Josey's Ranch is taking in evacuees: both two-legged and four-legged.

As Hurricane Katrina neared coasts of several Southern states, residents scrambled to gather their families and belongings, including the pets.

While many hotels turned away evacuees who brought along their dogs and cats, it wasn't even feasible for people such as Mickey Hess to shelter his multiple equines and canines. But he thought of world champion barrel-racer Martha Josey and her husband, R.E. Josey, because of several clinics he and his wife had attended at their ranch in the past.

"If we didn't have a place for the animals, we don't know where we would have gone. Me and another guy came with three trailer loads of three donkeys, four ponies, two colts, 11 horses, two goats and seven dogs," Hess said.