ASPCA Transports Shelter Animals Displaced by Hurricane Harvey from Houston SPCA to ASPCA Adoption Center

New York, N.Y.—In support of the Houston SPCA, the ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) is assisting in the transport and relocation of 41 shelter animals from Houston to the ASPCA’s Adoption Center in New York City, followed by a second stop at the Connecticut Humane Society in Newington, Conn. These shelter dogs were initially evacuated from Corpus Christi, Texas before Hurricane Harvey devastated the area and were awaiting transport to shelters and rescue groups to be made available for adoption.

“Animal welfare groups in communities throughout Texas and Louisiana devastated by Hurricane Harvey have been working tirelessly to secure transports for homeless animals and get them out of harm’s way,” said Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “The ASPCA is pleased to be able to offer relief by transporting homeless dogs from the disaster zones to communities where they can find safe and loving homes.”

“These dogs have experienced a long journey from Houston to the Big Apple,” said Jorge Ortega, senior director of the ASPCA Adoption Center. “We want to make sure we give these dogs some time to settle in, but I’m confident that they will quickly find homes once they’re ready to be adopted.”

The ASPCA’s search-and-rescue, sheltering and relocation teams are currently spread throughout Texas and Louisiana and actively engaging with local agencies to deploy much-needed professional responders to help animal victims of this unprecedented and life-threatening flooding.

The ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team deploys nationwide to assist in relocation, search-and-rescue, sheltering and placement of animals during disaster situations including wildfires, tornadoes and floods. In addition, they work closely with local agencies across the country to help enhance their animal response capabilities through grants and training opportunities. In 2016, the ASPCA rescued nearly 1,600 animals from disaster situations and responded to eight disasters – including Hurricane Matthew and the wildfire in Lake County, California.