To most of her neighbors in the Ninth Ward, Kelly Gaus is often referred to as the woman with the dogs.

To the 56 four-legged animals she has saved in the past year, she is a redeemer.

Gaus, a law student at Tulane University in New Orleans, is the founder and director of Dogs of the 9th Ward, which rescues stray, abandoned and feral dogs in the devastated, storm-stricken community.

“I always thought it would be really great if I could do something for the incredible number of strays we have here,” she said. “I always sort of assumed that I couldn’t.”

She was wrong.

This month, Dogs of the 9th Ward celebrated its first anniversary. Gaus said the inspiration for the organization came in the form of a dog that she found and initially mistook for a gargoyle statue.

She got the injured dog veterinary care and sought a permanent home for her. Ultimately, she decided to keep the hairless pit bull she named Pauline, after the street in the Ninth Ward where she was found.

“I had no idea how I could afford to help her, but I knew I couldn’t just leave her there,” Gaus said.

News of Pauline’s rescue spread throughout the community and Gaus said the response was overwhelming.

“People in the community reached out and really helped me,” she said. “They gave so much money and support that it actually more than covered her vet bills.”

Gaus began to toy with the idea of rescuing other dogs. Only a week later, a 5-month-old puppy followed her home. Homer, whom she is still hoping to adopt out, became the second 9th Ward dog.

“Once I started, it was hard to stop,” she said with a smile.

Gaus is proud of what the organization has accomplished so far, but is now focused on its future.

She said the organization is in a transitional state.

“The organization is continuing to grow, but we need to back up a little bit and become a more structured organization than we are right now,” she said.

She hopes to secure nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service and develop more structured roles within the group.

“I see the organization continuing to grow at the same rate as it has, but right now we don’t have the internal structure in place for it to do that,” she said. “We’re going to shift the focus for the next few months so we can continue to rescue over 100 dogs this next year.”

For Gaus, her happiness has been tempered with sorrow.

When Pauline, the pit bull she rescued, died unexpectedly this month from an autoimmune disorder, Gaus thought about ending the rescues.

She said she then realized she couldn’t.

“Every time I think these things, I realize that I can’t stop because the fosters are all there and they’re depending on you finding them a home,” she said. “Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s what I do and what I’ll continue to do.”

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