Texas pups arrive at the Spokane shelters as donations for hurricane relief head south

The cuteness level went into overdrive Saturday at the Spokane Humane Society as more than 40 dogs arrived from Texas to find their new forever homes.

San Antonio Pets Alive brought the shelter dogs from Texas in an air-conditioned trailer to make room for dogs rescued from Hurricane Harvey, who will need shelter until, with luck, they can be reunited with their owners. None of the dogs arriving Saturday in Spokane were rescued from the hurricane, said Pia Hallenberg, development director for the shelter.

“They’re making room for the Harvey dogs,” she said.

Puppies were among the dozens of canines brought to Spokane, and a variety of breeds are available to potential pet owners, she said.

“We’ve got long ones and short ones and old ones and young ones,” she said.

Volunteers arrived at the Humane Society early Saturday morning to make sure everything was ready for the new arrivals, placing bowls of food and water in each cage. They worked in the hot sun for hours to pack donated supplies into the empty trailer for the trip back to Texas, Hallenberg said.

People have been making donations designated for Harvey relief all week, she said. They’ve been kept separate from the shelter’s usual donations, and Hallenberg praised the community’s generosity in providing for animals traumatized by the storm.

“We filled as much as we could into the trailer,” she said.

Items sent to Texas include crates, which are in high demand, and other items like food and toys.

Hallenberg said she expects another shipment of dogs from Texas but is not sure when they will arrive.

Anyone interested in meeting the new arrivals can stop by the shelter at 6607 N. Havana St. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Adoptions will start in about a week, after the new arrivals have undergone socialization testing and various routine health treatments, Hallenberg said.