Hurricane Matthew dog ‘refugees’ need your help

Help is needed for 72 Hurricane Matthew dog “refugees” staying at kennels in Mooresville and Indian Trail.

During the storm, volunteers moved the dogs from the H.F. Help Inc. animal rescue shelter in Ladson, S.C., near Charleston. Matthew extensively damaged the shelter’s fencing, kennels and dog runs, and repairs could take several weeks.

The “Palmetto Dogs,” as volunteers affectionately call them, were taken last Friday to Charlotte area boarding kennels and animal rescue centers.

Dogs Day Out Grooming and Pet Resort on Fawnbrooke Drive in Indian Trail is boarding 44 of the dogs. The others are at Ike’s Dog Pub Stay & Play on Consumer Square Drive in Mooresville and Buddy’s Bed & Biscuit on Nagle Drive in Indian Trail.

Several local groups have mustered volunteers to help with the dogs, including South Charlotte Dog Rescue, Carolina Pyr Rescue, Pawsitive Impact NC, Hope for All Dogs and the Greater Charlotte SPCA. But many more volunteers are needed, and so are people interested in adopting the dogs.

Volunteers help with daily feeding, exercise and cleaning, especially at Dogs Day Out. Shifts are no more than two hours, at 7 a.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. daily through Monday.

Volunteers can sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a49ada728a31-kennel.

Photos of most of the adoptable “Palmetto Dogs” are featured on the Facebook page of Saved by a Flash, a non-profit photography organization.

Interested adopters should fill out an adoption application on H.F. Help’s website.

Supplies are needed at Dogs Day Out, Ike’s and Buddy’s, including towels; blankets; Tide Detergent Original HE Liquid; metal dog bowls, the plainest kind with no bottom lips, all sizes; and treats for dogs and the humans helping.

Donations can be made to H.F. Help Inc via its website or by PayPal using the email address info@HFHelp.org.

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue in Charlotte, meanwhile, said 200 animals were rescued from Hurricane Matthew’s wind and rain and remain sheltered by the agency due to loss of their homes.

They include ducks, geese, swans, pelicans, goats and even a few raptors such as hawks and owls. Most were brought in from Wilmington and the Charleston area.

A $5 Hurricane Relief Fund has been launched to help cover the cost of feeding and housing the animals until their homes can be re-established. For details, visithttps://www.paypal.me/waterfowlrescue/5.

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is a nonprofit 501 (c)3 wildlife rescue organization located in Charlotte and is staffed by federally licensed migratory bird rehabilitators. It takes in more than 1,000 birds a year of close to 40 different wild species.

It is an all-volunteer group that donates time, money and expertise to help North Carolina birds in need.

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Hurricane Matthew dog ‘refugees’ need your help."