Nine dogs from a shelter overwhelmed by Hurricane Helene are starting over in Chester County.
A white van ferried the pups into Phoenixville on Friday morning, the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. They all came from the Washington County Johnson City Animal Shelter in Tennessee, one of several states battered by Hurricane Helene. With at least 213 people reported dead, the storm is now the third-deadliest to hit the United States since 2000.
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The Category 4 hurricane has also displaced countless families. The Washington County Johnson City Animal Shelter has been temporarily housing and reconnecting dozens of pets lost in the aftermath. According to its Facebook page, it has rescued 77 pets since Sept. 26, despite being "way above capacity before the flood came." The PSPCA's Main Line Animal Rescue location is aiming to ease that burden by taking in nine of the shelter's residents.
They are June, Anita, Leia, Manny, Tigger, Piper, Waldo, Smooch and Louis. The dogs will be available for adoption after medical evaluations and two weeks of quarantine.
"This morning our hearts were warmed when we heard the barks and saw the wagging tails of these animals in need," Lisa Maggio, site director of the PSPCA’s Main Line Animal Rescue, said in a release. "We are honored to provide them with a safe place to land, and a new beginning."
Though the dogs won't be ready for the shelter's next adoption event Saturday, the PSPCA encourages prospective pet parents to attend the pop-up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The rescue was also at capacity before its newest animals arrived.
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