This article is from 2006's Pet Guide package. The information may be out-of-date, so please call locations listed for new information.

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Last spring, Lizette Chanock and a few friends started a nonprofit animal-rescue organization, PetConnect.

"Our goal was to make the adoption process a kinder, gentler one," says Chanock, who lives in Potomac.

PetConnect (petconnectinc.org) was growing slowly until August, when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Members of PetConnect traveled to Louisiana and Mississippi and rescued more than 50 dogs and cats that were separated from owners.

"They were all unhealthy, needed care, and were traumatized," she says.

Chanock called on the local community to provide foster homes for the animals. An appearance on Fox News helped spread the word. Washingtonians took in all the animals.

Three dogs have been reclaimed by their Gulf Coast owners. Chanock adopted a nine-week-old kitten, to go with her five dogs and three cats. The cat's mother had drowned.

"I fell in love with her," Chanock says. "She thinks I'm her mother."

The kitten's name? Zoe, which means "life" in Greek.

"She's a symbol of life coming out of the rubble."

--Kim Forrest