A group of 12 adult dogs and two litters of puppies has found safety at the Providence Animal Center (PAC) in Pennsylvania after being evacuated from Hurricane Helene, a rescuer told Newsweek.
The dogs were rescued from Georgia, where they were already homeless before the hurricane hit, but severe weather meant that they needed to be moved out of the area.
Across the southern U.S., hundreds of dogs were evacuated from shelters in hurricane-ravaged areas as Hurricane Helene hit, including Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Many shelters in the hardest-hit areas lost power and water, prompting rescue efforts to relocate the animals to safer locations.
As hurricanes Helene and Milton have hit in the last two weeks, many pet owners and animal lovers have rushed to help creatures in need. Others have fostered animals to clear space in struggling and packed shelters.
The rescue mission was captured in a TikTok video shared by Giana Sabatino, a PAC volunteer, who posted on @giana_sabatino: “Everyone meet the 12 adult dogs and 2 litters of puppies we pulled from the Hurricane Helene! Welcome to PAC sweet babies!! We can’t wait to help you find your furever homes!!”
“We opened spaces for them to help in the areas that are having issues so that they have space to help those displaced dogs so that their owners can come find their pets while they are down there,” Sabatino told Newsweek.
From left: a cage is reserved for a pup from another shelter; and dogs put their paws against the bars. The rescue took in canines that arrived from Georgia after Hurricane Helene.
@giana_sabatino/TikTok
Before being made available for adoption, the rescued dogs are undergoing a mandatory two-week quarantine as they came from out of state. However, this will also give PAC volunteers time to get to know the pets.
“We are still learning about their personalities and behaviors to find out what the ideal home would be for them,” Sabatino added.
“My hope for all of their futures is to find a home with families who will treat them right and love them forever,” she said.
Two of the dogs rescued during Hurricane Helene look out from their cages. They are now searching for new homes.
@giana_sabatino/TikTok
The TikTok video has sparked an outpouring of support from animal lovers. One commenter wrote: “I might need to drive to Philly to adopt one of these little guys.”
TikTok user Victoria posted: “All beautiful and I hope they will find their forever homes soon.”
Viewer Emily Ricket thanked the shelter for their efforts: “This is incredible!! Thank you for taking them in!!!”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
