If Gibson could talk, he would have an amazing story to tell.

Gibson is a 3-year-old Chow Chow mix from Louisiana who moved to Iowa after Hurricane Katrina and found a new home with Sonia Brietzke, sophomore in sociology.

“He traveled a long way,” she said. “Living down there, he really hadn’t seen snow. He’ll pretend that he needs to be let out to use the bathroom just so he can play in the snow. He’s just goofy.”

Christine Petersen, assistant professor of veterinary pathology and hurricane volunteer, said nearly 20,000 animals were rescued after the hurricane, but only 5,000 to 6,000 were reunited with their original owners.

The remaining animals, including Gibson, were shipped to more than 38 states to try to find new homes.

The best way to make sure a pet comes home is to get a microchip identification implant and to include them in the family’s emergency plans, Petersen said.

Brietzke said the shelter told her approximately 60 dogs were brought to Iowa from the area affected by the hurricane.

Various shelters across Iowa picked the dogs they thought would be easily adopted, such as puppies.

“Ames took what was left,” she said. “They were the ones they thought were unadoptable. Everyone else wanted the ones that would be adopted really easily.”

Brietzke said she didn’t want a puppy because they require constant attention. She chose Gibson because he was an older dog and she felt bad that he lost his home in Louisiana.

“He liked to shake,” Brietzke said. “He was the only one that did that. It was how I chose him.”

She said she knew he was someone else’s dog before he became hers Jan. 5.

“He was so well-mannered,” she said. “He wouldn’t bark as much as the other dogs.”

Petersen said she volunteered in Louisiana shortly after Hurricane Rita to help rescue and care for animals, and said most dogs weren’t as well-behaved as Gibson.

“About half of the dogs in that area were pitbulls raised for fighting,” Petersen said. “Some were just too aggressive and couldn’t be brought back for treatment.”

Brietzke said when she heard about the hurricane, she hadn’t even considered what would happen to all the animals until she went to the Ames Animal Shelter to adopt a dog and found Gibson with a sign that said he was from Louisiana.

“I have friends down South that were looking at pictures of the floods and they said, ‘I’ve been to that town. I can’t believe that it could look that different,'” she said. “I didn’t even think of the dogs, but I kind of wish that I did. It would have been fun to go down there and volunteer.”

She said there was no way to know what the animals went through mentally, but it was clearly stressful.

“Any animal – dog, cat, person – would be pretty scared. You try to work cautiously so you don’t get bit, but despite this, there were a lot of us who got bit,” Petersen said.

She said one of the requirements to volunteer in Louisiana was getting a rabies vaccine. Another disease that was commonly found in the animals was heartworm, and Gibson was one of the animals it affected.

“Anyone who adopts these dogs should have a background in dealing with a few animal diseases because they are kind of like the black box of diseases,” Petersen said. “If you don’t know anything, these dogs will give you a crash course.”

Gibson has been back and forth to the Companion Animal Clinic in Gilbert a few times to get treatment for heartworm.

Dr. Tammy Kersting, a veterinarian, has been caring for Gibson and said animals that have come from that area are often very skittish and require patience.

She said the best thing to do for the animals is to help them with socialization.

“Introduce things to them slowly,” she said. “Take your time with them. Most will respond to your kindness. That’s all they want: kindness.”

She said older dogs like Gibson are harder to find homes for.

“I commend people who are willing to go to the shelters and get dogs who need special care, and their backgrounds are kind of unknown,” Kersting said.

Brietzke said she’s had a good experience with her new friend.

“I wouldn’t trade him for anything else,” she said. “He’s the perfect dog for me.”