Forty-four dogs and eight cats are arriving in Florida for adoption after being moved out of the New Orleans area by The Humane Society of the United States to make way for a new animal shelter to be constructed in St. Bernard Parish.
The HSUS' animal rescue team arrived in St. Bernard Parish, La. Friday to load the animals for their journey. The team delivered the homeless animals to the SPCA in Tampa Bay, Fla. on Sunday and then The HSUS' 75-foot animal transport vehicle continued on to the Humane Society of Broward County in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The animals will be evaluated and medically treated prior to being put up for adoption.
This animal transfer is part of The HSUS' continuing efforts to assist in the Gulf Coast.
"The needs of animals in St. Bernard Parish were not being met," said Scotlund Haisley, senior director of Emergency Services for The HSUS. "But now, the parish has new leadership and they are making animal welfare one of their priorities."
Some of these animals survived the storm, some were owner surrenders while still others belonged to temporary residents. Two of the dogs who were transferred to Florida are German shepherds named Big Sis and Lil' Sis and were abandoned by construction workers who traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild. The dogs were later turned loose at a construction site and were picked up as strays. Shelter staff tracked down the owners through the dogs' tags, but the workers said they didn't want them anymore. Once the construction job was done, the dogs didn't have anywhere to stay.
The HSUS expressed gratitude to the shelters that so kindly accepted these animals: Humane Society of Broward County, humanebroward.com, and SPCA Tampa Bay, spcafl.org.
Photos of the transfer are available for download at humanesociety.org/disaster.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.
