30 dogs, cats from Puerto Rico arrive in South Florida, need loving homes

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Thirty dogs and cats arrived to Miami International Airport Wednesday morning from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona tore through the island.

The animals -- 20 dogs and 10 cats -- were taken in by the Humane Society of Broward County from the Save-A-Sato rescue group in San Juan.

According to the Humane Society, the Puerto Rican shelter is without power, running water and the streets nearby are still flooded.

“By taking some of these animals, it’s helping to alleviate, you know, and make more room at the shelter. It’s our understanding that they’re already finding animals and bringing them to the facility, so this is just one of many flights that we anticipate helping in the next couple of weeks,” said Cherie Wachter, of the Humane Society of Broward County.

According to the Humane Society, the shelter is now cleaning up the damage left behind by the storm, helping other rescue groups and waiting for power to be restored.

The animals were flown in on an Amerijet and will rest Wednesday morning before undergoing medical exams.

The Humane Society is hoping to have the animals up for adoption by this weekend.

The Humane Society of Broward County is a nonprofit organization supported by donations from the community.

To learn more or to make a donation visit www.humanebroward.com.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.