Animals remain lost and displaced by Valley fire

A month after evacuation orders were lifted for victims of the Valley fire, scores of pets remain missing, unclaimed or wandering through the ash and rubble of one of the most destructive fires in state history. The 76,067-acre fire in south Lake County destroyed almost 1,300 homes and killed four people and an unknown number of farm animals and pets, estimated in the dozens.

Owners and animal lovers continue to scour the charred landscape for lost pets, while some animals sit in cages and in foster homes, waiting to be claimed.

After Oct. 28, unclaimed fire-rescued animals held in the county animal shelter will be put up for adoption, said Lake County Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson.

He said everything possible will be done to find homes for the animals, including lowering the price of adoption.

'I'm confident everything will be re-homed,' said Davidson.

On Monday, there were about 25 cats — half of which likely had been stray or feral — 11 dogs, two chickens and three horses at the county shelter.

It's a vast improvement since the early days of the fire.

'We assisted almost 3,400 animals' in conjunction with other animal rescue agencies during the fire, which erupted in the Cobb Mountain area Sept. 12, said Davidson. That included moving animals to fire-free areas or facilities, taking injured ones to veterinary hospitals, and taking food and water to livestock that were in safe locations.

During the first two weeks of the fire, the shelter housed some 400 animals, including dogs, cats, horses, chickens and emus.

Many rescued animals remain in foster homes while their owners are sought. A number of websites, such as facebook.com/lakecountypets, post pictures of both lost and found pets.

'I'm certain there are still several dozen out there that good Samaritans are keeping,' Davidson said.

Between 100 and 200 horses were displaced during the fire, and many remain in the care of strangers that opened their ranch gates to the fire victims, said Lake County Farm Bureau Executive Director Brenna Sullivan.

There has been an outpouring of support from people far and near. They've donated feed, equipment and money for the animals, said Lakeport resident Carleene Cady, who works with SAFER — Sonoma Action for Equine Rescue.

Volunteers and area residents have been feeding and trying to capture traumatized animals still wandering through the devastation.

Daily, between eight and 11 people check traps in the Cobb area, hoping to recover someone's beloved pet. Upper Lake resident Haji Warf, who launched the cat-trapping program, said her volunteer group is currently trying to recover pets for about two dozen people.

'We get requests every day,' she said.

For complete wildfire coverage go to: www.pressdemocrat.com/wildfire

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter