Nearly 100 Dogs and Cats Rescued From Hurricane Beryl Are Available for Adoption

This week, after causing deadly harm in Mexico and the Caribbean, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas, where it knocked out power to three million people and caused widespread damage. Hundreds of trees were knocked down, dozens of cars were left on flooded roads, and at least three people were killed, reported AP News. During and prior to the storm, shelter employees worked to move pets in the path of the storm to safety — and now, dogs and cats in a strained Austin shelter are in need of adoption. 

When news of Hurricane Beryl reached the Austin Humane Society, the organization leapt into action, sending volunteers to the Texas coast to evacuate animals from The Gulf Coast Humane Society, a shelter in Beryl’s path. “It’s definitely been a busy few days for us,” Charlotte O’Banion, the shelter manager for the Austin Humane Society, told KXAN. “Every single kennel at the shelter is full right now.”

Their goal was to make space at The Gulf Coast Humane Society so unsheltered animals, such as strays or the pets of unhoused people, could find emergency care. “We are committed to getting adoptable animals to safety, out of the danger of the storm by housing them at our shelter and finding them forever homes as they shelter from the storm,” they wrote in an Instagram post. 

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In the end, they transported 94 dogs and cats to their shelter — and local residents have helped them deal with the crowding. “We don’t have a huge amount of kennel space,” O’Banion told KXAN. “So we luckily have a really great community and foster base that really stepped up and helped us get a lot of the animals out so that we can make room for everybody.”

Now, the Austin Humane Society is asking for help adopting the dogs and cats they are caring for. Combined with the animals the shelter was already housing, they have over 130 pets available for adoption. 

This week, to encourage adoptions, the adoption fee for all adult animals is only $25. All pets are available for a trial adoption period. If you’re not local to Austin, you can donate to help Humane Society in their mission to protect pets in need.