WASHINGTON – When people became homeless because of Hurricane Sandy, so did their pets.
Now, more than two months after the storm devastated the Northeast, cats and dogs that were surrendered or abandoned in New York City are finding new homes in the Washington area.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals teamed up with the Washington Animal Rescue League to bring 13 cats and dogs to Washington so they could be adopted.
Anna Strates, Medical Director for WARL became emotional as the animals were brought into their new temporary home at WARL Monday. Tears flowed as she spoke about the displaced families who surrendered their pets.
“They cared enough about their animals to give them up,” she explains. “They trusted the ASPCA to take care of them. And now, it’s up to us to find great homes, which we’ll do.”
As the animals were unloaded from the ASPCA truck, Strates called out their names and offered information about each animal. A crate with a bulky brown tabby cat was passed along to waiting staffers.
“This is Stubby. He’s a classic tabby, with a big bull’s eye on his side, and he’s short-legged. He’s great!”
A small white dog was carried off the truck “That’s Nebula, AKA ‘Shredder’.”
Inside, WARL’s Chief Operating Officer Mary Jarvis explained that the animals would get medical checkups and temperament assessments to see what kind of family would be best for each.
And they’d get new names, reflecting their New York roots. Within an hour Manhattan, Lady Liberty and Soho were snacking on treats and curling up on mats in their new -temporary homes. They could be available for adoption by the end of the week.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @kateryanWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
