Virginia animal shelters rescue 130 cats, dogs from Texas ahead of Hurricane Laura
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Thirty cats and dogs will be looking for forever homes in Central Virginia after a total of 130 animals flew in on Wednesday afternoon from Houston, Texas ahead of Hurricane Laura’s landfall. The Richmond SPCA was one of six organizations rescuing some of the animals.
“Many of these shelters are prone to flooding in the first place. There are literally animals in those conditions that potentially could drown,” said Richmond SPCA CEO Tamsen Kingry.
The Richmond chapter will take in 10 dogs and 20 cats, which will all be vaccinated, spayed or neutered prior to adoption, according to Kingry, adding that they will all be micro-chipped, and any medical conditions that they are suffering from would be treated.
The SPCA says the 130 cats and dogs ended up on the 1,200-mile journey because they were already homeless back in Texas. Apart from getting them to safety, moving the animals to other states also benefited the local Texas shelters.
”It relieves those shelters from the burden of caring for those animals during the storm, and it gives them the capacity - after the storm has passed - to come to the aid of pets who may have have been displaced as a result of the storm.”
This isn’t the first time the SPCA has taken part in similar efforts; last year, the organization saved four dogs from the Bahamas prior to Hurricane Dorian making landfall.
“It’s essential that they get those animals out well in advance of the storm so that they can be brought to safety in places further up the coast,” Kingry added.
The Richmond SPCA also started a fundraiser to help cover the costs of the medical needs of the new additions. Information on the fundraiser can be found here.
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