An animal rescue in Florida has saved nearly 80 dogs from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires and freezing weather in Texas in a valiant effort that saw their team drive across the country to help find the pups a better home.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves, Fla. shared a press release that they stepped up to rescue a number of canines whose lives were at stake amid extreme weather and natural disaster.
The organization traveled to Palm Springs, Calif., with a large bus to assist a shelter that was “overloaded with pets from the fire disaster.” Once they arrived, the team picked up 48 dogs.
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On their drive back, the rescue received another call for help, this time from Cleveland, Texas, as the state prepares to face freezing cold weather conditions. Big Dog Ranch Rescue ended up picking up 30 more pups, writing that the “animals faced their own tragedy as temperatures drop to below freezing as the arctic cold front passes through the state this week.”
Big Dog Ranch Rescue shared more about their heroic journey on Instagram, where they posted a video detailing their efforts. Both shelters who called for help, per the video, were rescue partners.
As for the canines in the Golden State, the rescue said, they were “left to fend for themselves after the destruction of fires.” The dogs had either been surrendered by their owners as a result of the fires or were previously surrendered.
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Meanwhile, the dogs in Texas “would have otherwise been frozen to death” after being left to fend for themselves in the extreme weather.
“Wherever there is a need, we always answer the call,” the rescue captioned the post, adding that the pups are now “recovering at our ranch, where they’ll go through a two-week quarantine before being ready for adoption.”
Founder and CEO Lauree Simmons said the dogs will now be well-cared for in an inspiring statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue/Instagram
“These dogs are refugees from natural disasters, some from raging fires and some from freezing cold temperatures,” Simmons said. “It’s fire and ice. They will all now receive the love and attention they need while in our care and will hopefully find families who will adopt them into their new forever homes.”
A few people involved in the rescue spoke with ABC-affiliated WPBF, including bus driver Jay Caetano, who offered a unique perspective by saying, “Even when you’re tired and cranky, you look at the dogs and know it’s worth it.”
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Big Dog Ranch Rescue was founded in 2008 and saves “dogs in distress from high kill shelters throughout the country, abused dogs and dogs suffering from inhumane treatment and natural disasters,” per a press release from the organization.
Their efforts have saved more than 73,000 dogs, leading Big Dog Ranch Rescue to be known as the largest no-kill rescue in the United States.
The rescue also aims to educate people on how to properly care for dogs once they’ve found their forever home.
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