BVSPCA at the center of more than 350 shelter pets evacuated from Dorian’s path

October 4, 2019 – Fifty-four dogs rescued from the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian’s devastation in the Bahamas arrived in Georgetown, Delaware, today to find loving homes in this area.

The dogs originally came from the Abaco Islands, which are in the northern Bahamas and east of southern Florida. Abaco and Grand Bahama suffered the most damage during the hurricane, with many homes, businesses and even full towns obliterated. Many pets lost their families and their homes.

These dogs were rescued by a coalition of local animal welfare groups in the Bahamas, led by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), who were invited by the Bahamas’ Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources. Partnering with IFAW, Wings of Rescue relocated the dogs from Abaco to Grand Bahama, where they were held for several weeks in hopes of being reunited with their families. After not being reclaimed or being surrendered into a shelter’s care, Wings of Rescue flew the dogs to Georgetown in an airlift mission generously supported by IFAW through generous funding from the Andy Sabin Family Foundation and by PetSmart Charities.

The dogs are now at our Animal Rescue Center (ARC) in Georgetown. The ARC was purchased and designed specifically for needs like this – the victims of devastating circumstances needing a bridge to reach a positive outcome with a family. These dogs will receive medical treatment as needed and, after a 14-day quarantine for preventive measures, will go up for adoption at our Georgetown, New Castle and West Chester Campuses. Medical supplies to assist in caring for the dogs have been generously donated by GreaterGood.org.

The trauma these dogs experienced is unimaginable. We’re proud and honored to be chosen to help them find loving families. That doesn’t come without significant cost, considering the quarantine and continuing medical care that began with the team on the ground in the Bahamas. Please support our work on behalf of these dogs with a donation today.

September 5, 2019 — This week our team was at the center of more than 350 shelter animals evacuated from the coastal Carolinas into Delaware within just over 24 hours. On Tuesday, we welcomed a rescue airlift carrying 191 dogs and cats from the Hilton Head area of South Carolina to the New Castle Airport in collaboration with Wings of Rescue and the ASPCA. At 2am Wednesday, our team at the Animal Rescue Center (ARC) received 122 dogs and cats from Jasper County, South Carolina in collaboration with Best Friends Animal Society. Then at 3pm on Wednesday, that same team at the ARC greeted another 45 animals from the Outer Banks in collaboration with Best Friends.

All of these animals were adoptable in the shelters at the time of the evacuations. Rescuing them pulled them out of harm’s way from the storm’s path, made space should local family pets need safe haven, and gave some shelter staff options to evacuate with their families. The rescues proved necessary, as all of the shelters we helped lost power and remain that way as of this writing, and several had damage from wind and water.

These animals will find placement in two ways – through other shelters pulling them and through our adoption centers. Already nearly 20 rescues and shelters have taken some of the animals. Many remain in our care.Help us with this critical work by making a donation. Every dollar counts to the lives depending on us in this time of crisis.  You can also help by adopting, which saves two lives: that of the adopted dog and that of the hurricane dog that can use that space.