Helping Hurricane Dorian Pets
As Hurricane Dorian continues along the east coast of Canada, we are just beginning to understand the damage it has done so far, especially in hard-hit areas like the Bahamas.
Last week, we shared tips on how to help hurricane-hit people. Unfortunately, animals in the affected areas were also affected; more than 100 animals have died at a shelter in the Bahamas due to severe flooding, according to reports received over the weekend. (In a Facebook post, the shelter’s executive director said the kennels were submerged five feet deep. 156 dogs and cats survived .)
If you want to help these Dorian-stricken animals and the northeast shelters that have welcomed hundreds of animals from the stricken areas, below are various ways you can contribute:
- The Humane Society of the Grand Bahamas in question has a GoFundMe donation page. Contributions will go towards supplying and transporting animals outside of the Bahamas. They will also accept donations throughthe Cohn Foundation , a non-profit organization working with HSGB. You can follow the updates on the GoFundMe page or Facebook of the shelter . (And if you’re interested in accepting a pet from a shelter, according to their Facebook, all evacuated animals will be sent to the Halo No-Kill shelter in Florida.) The shelter has a lost and found Facebook page for all pet owners. reunite with your animals.
- Animal BFF accepts donations through its disaster relief fund ; the funds will go to emergency help for pets during natural disasters (not limited to Dorian). BFAS posts on its Facebook page news about animal shelters rescued from Dorian. They also have a pet search page . And if you are looking to adopt a pet evacuated from Dorian, you can check out their website .
- The United States Animal Welfare Society accepts donations for disaster relief through its general animal relief fund . According to their website , the donations will go to emergency preparedness and response activities, including providing resources for animals in need and hiring emergency response personnel.
Beware of any donation page or GoFundMe that claims to represent an organization helping victims of Dorian; according to the Humane Society of the Grand Bahamas, there is only one GoFundMe page representing them (so don’t fall for the others unless you’ve contacted this shelter directly and duly verified the campaigner’s relationship with this organization through their social media presence) …
And for a list of shelters that have accepted evacuated pets from Dorian, visit the USA Today website or search online for shelters near you that may have helped with your recovery.