MA Shelters Send Vets To Hurricane Relief, Hold Fee-Free Adoptions

SALEM, MA — MSPCA-Angell is sending veterinarians and other staff to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina, while holding fee-free adoption events in Boston, Salem, Methuen and on Cape Cod aimed to clear shelter space for more Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton rescues, this weekend.

The MSPCA-Angell staff members will assist damaged and overrun shelters in North Carolina while establishing a mobile veterinary clinic that will allow for continued care after the Massachusetts-based staff returns home.

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"There are many needs in North Carolina right now — from getting animals veterinary care to bringing some out-of-state to find new homes to getting supplies to those stuck in their homes —and through our Natural Disaster Relief program, we're able to help with it all," said Mike Keiley, vice president of the MSPCA-Angell's Animal Protection Division.

The staff headed to North Carolina includes two veterinarians, two veterinary technicians and a Community Outreach team member. The veterinarians were granted emergency licenses allowing them to work in the state.

All veterinary hospitals in the interior area of North Carolina were still closed as of Friday, and Yancey County still had no power or water because of the storm.

"Our team's goal is to get the mobile clinic up and running, and then set up some procedures and processes that will allow for other veterinary staff to volunteer from anywhere in the country and seamlessly jump in to help," Keiley said. "We'll also be delivering much-needed supplies to people in the area."

Keiley said the team is scheduled to be in North Carolina for about one week but may be re-deployed to other areas of the country following the second major hurricane to hit landfall in Florida earlier this week.

"Given how close these two storms were, many animals in Florida have already been evacuated, which is fortunate," Keiley said.

The shelter network has already taken in several transports of dogs and cats in advance of the catastrophic storms and in their wake.

To make room for the new arrivals, a "Purranormal Cativity" adoption event was held earlier this month where 143 cats were adopted.

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This weekend's "Muttster Mash" event will include adoption fees waived for all dogs aged 1 year and older.

All dogs brought into the state and adopted out are spayed or neutered and most are animals that were already in shelters at the time of the storms.

"The more animals we're able to rehome, the more we'll be able to help in the aftermath of both Helene and Milton," Keiley said. "So, our next adoption event really couldn't be coming at a better time."

Shelter adoption hours this weekend are:

· Boston Adoption Center: Tuesday – Sunday, noon – 3:00 p.m.

· MSPCA at Nevins Farm: Tuesday – Sunday, noon – 4:30 p.m.

· Cape Cod Adoption Center: Tuesday – Sunday, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

· Northeast Animal Shelter: Daily, 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Adoption fees are being subsidized by several local Subaru dealerships — CitySide Subaru, Copeland Subaru Hyannis, North Reading Subaru, Autofair Subaru, Subaru of Wakefield, and Atlantic Subaru.

Adoptable dogs can be found here with fee-waived dogs marked with a star.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)