Lucky Dog Responds to Hurricane Helene

In the aftermath of hurricane Helene, Lucky Dog animal rescue joins Greater Good charities to fly more than 130 shelter pets from South Carolina to Wisconsin to find new homes.

FLORENCE, SC (Oct. 2, 2024) - Lucky Dog Animal Rescue joins Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit, to fly more than 130 shelter pets* impacted by Hurricane Helene in Florence, S.C. to Waukesha, Wis. to find new loving homes. The shelter pets being flown to new homes were in the animal shelter before the hurricane began. Flying the shelter pets to new homes will provide more room for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue to handle the influx of displaced pets from the storm and allow them to support overcrowded animal shelters in impacted communities including Florida. This flight is generously supported by Ameriflight. (Final pet count at the airport*). This disaster relief flight is part of global nonprofit’s efforts to support communities impacted by the storm.

Sending Shelters: 

• (South Carolina) Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and their affiliates Florence Area Humane Society and Marion County Animal Shelter 

Receiving Shelters:

• (Wisconsin) Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County
• (HAWS), Humane Society of Jefferson County
• Elmbrook Humane Society
• The Washington County Humane Society
• Dane County Humane Society
• Eau Claire Humane Association, Green County Humane Society 

Greater Good Charities response to Hurricane Helene is wide reaching and includes on the ground assistance working with local and state government officials, and trusted partners in multiple states to help impactedcommunities. The global nonprofit is providing food, survival supplies, hygiene products, life-saving shelter pet transports, and veterinary care. Additionally, Greater Good Charities is also working to provide temporary food tomillions of bees where the storm has wiped out plant forage and hive infrastructure.  

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue’s South Carolina Rescue Campus serves as a transport hub for shelter pets in the South, where pet overpopulation exceeds the capacity of local adoptions. When the Hurricane struck, Lucky Dog’s kennels were already at capacity with local pets. By moving these animals to Wisconsin on Wednesday, Lucky Dog will be able to intake animals from Florida on Thursday. Lucky Dog is also serving as a supply distribution center for impacted animal welfare organizations in North Carolina and South Carolina. 

The shelter pets will board a chartered aircraft on Wednesday, October 2 at the Florence Regional Airport. The shelter pets on the flight are fully vetted and health certified by a local licensed veterinarian. 

Departure:

Loading Time: 9:00 a.m. ET  
Take off Local Time: 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. ET 
Florence Regional Airport (FLO)  
FBO: Precision Air
430 S McCall Blvd 
Florence, SC 29506 

Arrival:
Landing Time: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. CT
Waukesha County Airport (UES) 
FBO: Stein 
2651 Aviation Drive
Waukesha, WI 53188

NOTE: Once the flight departs, you can track it in real time by visiting www.flightaware.com

Upon arrival to Wisconsin, the shelter pets will be quickly unloaded and transported in vans from the airport back to the receiving shelters. While at the receiving shelters, all the pets will be evaluated and receive any follow-up medical care needed before being put up for adoption.

Greater Good Charities responsibly transport shelter pets to areas where there is a need for adoptable pets and never displaces local shelter pets in the area. All shelter pets transported via Greater Good Charities will be done so in compliance with the USDA interstate regulations.

Greater Good Charities conducts life-saving airlifts and supports ground transport for at-risk and vulnerable pet populations with a heavy focus on disaster relief, homeless cats, asymptomatic heartworm-positive shelter dogs, and harder to place large dogs.  Learn more at greatergood.org.

About Greater Good Charities

Greater Good Charities is a 501(c)(3) global nonprofit organization that works to help people, pets, and the planet by mobilizing in response to need and amplifying the good. Greater Good Charities, with a Four-Star rating on Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal on GuideStar, has invested more than $750 million in impact, including cash grants, in-kind supplies, and programmatic support to charitable partners in 121 countries since 2007. To learn more about how Greater Good Charities is amplifying the good across the globe, please visit greatergood.org or follow Facebook, Instagram, X YouTube, and TikTok.