If you are a pet owner chances are that you struggle with storms
A lot of our furry friends tend to get a little spooked when they hear some angry clouds Luckily since they have their brave hoomans to protect them they calm down pretty quickly
However what about those animals in the shelter Shelters can house up to a couple of hundred pups at once while being significantly understaffed This means that a lot of pups are forced to face their fears all on their own
When Tropical Storm Debby was announced the South Carolina shelter Dorchester Paws had no idea how they would handle the whole thing But what they forgot to take into consideration was how loving their community was
Calm Before The Storm
Source Dorchester Paws
At first the South Carolina shelter thought they were going to be okay but as the storm started to intensify they realized that they were facing a major flood
And since they were in the middle of the flood zone the staff had to make the most difficult decision
By 5 pm on Saturday evening I alerted our leadership team that we needed to evacuate Howard told The Dodo
Thus the desperate staff posted a call to action on their Facebook page hoping that kind hoomans would step up and take all of the 300 helpless pets as their fosters Not even minutes after they posted the news their inbox started getting flooded with messages
The moment we posted on Facebook that we would be evacuating the applications started rolling in By the time we began evacuations we had 500 applications waiting It was extraordinary The line was all the way down our lane and out onto the highway for at least half a mile Howard said
The entire community gathered in front of the South Carolina shelter eagerly waiting for their furry foster
Source Dorchester Paws
What Happened To Minnie
One pup in particular a tiny girl named Minnie already had a forever home However after her mom ended up in the hospital Minnie was handed over to Dorchester Paws until her hooman regained her health
But not to worry the staff knew exactly what to do
She knew she wasnt going to make it out before the storm hit and asked us to make sure her sweet Minnie made it to a foster home We had a lady in line who was the perfect fit to watch over Minnie for the storm and we made her aware of Minnies situation The foster sent us videos and updates every day so her mom knew she was being loved and safe Howard said
Source Dorchester Paws via The Dodo
Minny wasnt the only one who found a loving hooman to wait out the storm with Just two days after their post every single kennel at Dorchester Paws was completely empty
The staff members were completely blown away by the kindness of their community
But Wait It Gets Better
As soon as the storm cleared the determined hoomans began restoring the property so that they could welcome back their furry friends
However things didnt really go according to plan
As of last night we have had 30 animals become permanent members of their foster homes We are still making calls and expect that number to continue to grow Howard said
Source Dorchester Paws
As for the animals who did end up returning to the South Carolina shelter they are receiving the best treatment ever I am sure that with time each and every one of them will find a loving forever family who will care for them just like they desire
Dorchester Paws has the most amazing team of staff and volunteers that pours every ounce of love and care into the animals we receive despite the current location and building were in Howard concluded
Leave a Reply