Some pets that were separated from their human families by the flooding this past June aren’t able to return home. Their owners were displaced by the disaster and can no longer care for them. These precious four-legged friends, now in area animal shelters, are eager to find new forever homes. The rescue of pets lost during a disaster involves a coordinated effort between state and local government and animal response groups with support from FEMA and a national animal welfare organizations, such as the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition. These and many other pet rescue groups came to West Virginia to aid displaced animals. Support has also come from businesses and individuals. “In this event, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture was the primary point of contact that helped facilitate the establishment of three animal shelters,” said the department’s Threat Preparedness/Response Officer Roy McCallister. The department identified unmet needs and worked to get resources that met those needs, such as collapsible cages that it keeps on hand for emergencies. To make room for the survivor animals, shelters needed help to move their pre-disaster populations out to other shelters. The Humane Society of the United States, for example, facilitated the transfer of the 62 animals that had been in the Nicholas County Animal Shelter to two shelters in upstate New York. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of many organizations, the animals displaced in this disaster have been rescued and well cared for. Many have been reunited with their families. But the cats and dogs who can no longer go home need kind folks who can give them new forever homes. At the Greenbrier County Humane Society and the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association combined, there are more than 30 dogs and 40 cats that were rescued and need homes. Animals at Greenbrier are available now. Those at Kanawha-Charleston become available on Saturday, July 23. One or more of them may be just right for your family! To give a home to a disaster survivor pet, contact: Greenbrier County Animal Shelter, 151 Holliday Lane, Lewisburg, WV 24901; Phone: 304-645-4775.
