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CNN Sunday Morning

Tropical Storm Displaces Pooches

Aired June 17, 2001 - 09:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: And tropical storm Allison not only unleashed a flood of trouble for people in and around Houston -- that was about a week ago. The storm also displaced many animals. And Dan Ronan of CNN affiliate WAGA tells us who's coming to the rescue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RONAN, WAGA REPORTER (voice-over): Sam, this 2-an-a-half- year-old, very well behaved Golden Retriever-Australian Shepherd mix has a new home. Alan Mitch of Suwanee and his two children, Kendal (ph) and Ryan (ph) picked the dog out.

ALAN MITCH, ADOPTED SAM: Good looking dog, nice, not a puppy and apparently his background was coming from a flood. And it reminds me of our last dog, too, which I think is one of the reasons our kids like him, too.

RONAN: Until last week, Sam had been at a shelter in Houston. But when the city was overrun by tropical storm Allison, causing more than $2 billion in damage, that city's animal shelters were stretched to capacity.

Nearly 200 missing dogs were turned in and there's always the possibility they'll be claimed by their owners. So rather than move those animals to other cities, Houston officials began contacting shelters across the country they already had ready for adoption.

(on camera): Just as the American Red Cross and other relief agencies provide assistance for people during disasters, when the Atlanta Humane Society was contacted it offered to take 10 dogs from Texas.

(voice-over): And with Sam's adoption, that makes nine.

DAWN EISCHEN, ATLANTA HUMANE SOCIETY: Since they are adult dogs sometimes that can take a couple of weeks -- sometimes even a month. So, of course, the Atlanta Humane Society doesn't put any time limits on the animal's stay as long as their healthy and adoptable and we have room. So these dogs may, in fact, stay as long as they can until they find a home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NELSON: Those dogs are cute. Anyway, that report from Dan Ronan of WAGA here in Atlanta.

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