Monday, September 16: Best Friends delivered the animals to their respective locations - nearly 3,000 miles to transport six dogs and 18 cats to three partners in Illinois and our Pet Resource Center in Arkansas.
Friday, September 13: Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana yesterday as a Category 2 storm. The South Central part of Louisiana was impacted and we were able to provide some supplies and move some animals out beforehand.
Additionally, 18 cats and kittens are now on their way to Illinois after being transported out of Hurricane Francine's path.
When we heard that the Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter would be in the direct storm path, our emergency response team got to work. They knew it was likely that the shelter would obtain some damage and would need some help moving animals out. That is when emergency response volunteers Gary and Toni deployed, heading towards south central Louisiana that would be impacted by the hurricane.
The storm produced heavy winds that knocked trees down and impacted connectivity making it challenging for the Terrebonne shelter to print out the necessary paperwork to get their cats transported to partners out of state. Well, teamwork does make the dream work. Shelter partner, Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center’s veterinarian Dr. Caroline Landry, jumped in and cleared her calendar to make sure that each animal had the necessary health checks and certifications before they embarked on their journeys up north to One Tail at a Time, Paws and Claws Cat Rescue, and Naperville Area Humane Society. These dedicated groups stepped up to take these 18 pets in despite being full themselves. This is the kind of teamwork and collaboration we love to see!
These pets are currently on the road and are expected to make it to Illinois later today, where all 18 pets will get the second chances they deserve, away from the hurricane. Safe travels, Gary and felines!
