While search and rescue teams are saving lives during the disaster from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, some rescue teams are also working feverishly to save dogs and cats.
Fifty to 90 rescued pets from Mitchell and Yancey counties in North Carolina are expected to arrive Tuesday night at shelters in Northern Virginia.
“We are told that most of the roads in those towns are completely washed out. There is no running water, there is no cell (or) internet service. And so, the teams on the ground down there have been working with emergency services and the shelter staff to try to get these animals loaded up and headed our way,” said Sue Bell, founder and executive director of Homeward Trails, a nonprofit animal rescue that operates a shelter in Fairfax Station, Virginia, and a second shelter in Delaplane, Virginia.
Homeward Trails takes in about 3,000 unhoused animals every year, most of them from rural, under-resourced communities across Virginia where adoption rates are low and the number of homeless animals is high.
“The state of animal welfare in America right now is already in crisis. Animal shelters across the country are already full, and animal welfare workers have been struggling now for several years to secure live outcomes for the animals already in the shelters and in our communities,” Bell said.
“So when a natural disaster at this level hits, it’s incredibly overwhelming to think a minute or an hour or a day ahead to where we are going to find the resources, services and the locations to keep these animals safe,” she added.
The coordinated rescue plan involves teams in North Carolina preparing the pets for transport to Richmond and volunteer drivers ready to pick them up in Richmond to bring them to Northern Virginia.
“The most challenging part of this, aside from the logistics and operating in a geographical area with no cell service or internet or where roads are flooded, is balancing the needs of our more local shelters, who remain full and have to face decisions about euthanizing animals for space, against those animals who are victims of these natural disasters. The challenge of trying to be mindful of every animal and make the decisions about who we can help and who we can’t help are probably the most stressful decisions we make all year round,” said Bell.
Tuesday’s planned arrival of the rescued pets is expected to be the first in a series of transport operations in the weeks ahead.
“We are also mobilizing to take in animals from some of our Southwest Virginia partners, who are not hit quite as hard with flooding, but who have been operating in shelters without electricity, without running water for the last few days,” said Bell.
She said Homeward Trails reached an agreement Tuesday with District Dogs, a doggy day care in the D.C. area, to immediately take in some animals from its adoption center to make room for the hurricane rescue pets, some of which will require veterinary care.
The nonprofit is asking for help. It’s seeking donations of money to help pay the pets’ vet bills. It’s also collecting dog food, cat food and water to transfer to partners in North Carolina.
“We are told that water is the greatest issue, so we are gladly taking donations of those items to get down to the affected areas,” said Bell.
The rescue group also needs foster homes and volunteers.
“Our adoption center is only so big, so we can only house so many animals here, and we all know that animals are best served being in homes. … We’re going to need volunteers in the coming days, as our capacity here at our adoption center is exceeded … to help us feed animals and walk animals, help us transport animals to and from veterinary appointments,” said Bell.
Ironically, October is National “Adopt a Dog” Month. Homeward Trails has been given a $25,000 contribution from the PenFed Foundation that will be used to pay the adoption fees for approved veterans and military families. The adoption will also include a crate, food, toys and a free first exam with certain veterinarians.
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