Jersey City's Liberty Humane Society Takes In 10 Hurricane Dogs

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City is known for welcoming people from all parts of the country and the world to call it home, but the city is also opening its doors to dogs in need. The Liberty Humane Society is taking in 10 dogs that were displaced from shelters in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Ida.

The dogs are set to arrive on Wednesday afternoon and will be placed for adoption in Jersey City. Officials at the humane society said at least two of the 10 dogs arriving have Heartworm and will require extensive medical treatment.

Donations and support for the dogs' treatment can be made online.

The animals are arriving in Jersey City as part of a larger fleet of shelter animals being transferred from hurricane-impacted shelters out to locations across the country by the Greater Good Charities “Good Flights” division. In total, 32 shelter dogs and 41 cats from Louisiana animal shelters are being emergency airlifted to shelters in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The Liberty Humane Society is the receiving shelter in New Jersey. St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Humane PA and Delaware Humane Association are the other receiving shelters in Pennsylvania and Delaware, respectively.

This life-saving flight is following ground and flight transports of over 150 pets that Greater Good
Charities conducted pets in advance of Hurricane Ida and will be the first of multiple post storm flights.

Liberty Humane Society doesn't usually take in out-of-state animals, but the hurricane circumstances were reminiscent of Hurricane Sandy, and humane society officials said they couldn't turn a blind eye.

"LHS suffered significant facility damage during Hurricane Sandy, and we remember how difficult it was to continue to care for animals on-site despite power outages and disrupted supply lines. We are grateful that people across the country supported us during that time of need, and we are honored to be able to pay that forward," Liberty Humane Society Executive Director Irene Borngraeber said.

Taking in shelter animals that have already been in the system after a major storm frees up the home-shelter to house animals that are newly lost or displaced, increasingly the likelihood they will be reunited with their families, Borngraeber said.

The humane society is making room for the animals as Jersey City gets ready to feel the remnants of Hurricane Ida which, by the time it hits Hudson County, will be Tropical Depression Ida. Jersey City and Hudson County are at "high risk" area for excessive rainfall. The area is now under a flash flood watch from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday.