Over 100 Dogs, Two Dozen Cats Arrive In Florida After Displaced By Hurricane Maria In Puerto Rico

By  //  November 2, 2017

ABOVE VIDEO: More than 100 dogs and about two dozen cats who became homeless when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico last month just arrived in Tampa Bay.

TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA (FOX 13) – It was a long haul, but they are finally here. More than 100 dogs and about two dozen cats who became homeless when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico last month just arrived in Tampa Bay.

They landed at St. Petersburg Clearwater International Airport Tuesday night accompanied by weary volunteers from Suncoast Animal League.

The volunteers had flown to the island over the weekend in a rented cargo plane with 15,000 pounds of animal food and water which had been donated.

“The coolest thing is when bad things happen you have some really good people step forward and make thing happen,” said Rick Chaboudy, a co-founder of the league.

On Wednesday, dozens of volunteers scooted around a donated warehouse in Oldsmar. They bathed dogs, checked them for fleas and ticks and tried to make them feel at home.

The trip cost $125,000 which was paid for by Tampa Bay resident Helen Rich. Rich has 400 animals of her own, including champion show horses and more than 60 dogs. Many of them live on her estate in Odessa.

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