Chicago Area Shelters Are Rescuing Homeless Pets From Harvey Flood

Hurricane Harvey, according to Wikipedia, was the first major hurricane to hit the United States since 2005. In just four days some locations got more than 40 inches of rain – which caused catastrophic flooding. More than 30,000 people were displaced, and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.

Out of all the wreckage has come stories of heroism and support. People were not the only victims of Hurricane Harvey, pets have lost a lot too. As you can imagine animal shelters in Texas, have been slammed with incoming homeless dogs and cats. Many homeowners had to surrender their pets in the aftermath of the storm. The People’s Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Tinley Park has taken 18 dogs from a shelter in Houston and transported them to the Chicago area.

The shelter the dogs had come from was owned by people who lost everything in the flood. All of the dogs will be given new homes in the Chicago area! Beth Berenson and other volunteers with PAWS Tinley Park, made the 16-hour journey from Chicago to Houston after the storm to pick up the dogs. The shelter had 130 dogs that needed another place to go, none of the dogs had families.

Paula Fasseas, founder of PAWS Chicago (an unrelated shelter) also sent a group of volunteers to the Houston area. She predicted that her group would be going back to Houston in the coming months to continue helping shelters that are overcrowded with homeless animals. So far, nearly 1,000 cats and dogs have been rescued. Share this story with everyone you know.