Escambia County Animal Shelter Operating as Hub for Displaced Storm Animals

The Escambia County Animal Shelter is operating as a transport hub for animal shelters and welfare organizations in the Panhandle impacted by Hurricane Michael.

The shelter began the process of transferring local animals to other shelters this morning to make room for animals arriving from impacted areas, and accepted the first animals from Bay County this evening. The first group of Escambia County Animal Shelter dogs was loaded onto a transport van around noon and transported to the Michigan Humane Society, where they will be made available for adoption. 

Matt Pepper, President and CEO of the Michigan Humane Society, said his team is eager to lend a hand to the communities along the Florida Panhandle. 

"Any time you have a national disaster, or something like a hurricane of this magnitude, the boundaries don’t matter anymore. What matters is where can we help, and where can our resources and our expertise work to save lives?" Pepper said. "Any role we can play to relieve the pressure on the sheltering systems right there in the Panhandle will allow local communities to be a greater resource to their immediate communities in the days and months after the event."

Once animals arrive from impacted counties, shelter staff will prepare the animals for transport by examining them and preparing a health certificate so the animals can be safely transported to partner shelters where they will be available for adoption.

Animal Services Manager John Robinson said using the Escambia County Animal Shelter as a transport hub will allow smaller trucks to transport animals out of impacted areas and let larger transport vehicles pick up at one location.
 
"Next time it could be us, and I think it's just as important as anything else to be a good neighbor," Robinson said. "Our team is really fantastic, and I'm really proud of what we're doing here."

Escambia County is collaborating with the Humane Society of the United States, the Pensacola Humane Society, the Michigan Humane Society, University of Florida Disaster Response and Greater Good to coordinate this effort. 

For updates from Escambia County as staff work in hurricane-impacted areas, like Escambia County Emergency Management and Escambia County on Facebook.

To volunteer to support Hurricane Michael recovery efforts in Florida or to donate to the Florida Disaster Fund, visit VolunteerFlorida.org.