Dozens of cats and dogs saved from Hurricane Ida to be put up for adoption in Wisconsin

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) - More than 70 cats and dogs from shelters in Mississippi and Louisiana will soon be put up for adoption in Wisconsin.

Wings of Rescue, an air-transport nonprofit, flew the rescue mission to Waukesha Tuesday morning, Sept. 7. 159 cats and dogs were onboard, with half of them also going to North Dakota.

"They are looking forward to nothing more than a loving landing spot," Jennifer Smeija said.

Jennifer Smeija, with the Humane Animal Welfare Society, said this mission helps free up space for more cats and dogs that may have been displaced during Hurricane Ida. The pets that arrived in Wisconsin were already up for adoption in the South and did not have homes.

"That way those local pets that are lost, that do have owners that are looking for them, stay down there and can be reunited with their owners or stay down there in emergency housing while their owners get back on their feet," Smeija said. "They were devastated. Those shelters have been through so much."

Shelter workers fought strong storms Tuesday afternoon to get the animals to safety. They will be evaluated this week before being put up for adoption at HAWS and other nearby shelters.

"When they're hit by a disaster in the area, the shelters are affected, too. The problem with the shelter is that if they're already full with other pets waiting to be adopted, they won't have any other room to help those emergency situations. so, that's where we come in," Smeija said.

Those pets will likely be available for adoption as soon as this weekend.

For adoption information, click here. https://hawspets.org/