September 4 2017
Homeless animals flown from Texas to Bay Area following Hurricane Harvey
Some 70 animals are in need of new homes in the San Francisco Bay Area following their relocation from impacted Texas shelters mobilizing to make room for pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey.
The mix of cats and dogs arrived Sunday evening at San Francisco"s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) at 201 Alabama St. and have since been divided among four shelters, where they are undergoing health exams prior to being put up for adoption later this week.
“They are all a little shell-shocked, but had really great dinners and are on the way to their new lives,” said Sherri Franklin, founder and executive director of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.
Franklin"s group joined forces with the SPCA, the animal rescue nonprofit Mad Dog Rescue, and the Richmond-based Milo Foundation to spearhead the relief effort. The SPCA has taken in a mix of 30 cats and dogs, Muttville will care for some 10 older dogs and the rest of the animals have found temporary refuge with the Milo Foundation and Mad Dog Rescue.
The slew of animals included a large number of puppies and kittens — all animals were transferred out of Austin Pets Alive, an Austin, Texas-based animal shelter that “has stepped up to take dogs from overcrowded shelters that were being flooded,” said Franklin, who personally flew to Austin to pick up the animals on Sunday.
The animals flown to the Bay Area were already living at Austin Pets Alive before the hurricane struck, but animal advocates hope that their transfer will alleviate a growing need for animal care at shelters across the region that have hit capacity levels with an influx of pets stranded due to ongoing flooding in Texas.
“Priority [for Texas shelters] is connecting them back to their families,” said Franklin. “Each animal we took in had to be double screened to make sure they were available for adoption at the animal shelter prior to [the] storm.” …
