Dozens of pets displaced by recent tornadoes in central Tennessee received a warm welcome in Chicago Friday.
Volunteers jumped for joy as two vans arrived at the PAWS Chicago Medical Center in Little Village around 5:30 a.m. One by one, the cats and dogs were taken out of their crates after an eight-hour-long journey from Tennessee.
The rescue mission is helping Nashville's area shelters prepare for the influx of displaced animals following the recent tornadoes.
After natural disasters, many families may be separated from their pets or can no longer care for them, ending up homeless in area shelters. But in order to make room for them, the animals already awaiting adoption needed to find homes.
"When we got the call from Metro Animal Care and Control in Nashville Tuesday night, we had four volunteers ready to go on vans to help however we could," said Sarah McDonald, Spokesperson for PAWS Chicago.
A total of 23 pets made it safely to Chicago; 13 cats and 10 dogs. Veterinarians at PAWS Chicago are now evaluating them individually, to make sure they are medically cleared for adoption.
"So far they’re all looking really healthy… some may need surgery or vaccinations. But they could be available for adoption as early as Monday or Tuesday. If there’s any that have medical issues, we may have to place them in foster homes," Mcdonald said.
If you're interested in adopting one of the rescued pets from Nashville, you can visit http://www.pawschicago.org. Once the dogs and cats are available for adoption, their pictures will be up on the site with a label that reflects the location where they were rescued.
