As Texas flood waters recede, efforts to rescue pets intensify

USA Today

5 hours ago

As the search for signs of life in flood-stricken Texas Hill Country continue, the race to save pets impacted by the devastation is on.
Non-profit pet shelter Austin Pets Alive! has taken in over 230 animals primarily from shelters impacted by the floods that began July 4.
The shelter said in a July 6 blog update it is coordinating a volunteer search and rescue group to find animals in impacted areas. The shelter also said it is seeking donations to provide support to families that have lost pets, including body recovery and cremation services.
"It's been devastating for all living beings," Dr. Ellen Jefferson said in a July 6 Facebook post. "So many people are searching for their pets that are the last connection they might have to a lost family member. Pets are so intertwined in this saga and it's so important."
Suzie Chase, the shelter's community affairs officer, told USA TODAY in a July 7 interview that the Austin shelter has served as a sanctuary for pets who have lost their family in the destruction the storms wrought.
"We've had some cases where extended family members have asked us to foster animals because the animal's family perished in the floods," Chase said. "The extended family members just need to be able to figure out what to do next with the dogs and cats that have been located."
Chase said that it is not the first time the shelter has been a part of a large-scale animal rescue, pointing to efforts following Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri.
Lindsay O'Gan, the shelter's Instructional Design Manager who is in Kerrville with the rescue and reunification efforts, said in an interview with USA TODAY that the devastation in Central Texas was "hard to describe."
"It happened so fast. In the same way we are seeing so much human missing and casualty ... I think the numbers are going to be much higher than we realize," O'Gan said. "Maybe 80%, 90% of the animals that are reported to us are lost, their owners are also lost or deceased."
Texas flooding death toll hits 104: Hard-hit areas face new flooding risks
Pet reunifications bring respite
One of the pets the shelter was able to reunify with surviving family was Superman.
The medium-sized mixed breed was found in the debris and was wary of rescuers, snapping at them before they earned his trust.
"His surviving family, now grieving and having lost everything, are doing everything they can to hold on to the last piece of their past that remains," the shelter wrote in the July 6 Facebook post.
O'Gan noted that the staff at Kerrville Pets Alive!, where the recovery effort is based, continued their work despite connections to the unfolding tragedy.
"They've lost their own family members, or they've lost their own friends, or they've just had tragedy rolling in on their phones as they are working and they would keep going," O'Gan said. "I can't imagine what it's like, that it's in their own community and they have their own losses to deal with but they just keep going."
She described the moments when pets can be reunified with families as, "Christmas, New Years and birthdays all combined."
"We all really absorb those moments, because they are so rare," O'Gan added.
What does the pet shelter need?
On its website, Austin Pets Alive! said its largest need is monetary donations.
The shelter also said the following supplies are needed:
Chase noted that the list on its website is updated as needs change.
O'Gan added that the shelter will need support long after the waters recede.
"There's always this outpouring of support right after a disaster that dries up and I understand that as folks move on," O'Gan said. "We're going to be working on this for the next months after the news moves on. Hopefully they'll keep us in their thoughts and keep sending those donations because they are going to be needed for the foreseeable future."