Hip, a refugee pet from New Orleans, has been returned to his family almost a year after Katrina.

Hip, (Pictured, left) who was wearing a rabies tag, was rescued in September from Gentilly in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Calls were immediately made to the veterinary clinic that vaccinated him. They offered up contact information for Hip’s family.

For months, however, messages that were periodically left on a recorder for that number went unanswered.

The Reverend Nathaniel and Mrs. Florida Gaines never received the messages intended to notify them that Hip was safe. Their phone service to this day has not been restored and they’ve had no way to retrieve voice messages. For their part, the family had contacted several rescue groups, letting them know they were looking for Hip.

In the meantime, Hip -- who was called Morpheus after he was rescued -- was fostered by a group in Arizona. Then, last December he was transferred to a new foster mom, veterinarian Karen Dashfield with 11th Hour Rescue, and driven to her clinic in New Jersey.

A few months later a member of the Stealth Volunteers -- a group that helps reunite people with their pets -- knocked on the Gaines family’s FEMA trailer with a photo in her hand.

“Your dog is safe,” the Gaineses were told.

But Dr. Karen wasn’t able to immediately release Hip. He’d undergone heartworm treatment, and she wanted to make sure he was healthy before traveling the 1,300 miles from New Jersey to Louisiana.

Florida Gaines was surprised when Dr. Karen told her that Hip had heartworm disease.

“We had him on prevention before the storm,” Florida said. “It had to be from the floodwater.”

She was also surprised that Hip had moved around a few times.

“He's done more traveling than I’ve ever done,” Florida commented.


Before he arrived home in mid July, the Gaines grandchildren were anxious for him to return. They live next door to their grandparents and, prior to the storm, spent a lot of time playing in the yard with Hip. Before Hip arrived home, the Gaineses adopted another chow mix, so Hip now has a dog companion.

“He’s a love bug,” Florida said. “All the grand kids, even the older ones, could hardly wait to see him. Hip is well loved.”

So far, among their friends, family and church members, she hasn’t heard of anyone else getting their dog back. But it’s not for lack of trying. “It’s like a club of people,” Florida said. “They get together and they go down to the library and try to find their dogs online.”

When Hip arrived home, one of the first things he did was jump up on Nathaniel, as he's always done.

“He got up on me, put his arms on my chest, and hugged on me just like a person does," said Nathaniel, who is pastor of the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Gentilly. "He’s such a smart guy. He remembered everybody.”

Now that the hurricane season is upon them, Nathaniel said he’s made arrangements to take Hip and their other dog to stay with family members who live on higher ground in case the levees break again.

With Hurricane Katrina, “We were expecting to be home in three days,” he said. “I left on Saturday night prior to the storm. We lost everything we had, including our dog. We’re in a danger area. If we evacuate (again), I won’t leave him behind.”

Until and if that day comes, “Hip is doing fine,” Nathaniel said. “He’s very happy to be home.”

Pictured: Hip and the Gaineses the day of their homecoming.

Story by Cathy Scott. Photos provided by Karen Dashfield.