As Hurricane Isaias closed in on the Florida Panhandle earlier this month, Nate's Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton received 22 shelter dogs that had taken a roughly 24-hour journey to get them out of danger.
Here's what to know
As Hurricane Isaias drew closer, Nate's Honor Animal Rescue accepted the 22 dogs from two shelters in North Florida, according to WWSB. One facility was trying to relocate all its dogs out of the storm's direct path.
Michela Oglesby, medical director at Nate's Honor Animal Rescue, told the outlet that a plea for help set the response in motion. Oglesby said, "Friday morning, one of the members of their team put out a plea saying that there was a shelter in North Florida near the Panhandle that was hoping to evacuate all of their dogs from the direct line of the storm."
The other shelter was already helping evacuate animals from areas expected to be affected by the hurricane. By taking some of those dogs, Nate's Honor gave that shelter more capacity to continue its emergency work.
And accepting these animals was critical, as Oglesby explained to WWSB, because "They are the most vulnerable population. Those shelter animals specifically, obviously don't have families to take them with them."
Many of these 22 animals included senior dogs and others with medical needs, including heartworm disease.
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What's being done?
Before the dogs are offered for adoption, Nate's Honor plans to treat their heartworm disease and any other health issues that they have, per WWSB.
Staff is also giving them time to recover from the trip. After about a full day on the road, some of the dogs arrived not feeling well. The shelter expects the dogs could be ready for adoption shortly after they recover.
The story underscores that when extreme weather strikes an area, some of the most vulnerable residents need extra help to stay safe.
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