TAMPA, Fla. — When SPCA Tampa Bay hears a storm could be headed this way, the staff know they need to be ready.
"Every shelter across the state of Florida is trying to figure out either how they're going to be impacting or how they can help or both," the shelter's CEO Martha Boden said.
After going through Hurricane Katrina and Irma most recently, they've learned how to speed up the process and make it work. This time they've opened up their teaching facilities to have extra spaces.
"We're constantly talking to each other trying to figure out on a daily call what's happening where. There are plenty of rooms ready to go," Boden said.
Twenty-three cats and dogs arrived on Sunday afternoon from hours away near Jacksonville. It was a long drive to get to Largo and many of them were scared to go outside.
"A shelter can be a pretty scary place for animals because it is so unusual. They're not typically in an environment where there are hundreds of other animals. Adding the stress of something like a hurricane and the staff being anxious, I think there's a little bit of extra edge," Boden said.
Veterinarians will test these cats and dogs and give them the shots they need. They'll be ready for adoption in a few days, as long as Dorian doesn't hit close to home.
"We don't know what's going to happen here either right? We keep thinking we might be out of the cone, but things could change in an hour, so we want to be ready. Just in case we're not ready to be open for adoption and need to hold these animals until we're ready to go," Boden said.
As you put your plans together, don't forget about your pets. We have a checklist to help you get everything in order for your fur-babies. You can read through them here.
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