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Animals left homeless following Hurricane Helene arrive in Northern Virginia
Dozens of rescue dogs and cats from communities devastated by Hurricane Helene are arriving in northern Virginia to find forever homes here. It’s just one of the many ways people around here are reaching out and helping people and pets in need.
ARLINGTON, Va. - Dozens of rescue dogs and cats from communities devastated by Hurricane Helene are arriving in northern Virginia to find forever homes here. It’s just one of the many ways people around here are reaching out and helping people and pets in need.
This is one of the nearly two dozen cats and dogs brought here to Falls Church from Richmond over the past 24 hours. They were rescued from humane societies in parts of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene.
More than 100 dogs and cats were trucked from North Carolina to Richmond on Monday. Then more pets arrived from Lee and Smyth counties in southwest Virginia Wednesday afternoon.
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They've been taken in by several animal rescue organizations across the Commonwealth.
Nearly two dozen cats came to the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation from Tennessee on Sunday.
"We’ll, as we’re doing today, start to go through their records, start to determine what care they need. Many will need to be spayed or neutered. Upper respiratory infections — we can expect in a lot of them just because of the conditions and how stressful the transport can be, so having that identified and being able to get them the medical care that they’ll need right away," said Dawn Wallace, executive director of the shelter.
All of these animals will eventually be available for adoption, brought here to make room in those shelters for people's pets who have been displaced by Helene.
"Our volunteers are here today at our Rescue Care Center in Falls Church and they’ll start being able to walk the dogs spend time with them, give them the TLC that they deserve after a long journey. The cats and kittens will get cuddled and snuggled and lots of playtime," Wallace said. "And we will start to determine how quickly we can get them all ready for adoption."
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation has been doing this for 22 years, finding forever homes for more than 45,000 animals. The cats and dogs arriving now will likely be available for adoption next weekend.
If you’re interested in adopting one of these furry friends, click here.