New Arrivals Will Be Available for Adoption After 48-Hour Quarantine and Receiving Any Necessary Medical Care
BOSTON, Aug. 6, 2024 – The MSPCA-Angell is bringing in 24 dogs from Charleston Animal Society (CAS) in North Charleston, South Carolina to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Massachusetts, just hours before the area is hit by Tropical Storm Debby, bringing possible record-setting rain and flooding.
“This summer has been incredibly busy for us,” said Mike Keiley, MSPCA-Angell vice president of animal protection. “Our coalition work is just getting underway, and we have a lot of ambitious plans, but natural disasters never come at a convenient time.”
“We have a natural disaster relief program, and we’re committed to jumping in to help, regardless of when these things strike, so when we heard about Debby, we knew needed to immediately pivot.”
The dogs are expected to arrive in Salem sometime before noon on Wednesday, August 7 in a transport sponsored by Bissell Pet Foundation. They were living at CAS prior to the storm and are not animals impacted by it.
“By bringing some of the dogs that were living at CAS up to Massachusetts now, we’re freeing up space the shelter needs to house dogs impacted by the storm, so they’re more likely to be reunited with their loving families,” added Keiley, noting that CAS will also use the additional space to bring in dogs from shelters in low country and coastal parts of South Carolina that are more likely to be impacted by flooding.
“Some shelters in those areas house dogs outside, so it’s critically important that we’re able to free up indoor space for them, and this transport will do that. Unfortunately, it will also cause a capacity crunch in our shelters, so we’re pivoting to address that as well.”
On Tuesday, August 6, the MSPCA-Angell is also expected to receive 19 cats from Darlington Humane Society in Darlington, South Carolina, a shelter the organization has been working with since early last year that Keiley says is less likely to be impacted by the worst of the storm, but still needs assistance readying for the impact.
What’s Next for South Carolina Dogs
The new arrivals range in age from five-months to three-years-old, and many of them are puppies. Breed mixes include Terriers, Labrador Retrievers, Great Pyrenees, and Belgian Malinois.
They will be available for adoption at MSPCA shelters after they clear their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and receive any medical attention they may need. The organization will post updates on their adoption status on its social media platforms.
Caring for the new arrivals is expected to cost roughly $5,000. The MSPCA-Angell asks that anyone able to donate to help offset that cost please do so at mspca.org/southcarolina.
“Our capacity for housing dogs was already pretty tight, given the ongoing dog population crisis,” Keiley expounded. “We’re tapping into our emergency foster network to help house them, but we really need to find permanent loving homes, and fast.”
In order to do that, the MSPCA-Angell is holding a special emergency fee-waived adoptathon this week, Wednesday, August 7 through Sunday, August 11. All dogs aged one and older will be available to adopt fee-free during open hours at all of the MSPCA’s shelters, which vary by location:
More information on the adoptathon may be found at mspca.org/southcarolina.
