While many Houstonians were preparing to evacuate for Hurricane Ike, devoted members of the Houston SPCA - the Storm Riders - were preparing their sleeping bags to move into their offices.
A team of almost 40 people volunteered to ride out the storm at the Houston SPCA in order to provide for the safety of about 100 animals at the shelter. They also conducted rescues to save animal victims of the hurricane.
“We had horses, chickens, dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, “said Stacy Fox, vice president of communications. “We really wanted to make sure that they were safe throughout the storm, so we first took care of our families and then spent the night here to make sure they were all secure.
“Mine were way out halfway to Austin, so I knew they‘d be safe,” Fox said. “Most of us brought our pets so that they were here with us.”
The SPCA sent all of the adoptables out to their partners around the state for placement in new homes. That freed up space for animals coming in from the storm.
“Since Hurricane Ike, we’ve rescued, saved and sheltered more than 1,562 storm victims. We’ve sheltered in place almost 500 animals in cooperation with our affiliate, Wild Life Rehab and Education,” Fox said. “We’ve also fed and cared for more than 1,000 orphaned baby squirrels and other wild animals who were innocent victims of Hurricane Ike.”
Among the hundreds of animals left behind on Galveston Island, the SPCA rescued five little terrier-mix dogs that had possibly been swimming most of the night for their lives.
“We were going door to door looking for animals that needed rescuing,” Fox said.
He said the animals were found on top of a trembling.
“The high water mark was over their heads,” she said.
When it was over, Fox said, “We celebrated more than 300 happy reunions after the storm!”