FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Days after dozens of cats and dogs were picked up by volunteers with the Humane Society of Broward County before Hurricane Helene impacted them, the animals are now on the hunt to find new homes.
The 17 dogs and 15 cats were rescued hours before Helene passed by their outdoor shelter in Perry, Florida.
“The Humane Society of Broward County received 15 dogs and 17 cats prior to Hurricane Helene hitting the Panhandle, in particular Perry, Florida,” said HSBC’s Cheri Wachter.
Officials said some dogs needed medicine while others got a check-up and much-needed vaccines upon their arrival at their new shelter.
7News cameras captured the canines getting a shower and playing with the volunteers.
“They’re getting checked, they’re getting bathed so they smell really good for when they go into your home,” said Wachter.
The animals were transported from Perry to Ocala, where volunteers with HSBC loaded them onto their vans and brought them to South Florida.
Wachter said she was happy that the animals were able to be saved from Helene’s potential danger.
“We’re so fortunate that we were able to get them out ahead of the storm, because from what we understand from our contact there, they haven’t even been able to reach the shelter yet,” she said. “There is a lot of damage. These dogs lived in a facility that did not have cinder blocks. It is an outdoor facility; it had a metal roof, and their kennels were raised off the ground to prevent flooding.”
Some of the animals had been in the shelter for almost one year, so officials hope that pet lovers can adopt these new furry friends.
“Lab mixes, some bully breed mixes, all in the medium to larger size,” said Wachter.
The shelter opens every day at 11 a.m.
If you’d like to adopt or foster a pet, click here.
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