More Than 150 Sheltered Dogs And Cats Were Flown Into Delaware To Escape Hurricane Dorian

The airport at New Castle, Delaware had a rather unusual occurrence on Tuesday afternoon. A plane had arrived from South Carolina with over 100 pets on board.

191 dogs and cats were inside the plane. They had arrived from a variety of animal shelters on Hilton head Island.

The shelters were doing their best to put the pets up for adoption but they were worried about flooding from Hurricane Dorian. Wings of Rescue, with the help of GreaterGood.org and the ASPCA, had those animals flown to a safe location.

“We’ve done multiple hurricane evacuations, and every single time I get goosebumps,” said Linda Torelli, the marketing director with Brandywine Valley SPCA. “That plane opens up, and it is such a thrill to be able to help hundreds of animals, save their lives and find families.”

Dozens of volunteers were on hand to transport 173 animals from the plane. The plane then departed from Delaware and flew to Maine with 18 cats on board. As the animals were removed from the plane by volunteers, they were taken to animal shelters in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York City. Some were also taken to New England to find a forever home.

“These animals were strong adoption candidates in their local shelters,” said Torelli.

One of the volunteers that drove her personal van from East Brookfield, Massachusetts was Sheryl Blancato. She took 20 cats with her to Second Chance Animal Services.

“They look great, we had one there that looked like it had a little motion sickness, but everybody else looked good,” said Blancato.

Along with getting the animals out of harm’s way, they were also making room for any additional animals that may have needed assistance if the storm would have hit.

“It’s really an inspiring event, and it’s full of great energy,” said Walter Fenstermacher, the senior director of operations with Brandywine Valley SPCA.

158 additional pets are being driven to Delaware from Jasper County in South Carolina, according to Torelli. Those animals are to be placed in shelters around Georgetown. Torelli offers a number of suggestions for ways you can help out the animals. It includes bringing wet dog or cat food to the Brandywine Valley SPCA. Monetary donations are also accepted. Of course, adopting a pet is always welcome.

The pets that have been transported to their new location will be available for adoption beginning Wednesday in many cases.

“This is a great time for anyone who was thinking about adopting, and now wants to help in a disaster,” said Torelli.