Thanks to teamwork between the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando and a New Jersey-based animal welfare center, 59 pets were reunited with their families on Sunday after Hurricane Maria forced their owners to evacuate Puerto Rico months ago.
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, based in New Jersey, coordinated the transport of the animals from Puerto Rico to Orlando where Pet Alliance had arranged for the pet and evacuees reunions.
Stephen O’Neal, Digital Marketing Manager for the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, said the was a lot of emotion throughout the day, but one moment stood out.
“There was a husky that just wouldn’t get out of his kennel for anything,” O’Neal said. “But the moment he heard his owners calling out his name, he bolted out.”
Steve Bardy, CEO of the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, said the 56 dogs and three cats were all being kept in Puerto Rico with friends and families of those forced to evacuate.
While most of the evacuees reunited with their pets are living in Florida, pet owners from as far away as Texas and Tennessee made the drive to reunite with their furry family members.
