SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — This is not just a plane. It's an angel in the sky.
A Wings of Rescue flight saved 103 dogs from the wrath of Hurricane Delta in the South.
The dogs arrived Thursday afternoon on a Wings of Rescue flight into Gillespie Field in El Cajon from Louisiana before Hurricane Delta makes landfall on the northern Gulf Coast.
It is the second time in less than a month pets have been evacuated from Louisiana to San Diego due to a hurricane. The transport from Louisiana is to create space in shelters for pets anticipated to be displaced by Hurricane Delta. The pets were already available for adoption in Louisiana and will not have owners looking for them.
"If we in San Diego are not taking action, a lot of these pets don't have any future," said John Van Zante of the Rancho Coastal Humane Society.
Once the hurricane hits, many more pets will be displaced. Now that they are here, it frees up space in shelters over there.
"The shelters are always crowded. Now we are in emergency situation where you have hundreds and thousands more pets coming in. They just don't have room for them," said Van Zante.
The dogs will be taken to San Diego Humane Society, the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility, the Department of Animal Services and Labradors and Friends.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you adopt a hurricane dog, you are saving two lives -- the life of the dog you adopt and the life of a dog that will now have room in a shelter over there.
All of these dogs come with medical records, but will be getting medically cleared once again and behaviorally assessed. Once that is complete, the dogs will be available for adoption.
“We are grateful we can help these animals and alleviate some of the stress on the shelters in Louisiana,” said San Diego Humane Society President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman. “They are just recovering from Hurricane Laura and now there is an even bigger threat. When we all work together, we can help more animals and that’s what we are here for.”