How to Help Animal Shelters and Rescues Affected by Hurricane Harvey

 

For updated information about how to help animal shelters in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico after the recent catastrophic hurricanes, click here.

Hurricane Harvey has been wreaking havoc on the Houston area for days. This morning, for the first time in its history, a dam overflowed, which will cause even more devastating flooding.

Animal shelters and rescues throughout Texas and neighboring states are taking in as many displaced dogs and other pets as they can. They need donations of cash and supplies — and, especially, volunteers to provide foster homes for all those homeless pets. Here’s what you can do to help some of these shelters and rescues.

If you know of other shelters or rescues that need help due to Harvey, please leave a comment and I’ll add them to the list.

SPCA of Texas

The SPCA of Texas, located in Dallas, is “putting every available resource behind assisting pets and people who have evacuated the Gulf Coast to the North Texas area,” according to its website. “We are deploying staff, volunteers and supplies to support evacuees housed at the mega shelter opening in Dallas, working with city and county disaster officials to care for the pets of evacuees.”

You can help by:

• Donating needed items from the SPCA of Texas’ Amazon.com wish list.
• Making a cash donation.
• It currently is at capacity for volunteers and potential foster parents. (Yay!)

Tall Tails Animal Rescue

When a dam was opened without warning Aug. 28 near Hankamer, Texas, where Tall Tails Animal Rescue is located, the nonprofit’s kennels were flooded with over a foot of rising water, putting the lives of over 100 dogs in danger.

After Tall Tails founders Kat K Tschirgi and Kevin Miller put out cries for help on social media, volunteers in boats arrived to save some of the dogs. This video of the rescue effort, posted by Miller on Facebook, has been viewed more than 166,000 times.

The nonprofit Dallas DogRRR is collecting cash and supply donations on behalf of Tall Tails Animal Rescue.

You can help by:

• Making a cash donation.
• Donating items from DogRRR’s Amazon.com wish list.

Austin Pets Alive!

The Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) shelter, which itself was flooded during a 2015 storm, has been taking in hundreds of homeless pets from Houston.

“As we continue to care for the animals we have already saved, we have to prepare for even more animals who will need us in the coming days,” APA!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping Austin no kill, notes on its website.

“We’ve been receiving reports from shelter partners in areas hit hardest by the hurricane and areas expecting the most flooding that … they are anticipating another significant influx of animals that they may not be able to help. We have also heard reports of extensive lines of people surrendering their pets, so Austin Pets Alive! needs to be ready to help and brace ourselves for additional animal intake.”

You can help by:

• Donating needed items: Check the APA! website for its updated top current needs. Thanks to donations, it currently has enough crates, canned and dry dog food, and Clorox Wipes.
• Making a cash donation.
• Permanently adopting a large dog, as long as you have no other dogs. Short-term fosters are not currently needed.
  

Houston SPCA

Located at ground zero, the Houston SPCA needs cash donations, which fortunately have been pouring in from near and far — including over $160 from some awesome Hamburg, N.Y., school kids who raised the money by selling lemonade.

“The animals are cared for and safe,” Houston SPCA wrote on its Facebook page Aug. 28. “We have been overwhelmed with gratitude by the outpouring of support from the community.”

Photo via Kevin Miller/Facebook