‘These are Souls’: California, Virginia Adopt Pets Rescued From Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey pets (Suzanne Cordeiro / AFP / Getty)
Suzanne Cordeiro / AFP / Getty

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Several animal-focused non-profit organizations have teamed up with other organizations throughout the United States to transport hundreds of dogs and cats affected by Hurricane Harvey to the East and West Coasts from Louisiana and Texas.

On Saturday, the Humane Society of the United States transported over 100 cats and dogs from Texas and Louisiana to Manassas, Virginia and put them up for adoption. “On Saturday, we had 120 souls on a plane. They are all individuals. These are souls” Director of Emergency Placement Partners Program for The Humane Society of of the United States Kim Alboum told Breitbart News. “They think, they feel. It’s painstaking to see that level of suffering and you want to do something.”

Alboum said these dogs and cats were examined by veterinarians and evaluated for adoption. As of Tuesday, over 700 dogs and cats will have been transported from Louisiana and Texas, thanks to the Humane Society of the United States.

Hurricane Harvey saturated Texas, Louisiana and the surrounding area with 33 trillion gallons of water.

In a press release issued last week, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said, “Today, we are working to transport 200 animals from San Antonio, to create more space for animals coming from the battered and deluged areas. We are also working with the Houston Humane Society and other local groups to relieve the pressure on overcrowded shelters.” Pacelle added, “We’ll be bringing animals, with partners like Wings of Rescue, to states as far off as Washington and New Jersey.”

Marc Ching of the Sherman Oaks, California-based Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation, donated thousands of pounds of food to animals misplaced by Hurricane Harvey. The first of several pallets of food arrived in Houston on Sunday:

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, five Bay Area rescue groups have also helped transport animals from areas afflicted by Harvey.

On Sunday, a plane full of animals reportedly arrived from Texas to Oakland Sunday, thanks to a donation.

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue volunteer Patty Stanton told the Chronicle, “We’re taking over 70 dogs and cats that are available and don’t have owners, to make room for the devastated dogs that can be hopefully reunited with their families at some point.”

Also on Saturday, the Karma Rescue organization reportedly flew 34 dogs from Texas animal shelters to John Wayne Airport to make room for Texas shelters for family pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey.

According to the Orange County Register, a Los Angeles-based woman donated the $12,000 cost for the private jet.

Alboum said, “The response was breathtaking. Shelters stepped up and said we want to take these animals. It’s so exciting that all of our community shelters have this room.”

The response was emotive.

“We’re at a time and place where animals are elevated in our family and communities. And any animals that are suffering pulls at our heart strings,” Alboum told Breitbart News. “What we can’t lose sight of and what I think have become more and more prevalent in the minds of people is that these animals are individuals.”

She said the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation in Virginia took in 12 of the rescued creatures and that 11 have been adopted. “These dogs and cats have a story,” Alboum said, adding, “a lot of these people have lost everything and these animals are part of their family.”

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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