Several dogs and kittens are up for adoption in D.C. after they were evacuated from a South Carolina animal shelter at risk of being pummeled by Hurricane Matthew.
WASHINGTON — Several dogs and kittens are up for adoption in D.C. after they were evacuated from a South Carolina animal shelter at risk of being pummeled by Hurricane Matthew.
Eight dogs and about 10 kittens arrived at the Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League Wednesday evening from a shelter in a Beaufort County, South Carolina — an area being evacuated as Hurricane Matthew barrels toward the southeast.
“They were up for adoptions there, but because of the hurricane, they were forced to evacuate all of the animals out of the shelter and so we partnered with them to get them up here,” said WHS-WARL spokesman Matt Williams.
D.C.-area residents can adopt the animals from the WHS-WARL location at 71 Oglethorpe St. NW after they have a few days to adjust to the new setting after the long trip.
“They are great dogs and cats … the kittens are a little ways from being adopted, they are very young. But the dogs are terrific dogs — they are all in good shape and great candidates for adoption,” Williams said.
Having come from a partner shelter, Williams said the animals should be ready to go to a forever-home soon enough.
The D.C. shelter could be home to other animals from other hurricane-vulnerable shelters as Matthew continues to threaten the Southeast U.S., Williams said.
“I expect we will have more animals coming in from South Carolina in the next day or so,” he said Thursday. “We are willing to take more, so I expect we will see some more.”
Editor’s note: WARL-WHS partners with WTOP on the Pet of the Week segment.
Sarah Beth Hensley is the Digital News Director at WTOP. She has worked several different roles since she began with WTOP in 2013 and has contributed to award-winning stories and coverage on the website.