Helping the Pets Caught in the Chaos

Amid the disastrous wildfires that began burning around Los Angeles on Jan. 7, residents have dealt with another worrythe fate of their pets.

- JOHNNY DODD

Some people were forced to flee so quickly they couldn't grab their animals. Others were never able to reach their properties before the flames consumed everything in sight. Livestock needed rescue; wildlife, including goats and mountain lions, sought refuge on city streets. So a wide array of individuals and groups have sprung into action to aid the city's vulnerable creatures, tens of thousands of which are estimated to have been displaced or killed.

Reunions With Distressed Owners

After weeks spent searching for animals in the fire zones around L.A., Niki Dawson, with the group Paws of War, has long ago lost track of what day of the week it is. But she can recall every detail of a moment when she reunited a cat named Ziggy with his elderly, worried owner, Shelia Silber, who had been unable to catch her beloved pet before being forced to flee Pacific Palisades. "You could see the look of relief on her face," says Dawson, who found Ziggy hiding inside a box spring in Silber's ash-covered but still-standing residence. "She told me, 'It's okay if I don't go back for weeks. Wherever Ziggy is is home for me.'"