Incline shelter getting animals from hurricane relief efforts

More than 160 cats and dogs from New Orleans shelters will be arriving at the Reno-Tahoe airport on Saturday in hopes of finding a new forever home in the region.

Shelters there need to make room for animal victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.

Jason Stipp, executive director of Pet Network Humane Society in Incline Village, will depart for New Orleans today with a team of volunteer rescue workers. A plane is set to arrive with 80 animals into Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and another with another 80 animals into Hayward Executive Airport on Oct. 7.

New Orleans residents remember well the assistance they received from neighboring states when Hurricane Katrina devastated their region in 2005, leaving many thousands of people and animals homeless. Louisiana animal rescue organizations consider this payback time. They have taken in thousands of displaced dogs and cats from Texas and Florida, and are anticipating receiving animal victims from Puerto Rico soon. Their shelters are filled well beyond capacity.

Stipp obtained grants from Maddie’s Fund and the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation to make the trip possible.