"Now is the time to honor heroes on two and four legs," says organizer Capt. Scott Shields, Director of Marine Safety for the NYC Urban Parks Service/Search and Rescue. At the special request of Louisiana's Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Shields has launched a task force to assist with the Hurricane Katrina rescue and recovery effort. To learn more, visit bearsearchandrescue.org.

It's been heartbreaking to watch the hurricane's devastation, as people and pets were cruelly separated. But thanks to animal-welfare groups around the country, Katrina's four-legged victims won't be left behind.

Noah's Wish, a California group that rescues animals in disasters, is in Slidell, Lousiana, with volunteer veterinarians and vet technicians tending to traumatized pets. They need help: to make a donation of cash or supplies, go to noahswish.org. Hundreds of pets and people have been reunited thanks to the Humane Society of the United States (hsus.org) and American Humane (americanhumane.org).

New York's own ASPCA has collected more than $1 million to help thonds of displaced pets, including those from Louisiana and Mississippi shelters that were relocated to Texas. To adopt a pet from a shelter affected by the hurricane, or to donate, visit petfinder.com.