Lucky dog took on new meaning when 46 canines were relocated to Utah from Central and South Texas, where animal shelters were overwhelmed by recent flooding.
An emergency transport plane loaded with a total of 88 rescue animals, of which 42 were cats, lifted off from the San Marcos airport on July 17 heading for Salt Lake City.
All 88 animals sat inside the main cabin alongside crew members.
Twenty-three of the cats and nine of the dogs on the flight were from the San Antonio-based Footbridge Foundation.
“While these were not flood-displaced animals themselves, moving them to partner organizations in Utah created immediate space within our rescue,” Footbridge Foundation director of operations Kelsey Gardner told NTD on July 31.
The newly available space allowed the Footbridge Foundation to quickly accept and care for pets that were actually displaced by the devastating floods.
“It ensured that local shelters and animal control partners had somewhere to send animals in urgent need,” Gardner said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that July 16 through July 17 saw up to six inches rain, inundating neighborhoods, washing out roads, and initiating evacuations of residents and their pets.
As a result, rescue teams were forced to pull stranded pets from flooded homes and yards and the sudden influx overwhelmed regional shelters across the area.
Austin Pets Alive! offered temporary housing for pets owned by displaced flood victims, which allowed families to focus on saving their homes.
During the peak of the storm, officials reported that 125 people were staying in emergency disaster shelters in the Uvalde area alone on July 17.
The national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Wings of Rescue supplied the transport plane that was staffed with pilots and flight crew trained in safe animal handling.
The Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, was the receiving facility where the cats and dogs were lodged after flying in from San Marcos.
“We are heartbroken by the devastation and loss people and pets experienced due to this week's tragic floods in Central Texas, and we will continue doing everything we can to support those affected by this disaster,” Best Friends Animal Society CEO Julie Castle said in a press release. “Best Friends Animal Society is thankful to have such committed partners like Austin Pets Alive and Wings of Rescue who are always eager to collaborate to save pets' lives.”