Volunteers with the Animal Rescue Corps have been hard at work helping with recovery efforts following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The national animal protection nonprofit has responded to requests for assistance from different agencies in Florida.
“Everyone’s life in this state was affected by this storm,” said Kim Rezac ARC’s Director of Animal Welfare, “but there are moments in all the chaos that sick with you. Like yesterday when an 18 year old dog found floating in flood waters was brought into the shelter, scanned for a microchip and was reunited with his family after being missing for four years.”
The organization already helped transport and secure homes for 156 animals from flooded shelters in Texas after Hurricane Harvey.
More than 100 dogs, cats and ferrets were brought in from Florida to ARC's emergency shelter in Lebanon on Friday.
Plenty of volunteers were available to assist the animals needing a new home. The animals were moved from animal shelters in Florida that needed space for the animals rescued from floodwaters.
"It keeps the animals that were found in rooftops and floodwaters to stay in the area so their displaced families can ultimately find them," ARC Volunteer Keely Herring told NewsChannel 5.
The emergency shelter is only a stop on the journey for the animals.
The goal is to ultimately transport the animals to placement partners, organizations that share the same principles, so they can find a better home.
"When you see them come back to life, when you're the one that gets the first tail wag, when you get the first time playing with a toy, there's nothing that replaces that," added Herring. "You get to see them come in and sometimes they leave as completely different dogs in a really great way."
ARC will continue to stay in Florida to provide relief in other parts of the state. ARC is always looking forvolunteers and donations.
