September 4 2017
69 dogs and cats rescued from Hurricane Harvey now up for adoption in Bay Area
A private plane crowded with kennels touched down at Oakland International Airport Sunday night. The flight was filled with 69 dogs and cats rescued from the rising floodwaters in Texas.
“It was absolutely crazy. We decided we would get as many crates as we could,” said Sherri Franklin, founder and CEO of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.
The rescue operation was a team effort put together in less than 48 hours by four local organizations (Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, San Francisco SPCA, Mad Dog Rescue, and the Milo Foundation) and Austin Pets Alive in Texas. Charlie’s Acres of Sonoma donated the use of the private jet.
The animal rescue groups packed the plane with much-needed medications, collars, leashes and blankets and flew to Austin Sunday morning. They returned with a plane filled to the brim with 15 cats and 54 dogs 8 p.m. Sunday night.
“We were probably more excited than they were. The old dogs slept through the whole thing and the young puppies were pooping and crying,” Franklin said. “It’s a messy business, what can I say?”
Many of the dogs were evacuated from a shelter in Beaumont, Texas that was affected by flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. All of the pets flown to the Bay Area had been in shelters for a long time and were determined “not to have a family,” according to Franklin. Before Sunday’s rescue mission, the animals were at risk of being euthanized.
“What we can do is relieve those shelters that had all those dogs [prior to the storm] and now they can handle the homeless animals that are being rounded up daily,” Franklin said. …
