An estimated 200,000 pets were lost or left behind in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and one Canadian woman is helping to reunite those pets with their owners.

Cindy Little, of Manitoba, watched the heartbreaking images of the devastating flood and decided she needed to help.

Working with Petfinder.com, Little was able to help establish a lost or left-pet database. Through hard work and more than a thousand emails, the effort has reunited about 12 owners with their lost pets.

"I just felt that I had the skills that could help some people and their pets down there," Little told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday. "I felt horrible for the pets and for the people having to leave them behind."

Little worked with Petfinder.com to develop a database specifically for the hurricane-affected pets. Pets that had been taken to shelters were listed and described on the site to enable owners to search specifically for their pet.

Thanks to Little's efforts, Constance Mitchell and her daughter Brittany, of New Orleans were reunited with their lost dog Sadie. In the aftermath of the hurricane, losing their pets was one more blow to a family that was already hit hard.

"When the water was getting high Brittany and I were determined that we needed to get out of the house and get out of the city, but we couldn't bring the animals with us," Mitchell said. "And so we left and Britney and I wound up in the Super Dome. We had no idea where the animals were, what happened to them."

Both dogs were eventually rescued. Their dog Blackie has found a new home in Canada, while Sadie ended up in Colorado Springs. Thanks to Little's efforts through the online database, the Mitchells, who now live in St. Louis, have been reunited with Sadie.

"Thank you very, very much," Mitchell told Little when the two appeared on Canada AM. "I really owe you a debt of gratitude. We're very glad to have Sadie back with us."