August 9, 2024 Back Home

How a Handful of Animal Shelters Made a Huge Difference During Hurricane Debby

As devastating rain and wind ripped through the southern states, numerous animal shelters stepped up to make a difference for dogs, cats and more during Hurricane Debby.

While there are likely countless tales to tell, we wanted to give a huge shout out to a few of our GiveLitter® partners that went above and beyond in the face of a major natural disaster.

From emptying shelters to temporary foster families in South Carolina to getting animals out of flood-prone shelter space and into warm homes in Georgia — these life saving stories will give you goosebumps.

Dorchester Paws – Summerville, SC

Talk a bout a true tale of “it takes a village.” With Hurricane Debby approaching, the team at Dorchester Paws put out a call for volunteers to step up and clear out the shelter during the storm, and their community answered in a big way. People reportedly lined up the next morning to pick up pets, and by Sunday afternoon, every single dog and cat in their care had a foster home to ride out the storm in.

@dorchesterpaws EVERY👏🏼KENNEL👏🏼EMPTY👏🏼 We are shocked, grateful, overjoyed, humbled, and PROUD of the way our community showed up for the animals in need in Dorchester County. There are officially NO DOGS & NOT CATS left on campus at Dorchester Paws🎉🐾 #charlestonsc #rescuedog #rescueshelter #adoptdontshop #dogsoftiktok #adoptdontshop #nokillshelter #fyp ♬ original sound – Dorchester Paws

Humane Society for Greater Savannah – Savannah, GA

With historic flooding in the forecast, the Savannah-based shelter jumped into action to relocate more than 90 animals to ride out the storm. In total, 37 dogs, 53 cats and even one rabbit, were picked up by foster families in less than 48 hours before the storm arrived. Check out this amazing time lapse of each and every animal getting a safe home for the storm.

MSPCA-Angell – Boston, MA

The team at MSPCA-Angell worked with multiple shelter partners in South Carolina — including Charleston Animal Society — to help transport dogs to Massachusetts to find homes and free up space for any animals that got lost during the hurricane. The Massachusetts-based shelter org also waived adoption fees to open up even more space to support the effort.

@mspca.angell
Please welcome our newest arrivals to MSPCA-Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA! These dogs left from Charleston Animal Society (CAS) in North Charleston, South Carolina just hours before the area was hit by Tropical Storm Debby, bringing possible record-setting rain and flooding. By bringing some of the dogs that were living at CAS up to Massachusetts now, we’re freeing up space the shelter needs to house dogs impacted by the storm, so they’re more likely to be reunited with their loving families. CAS will also use the additional space to bring in dogs from shelters in low country and coastal parts of South Carolina that are more likely to be impacted by flooding. They will be available for adoption at MSPCA shelters after they clear their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and receive any medical attention they may need.
♬ original sound – MSPCA-Angell

Charleston Animal Society — North Charleston, SC

Hurricane Debby was no match for the Charleston Animal Society’s Disaster Response Team! The group of volunteers stepped up to evacuate 30 dogs to Illinois from coastal shelters impacted by the storm, and the continued efforts led to the evacuation of even more dogs, as well as crucial care for over 600 animals. The shelter also waived all fees for dogs and kittens to try and help free up space.