It Takes More Than a Hurricane to Break These Spirits

The Johnny White’s Sports Bar’s Canine Calendar Project

By: Brent Huston

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I met the lady who is leading this project. Her efforts and the work she has been doing since hurricane Katrina was one of  the forces that set me to work on this site. Her name is Marita Jaeger (shown at left, with her canine kid, Turbo Dog) and she is a full time resident in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Marita has dedicated much of her time to helping rescue pets in and around the French Quarter. After hurricane Katrina, she described a very dire situation to me. Hundreds of pets were abandoned or barely escaped the storm waters. A majority of those former pets who survived wound up in the French Quarter, which had less flooding than most of the rest of the city. Marita and her friends used the resources of their neighborhood bar, Johnny White’s, to help many of these pets by providing food, water and temporary shelter during and after the storm.

Johnny White’s is a casual neighborhood watering hole. The bar is long, wide and shows the beauty of its age. The weather, like most of Louisiana, is often quite hot and humid, but the warmth of the regulars surpasses even the famed sunshine of the American Southland. Here, at Johnny White’s, everyone is welcome, regardless of the number of feet they have. The day we visited, there were a couple of dogs around, but the locals told us of many times when the place has literally, “gone to the dogs”, with as many four-legged friends as two. It is this dog-friendly atmosphere that permeates the Quarter. Dogs are welcome almost everywhere and public water bowls abound.

Fitting, then, that Marita and her friends have chosen this as the base of their operations. From the sports bar, Marita creates a yearly photo calendar with pictures of their rescues (and sometimes a few owners). She and her friends gather sponsorships from local New Orleans businesses and place ads in the calendars. The calendars are then sold at local shops around the Quarter and beyond with all of the proceeds going into their project. The rest of the year, the proceeds from the calendars are used to rescue stray animals around the Quarter, help with the costs of spay/neuter programs and even provide food to families with pets that are having problems making ends meet.

“This year we were able to not just rescue several dogs, but were also able to help owners in the French Quarter who were struggling financially, to pay for some heart worm medication, and shots. We also got four cats spayed, two of which were feral. We rescued two dogs from start to finish. In other words, we found them, cleaned them up, had them neutered by our local vet Dr. Mike's Animal Hospital, got them checked for heart worm, got them heart worm medication, flea treatment and shots, then found them loving homes“, said Marita. “It is so rewarding finding this sweet scared dog, and then watching them transformed in their new home. They have become self confident, wonderful, loving dogs who have enriched the lives of their new owners”, she added.

 “We have also donated money to German Shepherd Rescue. Toby Burroughs, who runs the organization, is a saint. She does it pretty much all on her own, and needs all the financial help she can get. This year we donated money to her to help rescue Saint; a beautiful German Shepherd who desperately needed heart worm treatment”, Marita explained. With all of these activities going on non-stop, she and her friends are very busy indeed.

Click here for a PDF with a few clips from the calendar. The stories in the clips and the images of the dogs and their new lives are simply amazing. This story is so special to me because of the people involved, their indomitable spirits and the care they have shown for animals that many of us overlook. Marita’s example of finding a way to help locally is fantastic. It proves, that even when something as devastating as Katrina gets in the way, human spirit, open hearts and ingenuity can prevail.

How can you help? First, if you haven’t been to New Orleans since Katrina, visit. Meet the people. Witness their genuine and generous spirits. Stop by the bar for a drink. Buy a calendar online at johnnywhitesneverclosed.com or get in touch with Marita at (504) 524-4909 to see what else you can do to assist. If you use social media and can reach out to New Orleans businesses, make them aware of the project and ask them to participate. Send them Marita’s way and she will handle the rest. Lastly, if you do end up on Bourbon Street, drop in Johnny White’s, tell Marita that Tales4Change sent you and give the dogs a few scratches for me!