-found book at the shelter.
As Black visited with a pair of cats who survived the fire, he said he wishes the best for every pet.
The pets, too, may have scars.
“These guys are grumpy,” he said as he walked into the room where the cats were caged. One looked sad behind bars. Another looked angry, showed his teeth and hissed.
“This one is very grumpy,” Black said.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
More coverage of the Bartlett Street fire:
- Another 12-year-old accused of setting a fire in Lewiston
- About 50 people seek shelter at Lewiston High School
- Downtown residents ask, ‘Where are the parents?’
Stories from the Blake Street fire:
- Mother of week-old baby homeless, hopeful after Monday’s devastating fire
- Hours after the fire, woman’s cat is rescued; she always believed he’d be OK
- Owner of adjacent building says God saved her home from fire
Helping the victims:
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