SALEM — Nine dogs impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires were expected to arrive in Massachusetts on Friday, Jan. 31, MSPCA-Angell officials announced.
This transport follows closely after the arrival of 37 cats affected by near-record snowfall in Louisiana.
Following their hours-long flight to a Delaware facility on Thursday, the dogs were moved to MSPCA-Angell vans for the over seven-hour journey to Massachusetts the following day. Upon arrival, the animals were to be met by MSPCA-Angell vans that will bring them to the Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS) in Salem.
“It took weeks for this plan to come together, but dealing with the logistical challenges is well worth it to bring these dogs—who were living in shelters prior to the fires—to Massachusetts, where we’re confident they’ll find the loving homes they deserve,” Josie Waldron, MSPCA-Angell relocation manager, said. “But, doing so will further increase our own population of larger dogs, and we definitely need help.”
The California dogs—which range in age from roughly one to 10-years-old and include mixes of hounds, German shepherds, pit bulls, and cattle dogs—come from Pasadena Humane Society, where they had been living prior to the fires that have displaced thousands of people and pets.
“Obviously there’s a tremendous amount of need in the Los Angeles-area right now,” Waldron said. “Plenty of groups nearby stepped up to help and transported animals out of danger, but given the magnitude of the situation, more assistance is needed, and that’s where we come in.”
The California dogs will be available for adoption following their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and after receiving any medical care they may need. Interested adopters are asked to monitor the MSPCA-Angell’s social media pages for updates.
“We would love for people to come out and adopt these dogs, but we also have a lot of amazing dogs already in our care looking for homes,” Waldron said. “If now’s not the time to adopt, we’re also looking for families who can foster dogs, which would allow them to decompress in a home setting while also freeing up space in our shelters.”
Anyone interested in fostering can learn more at mspca.org/foster.
Those interested in donating to help offset the costs of the transport and caring for these new arrivals may do so at mspca.org/disaster.