Rescuers Race to Save Pets Left Behind in Hurricane Harvey

Sam Speights tries to hold back tears while holding his dogs and surveying the damage to his home in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. San Antonio Animal Care Services has taken in about 200 evacuated pets so far.

Warunek said they know they won’t be able to house all the animals, so they will be sending some to a shelter in IL.

While Dallas does not allow animals to stay with humans in the same shelters, pets are microchipped, photographed, collared, kept in the same city, and have extensive visiting hours during the day.

Those dogs he said are homeless and ready for adoption. After making a pit stop in Utah, they landed at Boeing Field, about five miles south of downtown Seattle, at approximately 3:40 p.m.

One of at least 35 dogs makes its way to Seattle Humane, where it’ll undergo a checkup and begin the adoption process.

Texas A&M entomologist Dr Paul Nester and Dr Mike Merchant said people should take precautions to avoid run-ins with floating colony “mats” and should remain aware of what objects are floating near and toward them in floodwaters.

Each of the dogs arrived with paperwork attached to their crates, including their name, breed, health records and whatever was known about the dog’s disposition.

But the star was Sandy, a female, tan dog who is about 6 to 7 years old. It will also be extremely tough on pets left behind in the chaos.

“When we transport animals in like this during disaster relief it definitely, 100 percent helps”, she said.

The team of four consists of two Oregon Humane Society staff members and two volunteers. The Houston Zoo was closed to visitors, as an emergency crew was called in to care for its 6,000 animals. The organizations are working to fly dogs and cats that were already in Texas shelters before the storm to other centers out-of-state. The SPCA said some 80 percent of those pets were never reunited with their owners.

But others are separated, alone, in desperate need of a new home.

“They’re coming to us”, Smith said.

It’s sad to say that this dog wasn’t the only one tied up to contend with Hurricane Harvey; another heartbreaking image showed a black dog in Victoria cowering next to a tree it was tied to. Your assets and your sympathy for these poor animals is needed now more than ever.

“Pets are much more likely to try and make an escape during stressful situations”, says Pamela Reid, an animal behaviourist with the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), who specialises in natural disaster work.