Connecticut Humane Society welcomes 21 adoptable dogs from Florida after Hurricane Ian – NBC Connecticut

Dozens of adoptable animals were unloaded from a plane Wednesday afternoon, flown to Connecticut from hurricane-ravaged Florida.

“These dogs were either in shelters during the hurricane or in homes that may have been uprooted during the hurricane,” said James Bias, executive director of the Connecticut Humane Society. “Now what I hope is that it will become a distant memory for them and they will wag their tails, lick people in the face and have a very good future.

The dogs and cats, about 100 on the plane in total, arrived from Naples, Florida. They were welcomed to Connecticut by animal rescue groups from across the northeast region. The Connecticut Humane Society took 21 dogs to its Newington facility to help with disaster relief after Hurricane Ian.

“These animals coming in are mostly the bigger dogs. They’re a bit more difficult to place,” Bias said. “We won’t have a problem here in CT because we have big hearts and lots of families who will hopefully say we want to help out and adopt a pet.”

Most of the animals were living in shelters when the hurricane hit. This rescue effort is helping to create space and increase the capacity of Florida shelters impacted by Hurricane Ian, according to the Humane Society.

“By creating this capacity, it means Florida is going to keep its animals longer for people in recovery,” Bias said.

In addition to the 21 dogs the Connecticut Humane Society will take in, the other dogs and cats that were on the flight will go to various shelters from Canton, Massachusetts to Cleveland, Ohio, according to the humane society.

Dogs will undergo two to three days of medical and behavioral evaluation before being available for adoption. As they prepare for new homes, you can find more information about adoptable dogs at CThumane.org/adopt.

“When you look at the disaster in Florida, it’s amazing what people and animals had to go through,” Bias said. “Recognizing what these animals now, this next chapter in their lives, is going to hopefully be a positive for them.