SAN ANTONIO – At least four animal shelters from Escambia County in Florida reached out to San Antonio Humane Society for help.
“They called us,” said Luci Almanza, public relations associate for the San Antonio Humane Society. “We said, ‘Yes, we (would) love to help.’”
The animals arrived late Monday night, but the preparations began last week.
“Oh, my gosh. We just welcomed around 70 dogs and 35 cats,” Almanza said.
Shelter operations had to be modified because it is now at capacity.
“We even have up to four (dogs) per kennel right now, so that allowed us to free up our space here in our Kennel D,” Almanza said. “And we also opened up our annex area, and there’s also an overflow of our cats in our medical building.”
Although space is tight, Almanza said this will not disrupt the Humane Society’s local intake due in part to volunteers stepping up to meet the demand.
“Our mission is always to help our community here in San Antonio, and as well (as) try to do our best when we get those phone calls right from our rescue partners,” Almanza said. “Our volunteers (have) worked around the clock since Friday. They registered early to walk them, bathe them, just getting them checked out.”
Almanza said said monetary donations are always welcome because they help cover costs of travel, vaccinations and medical care. Currently, more supplies are needed for the pets, as some may require extra medical attention.
“For supplies, we do need wet canned food, calming sprays for our pups as they are a little stressed,” Almanza said. “But of course, the bedding, the toys treats, leashes, beds, towels, all of that really goes a long way in helping us provide the best care that we can.”
Adoptions for some pets could begin as early as Friday.
“Once these pets are available for adoption, we really would love our families and our community (in) San Antonio, to open up their homes, their hearts to these Florida pets,” Almanza said.
For a full list of supplies currently needed, click here.