ASPCA, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and Humane Society of Charlotte Facilitate Emergency Transport of 44 Shelter Animals Impacted by Severe Flooding in North Carolina Due to Hurricane Helene
ASPCA, Humane Society of Charlotte provided emergency relocation vehicles to transport over four dozen homeless cats and dogs, all of whom are now receiving medical and behavior care before adoptionASHEVILLE, N.C. –At the request of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue (BWAR), the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) and the Humane Society of Charlotte (HSC) assisted with the emergency transport of 44 homeless dogs and cats from BWAR after the shelter was devastated by severe flooding due to Hurricane Helene. During Hurricane Helene’s destructive landfall on Sept. 26, the animals were housed with temporary foster homes in the Asheville area. After the storm, emergency foster caregivers brought the animals to the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA) for temporary sheltering before they were transported to HSC in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 2. The 14 dogs and 30 cats – all of whom are unowned – are receiving medical and behavioral care until they are made available for adoption in the coming weeks. Additional animals from BWAR will be transported later this week to MSPCA-Angell in Boston, Mass.
"Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is a long-time partner of the ASPCA, so providing our assistance with this urgent transport of 44 dogs and cats was a natural extension of that partnership, especially following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene,” said Jessica Rushin, senior director of animal placement for ASPCA Shelter Services. “This emergency transport ensures these animals continue to receive the care they need in a safe environment while freeing up resources for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to begin to rebuild their flood-impacted facilities. We are also grateful to our longstanding partner Humane Society of Charlotte, who provided a vehicle to facilitate this transport and graciously opened their doors to these animals so they can have the best chance at finding loving homes.”
"As the former CEO of Asheville Humane and a resident for over 10 years, it’s deeply personal to see this community come together in a time of crisis. We’re proud to collaborate with the ASPCA and Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to ensure these animals receive the care they need after the devastation of Hurricane Helene. At the Humane Society of Charlotte, we’re committed to providing a safe haven for these cats and dogs, giving them the best chance to find their new homes,” said Shelly Moore, CAWA, Chief Executive Officer, Humane Society of Charlotte.
"Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is grateful to our rescue partners, Humane Society of Charlotte and the ASPCA for transporting our evacuated animals to safety after the flooding devastated our shelter. We are committed to resuming our lifesaving work as quickly as possible, and to do so we urgently need monetary donations to rebuild,” said Leah Craig Chumbley, executive director of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue.
This transport of over four dozen dogs and cats is part of the ASPCA’s wider disaster relief support in response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and beyond. Western North Carolina is home to the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance and the ASPCA Behavior Rehabilitation Center (BRC), which houses dogs undergoing rehabilitation for extremely fearful behavior so that they can be candidates for adoption. While the area remains an active disaster zone with ongoing resource shortages, including a lack of running water, the ASPCA urgently evacuated more than 30 dogs who were in treatment at the BRC to its Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio, where they will continue to receive much-needed behavioral care.
The ASPCA’s disaster response team is coordinating with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to establish a statewide pet supply distribution plan to support communities impacted by the disaster. The ASPCA also remains in close communication with local animal welfare partners in Western North Carolina to determine how it can best support additional needs.
To learn about ways to help the Humane Society of Charlotte, including the shelter’s urgent need for adoptions and wet/dry dog and cat food donations, please visit www.humanesocietyofcharlotte.org .
To donate urgently needed funds to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and learn more about how to get involved in efforts to resume the shelter’s lifesaving work, please visit www.bwar.org .
For more information on the ASPCA's efforts to help animals impacted by Hurricane Helene, please visit www.aspca.org/helene .