Helping Harvey Animals

From GMA:

"Stranded pets rescued amid Hurricane Harvey flooding in southeastern Texas"

Humans aren’t the only ones weathering the storm as Hurricane Harvey ravages Texas with “epic and catastrophic” flooding that has left thousands of people stranded. Rescue efforts are also underway for pets and animals across the state, with many shelters and good Samaritans helping animals that are scared, hungry and alone.  Adam Brackman said he is trying to help rescue Cindi Simpson and her 90-year-old mother from their attic, along with Simpson’s three dogs and three cats. “I’m sitting on top of an attic with her. I’m bonding with her pets to get them to trust me so I can get them down,” Brackman, the owner of Axelrad Beer Garden in Houston, told ABC News. Simpson said she and her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and is fighting cancer, have been trapped in their attic since 6 a.m. Sunday. They climbed into the attic with their pets to escape four feet of water in their house.  Brackman is an animal lover and is thrilled he’s been able to help so many people and their pets escape the floodwaters. “Everybody has pets. They’re our fur babies," he said. "Everyone I talked to wants to hold on to them." He said he's heard from several people he rescued that the George R. Brown Convention Center now has a designated area for pets.  Prior to meeting Simpson, Brackman helped rescue a family, including their young children and dog named Ralph, from their flooded house in Houston. In a video of the rescue, the family is helped into the boat one by one, including Ralph. "See you later, house!" the little girl named Kate said as they pulled away in Brackman's boat. Once Texas begins recovering from the storm, Brackman said he wants to hold a fundraiser for hurricane victims at his beer garden. Austin Pets Alive, an animal shelter and no-kill pet advocacy group, said it has transported hundreds of pets in the path of Hurricane Harvey to its shelter. The group has created a page on its website specific to Hurricane Harvey-related needs. "Austin Pets Alive has been helping shelters in the direct line of Hurricane Harvey. We’ve been working with these shelters to transport as many pets as possible to APA and as of Saturday morning, we’ve transported over 235 animals to our shelter," a statement on its website says. "Because of the incredible, humbling support we’ve received from the community thus far, we have been able to remove some items from our needs list completely."  An image of a German shepherd mix named Otis has also been shared on social media, some calling it another symbol of Texan resiliency. In the photo, Otis walks through rainy streets carrying an entire bag of dog food with him.

“I was headed into Sinton to check damage to properties of friends and family and, as I was driving down the street, I saw people out cleaning up stuff in yards and I look over and see Otis carrying his dog food down the street,” Tiele Dockens, who took the photo, told ABC News. "I posted the photo because we live in a small town where everyone knows everyone and, sure enough, he belonged to my friend’s parents." His owners said he got loose from his screened-in porch during the storm, but he has now been reunited with them. "Otis made it back to his parents with food in mouth," Dockens said. A tiny dog named Kiwi also braved the Houston flooding in a small makeshift boat his owners made out of a plastic box.

^ It's important to remember that the animals also need help during Hurricanes and other natural disasters. I know that if I had to flee or evacuate I wouldn't go without my dog. I have looked at several websites on what things animal shelters tend to ask for in terms of donations. They generally include: Volunteering your time. Donating new or gently used items: water and food bowls, non-clay cat litter, clumping cat litter, toys, leashes, collars, brushes, pet beds, cleaning supplies, paper towels, blankets, office supplies. Donating new dry dog and cat food and dog and cat treats. These things are needed all-year by animal shelters, but especially during natural disasters. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/stranded-pets-rescued-amid-hurricane-harvey-flooding-southeast-160504210--abc-news-pets.html