Animal Rescue Group Working Overtime in Texas

Flooding in central Texas this week has killed at least 80 people with many still missing, and the rain has not yet let up. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch alert through at least Monday evening.

While search-and-rescue of humans continues nonstop, animal-rescue groups are out in force looking for abandoned and lost pets. On Sunday NBC affiliate KXAN News reported the rescue of Superman, “a brown dog with floppy ears, alone and scared on top of a pile of debris.”

According to the Animal Pets Alive!, Superman, whose owner perished in the flood, was saved by volunteers and placed with a foster volunteer in Austin. Superman is among the hundreds of animals impacted by the floods in Burnet, Kerr, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

APA! is now coordinating a volunteer search-and-rescue group along river banks in the flooded areas. As of Sunday the group had taken in more than 150 pets and has fielded more than 2000 requests for help.

Even animal-rescue sites are not safe from flooding. The Georgetown Animal Shelter had to be evacuated, and more than 100 of its pets sent to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, from which APA! coordinated more emergency temporary adoptions.

“So many people are searching for their pets that are the last connection they might have to a lost family member,” APA! president Ellen Jefferson posted on Facebook. “Pets are so intertwined in this saga and it’s so important.”

The group is seeking volunteers to help transport rescued pets to temporary shelters or fosters. It’s also asking for donations of supplies – cat and dog food, flea/tick meds, vaccines, pet carriers and crates, and potty pads – and of course, cash. Donate to Austin Pets Alive! here.

Photo credit: Austin Pets Alive!