In this holiday season of love, when you may be considering how to round out your year-end charity gifts, we want to bring Jeff Dorson, founder and executive director of the Humane Society of Louisiana (HSL), to your attention.

With recent news/riots in New Orleans, it's obvious that the disaster isn't over for many of the human residents on the Gulf Coast. What most people don't know is that it's also not over for the animals.

We first met Jeff when we interviewed him for our book, RESCUED: Saving Animals from Disaster. We were so impressed with his courage and compassion. He has devoted his life to giving animals a second chance.

He's a tireless rescuer who shines the spotlight on issues such as dog fighting and animal abuse. It takes tremendous courage to confront people who make tons of money by abusing animals. Jeff steps into these volatile situations with a remarkable balance of strength and diplomacy.

Jeff has recently launched the Katrina Pet Memorial project. He has commissioned one of the country's preeminent sculptors, Mr. Ric Chashoudian, to design the nation's first memorial statue to honor companion animals lost during the 2005 storm season and the work of animal rescuers. The sculpture will be unveiled in a ceremony with the New Orleans City Council in August 2008.

Hurricane Katrina completely destroyed HSL's animal shelter, yet Jeff led his remaining staff and 400 volunteers to rescue 1,700 animals. While everyone else was fleeing the ravaged area, Jeff was going into it every day. He set up a temporary shelter in Tylertown, Mississippi and brought the animals there to safety and medical care.

Because HSL received relatively little from the donations that the large animal organizations collected for rescuing animals, it has been impossible for HSL to rebuild its destroyed shelter. Through the Katrina Pet Memorial project Jeff is now attempting to raise $900,000 to build additional permanent buildings at the HSL operation (which is currently, mostly outdoors) in Tylertown.

Right now, HSL houses over 100 animals in temporary shelters, many of whom were rescued from Katrina. Jeff wants to give these animals lifetime care until suitable homes can be found for them.

Jeff, his staff, and volunteers have endured so much pain since the destruction of their shelter. We have never seen him come close to giving up on helping the animals. He knows that animal companions bring out the best in people. When you save an animal, you save a family.

All of your local and national animal rescue groups need donations but if you find you feel drawn to support Jeff's tireless efforts, consider donating the Humane Society of Louisiana.  Visit www.humanela.org for details.

Thank you for considering our request.