Tampa Bay area rescues see influx of hurricane victims surrendering pets

TAMPA, Fla. — After back-to-back hurricanes, many families lost everything. Some were forced to move into new or temporary housing. In those moves, many made the difficult decision to surrender their pets.

It’s truly a heartbreaking reality for so many in the Tampa Bay area.

ABC Action news has reported on this happening for weeks now at rescues and shelters locally. The CEO of Fluff Animal Rescue in Largo, Kimmy Chandler, said it’s hard to turn anyone away but at the same time it’s become overwhelming.

Hope sounds like a cat purring or looks like a dog learning how to sit.

“Sit, sit! Good boy!” Chandler said as she gave a dog a treat.

“If we didn’t have a spot, where does that animal go? They end up back in the system that we saved them from. It’s a vicious cycle that we’re trying to break,” Chandler said.

But even rescues and CEOs with the biggest hearts can feel overwhelmed.

“We actually had an influx of 12 cats that were living in a car with a gal,” Chandler said.

The woman lost her home during the back-to-back hurricanes and could no longer care for her pets, according to Chandler.

“She says, ‘I have 12 cats. Can you take them?’ And my first answer is we don’t have the space for that, and she says, ‘Well, they’re in my car. Would you like to see them?’ And all of a sudden, it’s just like, what do you do? Do you say no, sorry, go somewhere else? There is nowhere else for them to go,” said Chandler.

But that’s been happening a lot lately.

“In these particular instances, the family found themselves displaced, and they were able to hang onto the animals and then I would say eight weeks later we get the phone call,” she said. “They’re living in a hotel, you know, or they’re living in an RV right in front of their home because they don’t have the building permit.”

The stories seem endless, and local rescues like Fluff are just trying to keep up.

“The hardest part —  when they walk in with that pet, and they’re sobbing, and you know this is the last thing they wanna do,” she said.

And while damage at the rescue was pretty minimal in comparison, Chandler said there’s work that needs to be done—fences need to be put back up, and tree debris needs to be collected—it just isn’t the priority now.

“It’s tough because it is important to have this area because this is a sensory garden, where we like to walk the dogs, and it gives them an opportunity of space outside of their kennel. But right now, it’s not safe to do so,” Chandler said.

Chandler said if anyone wanted to volunteer to help clean up the sensory garden, she would be forever grateful.

But, the big ask is for fosters, temporary ones and also folks that are willing to do it on a regular basis.

She said for hurricane victims, fostering their animals for a short period of time, while the owners wait for those building permits or a new place to live that allows animals is key.

You can also help by donating to FLUFF Animal Rescue.