Pets get lifesaving lifts out of Hurricane Milton’s path

You could almost sense Banaya’s relief as he was led from his kennel. The lanky, Lab-type pup had just completed an 18-hour, 1,200-mile van ride from Florida. It was a long haul, and he needed to stretch out and relax.

“He just warmed my heart,” says Lexi Kaul, lifesaving and care manager at the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in New York City. “He wasn’t really interested in running around like some of the other dogs from the van who seemed pretty energetic. He just wanted to sit, lean on somebody, and chill.”

Meanwhile, a cat named Tango, a cream-colored beauty from Georgia, seemed to take things in stride. Striking in appearance, he strode from his carrier ready to greet the world, and as it turned out, two special people were ready to greet him.  

Banaya and Tango arrived at the center this week, part of ongoing efforts by Best Friends to help animal shelters in the Southeast move dogs and cats out of the path of Hurricane Milton and to help shelters and organizations impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Banaya was one of 10 dogs from Pinellas County Animal Services in Largo, Florida, bound for animal rescue groups in Massachusetts. And Tango was one of 20 cats from Georgia on the same van ride, who will be staying with Best Friends until they are adopted.

With Hurricane Milton heading directly toward Pinellas County, the shelter needed help — and fast. Pinellas County Animal Services, anticipating the need to create more space to help animals impacted by the storm, requested help moving 10 dogs to a safer location.

Fraily Rodriguez, Best Friends’ senior director of lifesaving programs and a longtime Florida resident, worked with Pinellas County to send a Best Friends van to pick up the dogs. “They needed help. And helping animal shelters save lives — especially in times of extreme stress in an emergency — is the point of what we do,” he says.

[Helping hands for pets in 2 Florida shelters]

The Best Friends van picked up the dogs on Monday, stopped to pick up cats in Georgia on the way, and arrived in New York on Thursday.

A second group of 16 dogs from Pinellas County, which is being driven from Florida by Best Friends volunteers, is scheduled to arrive Saturday in Massachusetts. Thirteen of the dogs will go to Better Together Dog Rescue in Leverett, and three will go to the Kingston Animal Shelter.

At the lifesaving center in New York City, potential adopters began stopping by to get a look at dogs and cats arriving on the van. It was a day for instant connections, and two cats, fresh off the trip, were the first beneficiaries.

One of them was Tango, who likes to make biscuits and, in every possible way, indicates to people that he’s an all-around good guy. A couple who already had a 2-year-old male orange cat was hoping to adopt a female cat, but once they laid eyes on Tango, they didn’t want to see anyone else. And in the blink of an eye, he had a new home.

[Saving dogs and cats caught in Hurricane Helene’s wake]

And then there was Celia, a blue-gray kitty also from Georgia. Just two years prior, a couple had adopted a cat from Best Friends, and they wanted to get her a companion to play with. Celia, an active, playful, outgoing, 5-month-old kitten, was perfect. In no time at all, the adoption was complete, and she was on her way to her new home.

“A lot of these animals just needed help getting out of those communities that need support because of the storms,” says Lexi. “One of the amazing things about New York is the amazing number of people looking to adopt cats and dogs. The public has been very welcoming to the animals coming in, and that’s especially good with so many animals displaced by the storms.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.