Meet some of the pets from flooded areas in Texas

When a scruffy puppy named Freya stepped out of her carrier at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, she was a little nervous. That lasted for approximately 30 seconds. Then, exuberant puppy energy took over, and in no time at all she was rolling in the grass, chewing toys, and just being her charming puppy self. It was no surprise when she was adopted within days of arriving at the Sanctuary on a Wings of Rescue flight from Texas.

She was among more than 1,000 adoptable dogs and cats whom Best Friends has assisted in moving out of Texas shelters in the past week alone. The effort is freeing up space in those shelters after devastating floods hit central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. Now, flood-displaced pets can find safety in those shelters close to home, where they have the best chance of being reunited with their families.

[Uniting to rescue pets after Texas floods]

It also, of course, benefits the pets who were already in Texas shelters, as people and organizations from across the country step up to help. Nearly 70 of those pets have already arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Many of the dogs and cats from Texas were adopted immediately upon their arrival at the Sanctuary. Others are being treated by the veterinary team for their medical needs.

Petite but sturdy, with a squishy little nose and a blocky head, a sweet dog named Dove arrived from Texas with a variety of health issues. She has heartworms, cloudy eyes, and an upper respiratory infection, and she’d been exposed to distemper virus.

It will take time for the veterinary team to work their magic and get her well again. And because she’d been exposed to distemper, which is highly contagious to other dogs and can be fatal if not treated with supportive care, Dove needed a safe, quiet place without other dogs where she could rest and be monitored throughout her treatments. That's when foster caregivers Angie and Aaron Dinneen raised their hands to help.

[Puppy beats distemper with the help of two determined foster moms]

“We’ve always had a soft spot for pit bull-type dogs,” says Angie. “Within just a few hours of meeting her, we knew we had to bring her home as a foster pet.”

At Angie and Aaron’s home, Dove is already feeling more like herself. “She’s a gentle little soul, a true munchkin with a heart full of love,” says Angie. “She leans in close for cuddles and every now and then gifts us with the softest, most tender kisses.”

Meanwhile, in Cat World (the felines’ home-between-homes at the Sanctuary), a kitten named Honey is getting the specialized care he needs to thrive, too. Like a few other kittens on the flight, Honey had been exposed to ringworm — a contagious but treatable fungal infection — at the shelter where he’d been staying when the floods hit.

[There’s a fungus among us and it’s OK]

Now Honey is settling in at Cat World’s dedicated area for cats with ringworm and is being treated. He not only gets lots of love but also weekly baths with bright yellow — though stinky (think rotten eggs) — medication that kills off the ringworm spores. It’s not his favorite part of the day, but it’s necessary for his healing.

From rolls in the grass to cuddle sessions (and yes, even those stinky baths), the pets from Texas are settling in just fine.

Some have already packed up their toys for new homes while others are still soaking up care and attention at the Sanctuary — all parts of the next chapter that began the moment they arrived.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. 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.