Superstorm Sandy: Pets Displaced by Storm Get Help in California
Sixty cats and dogs orphaned in Superstorm Sandy are getting a new home, three thousand miles away from the disaster zone in Southern California.
Southwest Airlines and Seaworld teamed up to fly the animals to the Helen Woodward Animal Shelter in California.
"Thousands of animals lost their homes and so we need to move these animals to a shelter on the west coast so we can make room for some of the Hurricane Sandy animals," said Suzanne Pelisson Beasley of Seaworld.
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The flight crew and veterinarians donated their time to ensure the furry four-legged friends arrived safely to their new home.
While the orphaned pets were adapting to their new home, celebrity chef Rachael Ray and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opened a 20,000 square foot shelter in New York to help animals left homeless by the storm.
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"The goal is to provide the people who have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy an opportunity to bring their pets in and board them for up to 30 days and really just focus on getting their lives back together," said Tim Rickey, spokesperson for the ASPCA.
To date, Rickey said the organization has helped nearly 16,000 animals in areas affected by Sandy.