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CHICAGO (WGN) More than two dozen dogs and pups from Texas arrived Wednesday morning as PAWS Chicago volunteers look to continue helping rescue animals from the widespread flooding that’s left a trail of destruction across the state.
The rescue dog delivery touched down on a tarmac in Waukesha, Wisconsin, around 10:30 a.m.
From there, Eileen Johnson drove 31 of the animals to the PAWS Chicago Medical Center in Little Village for processing.
“I waited for the aircraft to come in, unloaded. There were four other rescue groups there while we were there. We all helped each other with the unloading because there were a lot of animals,” said Johnson, a volunteer with PAWS Chicago. “There was a little whimpering at first. They’ve had a long day, obviously. They’re dirty, they’ve made a mess inside their carriers.
“We watered them before we came back and kept an eye on them. We stopped a couple times to make sure they were okay. They were all a pretty good bunch.”
Dr. Melissa Goodemote treated the animals at the PAWS Chicago Medical Center, where she provided vaccines and other medical care upon arrival. Intake showed the dogs ranged in age from eight weeks to four years old.
“We’re going to get them fattened up to size and give them any medical care they may require, then get them spayed and neutered and get them adopted,” Goodemote said.
On Monday, PAWS Chicago volunteers picked up 22 dogs in Nebraska that were flown in from the San Angelo, Texas area.
The goal in moving all of these shelter dogs out of Texas is to clean up shelter space in the flood zone to make room for pets displaced from their families. According to officials in the Lone Star State, that number could be as high as 1,000.
“We were all devastated, as everybody is, seeing the images and stories coming out of this,” said Sarah McDonald, PAWS Community Relations Director. “To be able to play a small part, anything we can do just to show those communities we care and that we’re here for them in whatever way we can.”
The animals that arrived at PAWS Chicago on Wednesday aren’t quite ready for adoption, according to PAWS personnel. However, PAWS Chicago is looking for foster families.
For more information, visit PAWS Chicago’s website:
