Tuesday afternoon, at Palm Beach International airport, 138 pets arrived by private jet. They were abandoned by their owners who were evacuated from St. John and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma approached.
I want a puppy now! It was a great day seeing this pets rescued at @PBI_Airport thanks to @kennychesney @BDRRescue #TasteSeeSoFla pic.twitter.com/lWPbXI1CxV
— T.A. Walker (@timallanwalker) February 27, 2018
It was all part of a grassroots effort lead by Big Dog Ranch Rescue and fueled, literally, by Country Music star Kenny Chesney.
Proudly Lauree Simmons, President and Founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue boasts, "Victory Air donates the jet, Kenny pays for the fuel, and Big Dog Ranch enlists a lot of rescues throughout the South East to step in and each take some of the animals."
While Big Dog Ranch takes in most of the dogs, Halo Rescue in Indian River County takes in the cats.
Board Member, Rebeca Grohall explains, "We believe every life is worth saving, and we know first hand what it's like to go through a hurricane so I can only imagine how hard its been on these animals.
While most of the dogs and puppies seemed to be at ease with their private jet ride, the cats were not.
Jan Howington laughs, "They are not happy at all. The noise, the wind, just being in the crates, they are not happy campers."
Watch as the plane arrives with the animals.
The Kenny Chesney hurricane dogs will be up for adoption after a 10-day quarantine. You can look at pictures of these and other animals on Big Dog Ranch Rescue's website. Puppies are $300 and adults are $200.
"So, if you want a Kenny dog, please come to Big Dog Ranch Rescue because every single dog that leaves our shelter means it gives us space to save another one," pleads Lauree.
To date, Kenny Chesney and Big Dog Ranch Rescue have saved 868 hurricane dogs. They plan to make one more trip to make it an even thousand.
