36 animals, 20 dogs and 16 cats, were evacuated from All 4 Paws Rescue on the Pawleys Island in South Carolina by No Dog Left Behind Landpilots David Stash and Fran Ruppen. With Hurricane Dorian approaching, getting these animals to safety was our main objective. After a whirlwind two day journey the team arrived back at 3:30 am this morning.
After a 1500 miles round trip Dave and Fran arrived in the wee hours of the morning to Action For Animals Humane Society in Latrobe, PA where 27 of the animals went while 9 of the cats went to Two Ladies Four Paws Rescue. The numbers kept changing as we went but Action For Animals never blinked and just kept telling us, “We will take more,” while Two Ladies Four Paws jumped in during the night to take 9 cats. The teamwork that was displayed between No Dog Left Behind, All4Paws, Two Ladies Four Paws Rescue, and Action For Animals was something none of us will forget.
This was the third trip our team has taken to South Carolina since Friday. When we were asked to help our volunteers responded with overwhelming support. Dave Stash was out cleaning crates after arriving from the trip he just took a few hours before. When he heard we were going back he was first in line. Fran dropped everything she was doing to rush out to the airport to gear up. Sacrifice, dedication, and the ultimate can do attitude. These are the traits of a No Dog Left Behind volunteer. They inspire us, motivate us, and push us to do more. We are honored to be on their team.
After three trips totaling close to 5000 miles we are happy to have helped so many people and animals. While we are proud of what we have accomplished, our hearts go out to the men and women out there right now scrambling to help animals in the path of Hurricane Dorian. We stand with our fellow rescuers and are ready and willing to assist as the storm passes and the work of putting things back together begins. Stay safe everyone.
