Dogs and cats that survived Hurricane Irma in Miami arrived in New Hampshire Thursday afternoon — in hopes of finding a new family to love them.
A private plane carrying the animals landed safely on drier ground at Portsmouth International Airport.
"It's great to know we are doing something good while we are doing our job," said one of the pilots, Jennifer Perez.
The 10 dogs and 16 cats were homeless before Irma and rode out the storm in various shelters in the Miami area.
"It is heart wrenching," said NHSPCA Executive Director Lisa Dennison. "I was told there were dogs swimming in water and a shelter that lost its roof."
The animals are being moved out of those shelters down south, to make room for pets that were left behind during the floods.
"We learned after Katrina, it was so important to keep animals locally displaced, local," Dennison said.
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She says that way when families come back home, they have a better chance of finding their animals.
"It's so vital to have that relationship maintained if possible," Dennison said.
These 26 pets will join 16 other Irma cats already settled in at the NHSPCA. And we're told they'll be getting plenty of familiar company from Florida as the cleanup there continues.
"We just want to help however we can," Dennison said. "It's the beginning of what will be many more flights."
The NHSPCA plans to take in as many Irma pets as possible in the coming months.
This first group will be up for adoption by next week.
Check with NHSPCA website for updates on which hurricane animals are available and ready for their new home.
