Dogs Rescued After Hurricane Destined For New Lives In Tampa

TAMPA, FL--If Kathy and Tony could talk, they might recount how their homeland of Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Maria, the 10th most intense Atlantic hurricane on record.

They might describe how their owners’ homes were swept away by floods or demolished by 175 mph winds. They might even relate heartbreaking tales of owners who were among the 499 Puerto Ricans who lost their lives when the hurricane crashed into the island territory on Sept. 19.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Kathy and Tony are among thousands of dogs found wandering the streets of Puerto Rico or given up by owners who no longer had homes in which to keep their pets.

In the two months since, the Humane Society of Puerto Rico in Guaynabo has been able to reunite many pets with their owners. But as more homeless pets remain unclaimed at the shelter, the staff has reached out to its partners in America for help.

“We typically work with the Humane Society of the United States as one of their emergency placement partners for disasters or hoarding situations,” said Humane Society of Tampa Bay marketing director Nash McCutchen.

The Tampa Bay shelter took in homeless pets following the 2015 and 2016 typhoons in South Korea, after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and when Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston a few months ago.

This time, however, the Humane Society of Puerto Rico personally reached out to the Tampa dog shelter for help as part of what’s been dubbed the Sato Project. “Sato” is the Puerto Rican term for a mutt.

The nonprofit volunteer airplane pilots organization, Wings of Rescue, has been flying homeless pets from Puerto Rico to Humane Societies around the country for the past two months. On Sunday, Tampa Humane Society staff member Curtis Lemons and volunteer Aryo Zamani drove to Fort Lauderdale to meet the latest planeload of unwanted dogs from the island.

The 10 dogs of various breeds, sizes and ages are now being neutered and spayed in anticipation of finding new homes in Tampa Bay, McCutchen said.

“All of the dogs are in good condition,” she said. “They are healthy, very social and friendly, and they’re all supposed to be good with children so I think they’ll make ideal pets.”

She said all of the dogs recovered after the hurricane were held at the Puerto Rico shelter to give their owners an opportunity to claim them. These 10 dogs were either relinquished by their owners or unclaimed.

As of Tuesday, six had already been spayed and neutered and are available for adoption. To view the new arrivals and find out how to adopt one, visit the humane society’s adopt a doggie page.

Photos via Humane Society of Tampa Bay

A volunteer carries Betty off the plane Sunday. A day later she'd been adopted and was on her way to her new home.

Humane Society staff member Curtis Lemons and volunteer Aryo Zamani drove to Fort Lauderdale Sunday to pick up the 10 dogs from Puerto Rico.

Tony is a 3-year-old spaniel mix.

Zoey is a 3-month-old terrier mix.

Lucia is a year-old terrier/collie mix.