NJ welcomes 36 rescue dogs from Puerto Rico after earthquakes

After recent earthquakes have caused more devastation in Puerto Rico, an emergency transport of shelter dogs from the island has arrived in New Jersey.

According to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, 36 dogs and 4 cats were removed from shelters now being overwhelmed with new rescues in Puerto Rico.

The animals, flown in an effort organized by Wings of Rescue and The Sato Project, touched down at Morristown airport Sunday afternoon.

Of the new rescues, 8 dogs and all 4 cats will stay at the St. Hubert's location in Madison, while others are being taken in by Monmouth County SPCA, the Humane Society of Atlantic City and Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, as explained by St. Huberts Communications Director Diane Ashton.

Roughly 9 of the dogs will head to western New York to the Broome County Humane Society in Binghamton.

Ashton said in about three weeks, another emergency transport is expected to bring more dogs from shelters in Puerto Rico to locations in New Jersey and surrounding areas.

The Sato Project is a non-profit that works year-round to rescue abandoned and abused dogs in Puerto Rico.

Wings of Rescue also is a year-round effort to fly at-risk pets from disaster areas and overcrowded shelters to those "with empty kennel space where they are guaranteed safety," according to its online mission statement.

Puerto Rico has been hit by a sequence of earthquakes, beginning on Dec. 28 with a magnitude 4.7 quake.

Another, stronger earthquake struck on Jan. 7, with the largest recent aftershock (magnitude 5.2) last Wednesday. (Jan. 15), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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