An abandoned dog who was rescued during floods in Hurricane Florence is lighting up the internet, his happiness crystal clear when help arrived — and it’s spreading to hundreds of thousands of viewers online.
The male dog was found in Lumberton, North Carolina, by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Monday.
The owners appear to have abandoned the golden-coated dog when they fled from the torrential weather of Hurricane Florence, reported Unilad.
The dog was trapped outside a home near where the Lumber River burst its banks — the town soon became clogged with water.
Floodwater lapped at the porch of the house, and the wheels of the car in the driveway too.
The rescuers approached the scared pooch through the water as he paced back and forth on the porch.
The rescuer calmly took a seat, calling the nervous animal over to him.
Appearing terrified and very cautious, the large dog wagged his tail with happiness when the rescuer appeared, and started to show him some love, licking his face.
This Abandoned Dog Was Rescued off a Porch in North Carolina
RESCUED! PETA's rescue team spotted this scared and abandoned dog in Lumberton, North Carolina on the porch of a flooded home with no way to escape the rising #HurricaneFlorence flood waters and were able to bring him to safety ❤️
Posted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on Monday, September 17, 2018
PETA staff took the abandoned dog to a staging area emergency workers had set up. From there, the dog could be moved to a nearby shelter.
Sharing the video of the abandoned pup on Facebook, they wrote: “RESCUED! PETA’s rescue team spotted this scared and abandoned dog in Lumberton, North Carolina on the porch of a flooded home with no way to escape the rising #HurricaneFlorence flood waters and were able to bring him to safety,” followed by a heart emoji.
The post has been viewed over 590,000 times.
PETA staff have been working hard, many wading through deep waters, to help at-risk animals.
Related: Trump Embraces Young Boy Who Asked for a Hug, Gets Slammed on Social Media
Poultry and pork farms in North Carolina have also suffered badly, losing millions of animals to the hurricane, reported Unilad.
Some 3.4 million chickens and turkeys, and 5,500 hogs, lost their lives after the barns they were being kept in flooded, said The (Raleigh) News & Observer.
Another group pitching in on animal rescue efforts is Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida. Before the storm hit, this group sent vans to North Carolina and South Carolina to collect dogs and bring them to Florida; the animals arrived safely around noon on Wednesday.
“Any time a natural disaster strikes, there is a collaborative effort to save lives,” Big Dog Ranch Rescue founder and President Lauree Simmons said to the Palm Beach Post.
“Floridians know how devastating a hurricane can be, and it’s our responsibility to help our neighbors during difficult times.”
A total of 22 dogs were brought to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, and more could follow, kennel technician Angie Seagrave said.
Check out the video:
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.