Emergency care in Florida helps transport animals from Kentucky tornadoes to shelter in Michigan

Dogs and cats abandoned in shelters when the tornado hit Kentucky are now better cared for.

Florida Urgent Rescue has transported dogs and cats from the destruction of Kentucky to a shelter in Michigan.

After natural disasters like this one, animal shelters are usually even more overwhelmed.

“There is a wave of stray dogs and cats entering the shelter,” said Mike Merrill, executive director of FUR. “And there is a wave of surrenders from homeowners arriving at the shelter from people who have lost their homes, they have lost their jobs, they have to move out or move in with relatives, and the shelters are already full.”

Merrill said the rescue organization pulled animals that were there before the tornado out of the shelter to make room for more. Animals may be killed if shelters are too full.

“People think, ‘Oh, I just need to support the shelter that’s been damaged,’” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that just because a rural shelter hasn’t been damaged doesn’t mean the animals aren’t in danger. Because the citizens of this county have lost their homes again. They are still touched, so the animals keep entering.

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Merrill says rural shelters had very limited resources before the tornado.

“They are already stretched,” he said. “And now, with all the animals that come from the storm, they’re overwhelmed. “

He says much of the attention has been focused on hard-hit areas, but there are smaller towns that don’t get much help.

On Wednesday, FUR completed its first transport.

The organization transported seven dogs and five cats from shelters in Caldwell County and Marshall County to the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan.

“The trip itself was very revealing and very heartbreaking,” he said. “The devastation was really hard to see. Sadly, many lives have been lost.

Animals once in crowded shelters have a bit of space to find forever homes.

In order to transport the animals, FUR had to update its vaccines and obtain animal health certificates.

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Merrill says FUR will be doing more transport next week.