Truck Driver Rescues Dozens Of Cats And Dogs Trapped By Hurricane Florence

A 51-year-old truck driver from Tennessee was able to rescue 53 dogs and 11 cats from animal shelters in South Carolina before Hurricane Florence made landfall last week. As the catastrophic storm churned its way toward the East Coast, Tony Alsup jumped into his repurposed yellow school bus and hit the road, picking up animals at shelters in four South Carolina towns. 

After he filled the bus, Alsup drove the animals to a shelter in Foley, Alabama, far from the hurricane, which has caused at least 17 deaths. The shelter said it will work to relocate the animals and find them new homes. 

This is not the first time that Alsup has aided animals that are forgotten about as residents flee from impending storms. He started his rescue mission last year when Hurricane Harvey bared down on Houston, Texas. He saw a plea for help on social media and offered to provide assistance, but quickly realized his pickup truck was not up to the task, so he spent $3,200 to buy an old school bus to transport the animals. He calls the vehicle an "Emergency Animal Rescue Shelter."

He wasn't done helping following Harvey. He also traveled to Florida and Puerto Rico to help rescue the animals that got left behind following hurricanes there. 

“It’s so easy for people to adopt the small pets and the cuties and the cuddly,” Alsup told the Greenville News. “We take on the ones that deserve a chance even though they are big and a little ugly. But I love big dogs, and we find places for them.”

Alsup shared updates of his rescues on Facebook, showing photos of the animals hanging out on the bus. He has also set up a Paypal donation page to help raise money so he can keep his rescue mission going. 


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