News

Actions

Local shelters help pets displaced by hurricanes

Posted at 6:00 PM, Sep 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-20 19:00:16-04

MERRIAM, Kan. -- At Great Plains SPCA, Foster Care Director Kriste Everett said working side by side with cats and dogs is a passion of hers. 

“It's good for your heart,” Everett said. “It feeds our souls.”

She helps animals who have been abused or neglected find forever homes, whether these animals are local or from elsewhere.

“If you have a passion about anything and you're able to go to work every day and do that work, it's amazing,” she said. 

That’s why she and a group of others transported pets who were impacted by Hurricane Irma to Merriam, Kansas. 

“We take kennels with lots of soft blankets and usually when we turn on the music and you get going, it's like rocking a baby to sleep,” she said.

Grasshopper, Tookie, and Mackenzie are three dogs who were transported from an Atlanta shelter that was flooded from Hurricane Irma.

“We want to help those animals so that it can provide space for the animals that need it in those areas,” Great Plains President Nate Meador said. 

Meador said the biggest challenge is finding space. 

However, several area shelters that also took in animals from flooded areas have collaborated on adoption events. 

"We've also been able to make it happen because of the support that we have from the individuals in the community being able to foster animals or adopt animals," Meador said. 

Animal shelters from around the metro took in more than roughly 100 homeless pets.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can help, click here.