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Animal rescue group brings dogs affected byhurricane to D.C. area

Image 1. The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast boards animals whose owners were under evacuation orders because of Hurricane

Dorian and were unable to bring the animals along with them, Fort Pierce, Florida, September 2, 2019. Photo by: Adam DelGiudice

/AFP/Getty Images

An animal group has rescued 21 dogs. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue took the dogs from a shelter inSouth Carolina. The group brought the animals to the Washington. D.C.. area to be adopted. Thatmeans people can take the animals home.

Hundreds of people in South Carolina left the state because a big storm was coming. It is calledHurricane Dorian. It struck the Bahamas on September 3. Then it continued to make its way alongthe East Coast of the United States.

Double Whammy For Animal Shelters

Mirah Horowitz is the head of Lucky Dog. She said the animal group was also working to rescueanother 40 dogs on September 7.

By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.09.19

Word Count 577

Level 730L

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The shelter in South Carolina is inland. That means it is far from the coast. The shelter has stillbecome crowded. That is because people near the coast are evacuating and leaving animals at theshelter.

"It's a double whammy," Horowitz said. Her group has to help the dogs and drive from Virginia toSouth Carolina. It takes about six to seven hours for the group to drive from Virginia to SouthCarolina.

Then they have to bring the dogs to the Washingtonarea. They also have to make sure there are enoughfoster families to take them in. Foster families willtake care of the dogs until they find their permanenthomes.

Fostering And Adoption Events

Most of the dogs will go to foster families. Then theywill be adopted at events in the Washington region.One dog already has been adopted. The latest load ofrescued animals included several puppies.

The group had planned to get more dogs from South Carolina over the weekend. It then plannedan adoption event in Maryland on September 8. That is less than a one hour drive fromWashington.

The group rescued the animals with little planning. They decided to act fast after the governorof South Carolina said some state residents must leave because of the hurricane.

They emailed supporters that night looking for families to take in the dogs. Horowitz added thatthey were up until 2 a.m. hearing from people who wanted to help.

Plans To Help Bahamas

Lucky Dog is also talking to an animal shelter in Grand Bahama. Horowitz said the workers theredid not know how the animals were doing.

Grand Bahama is an island in the Bahamas. The Bahamas is the name of a country made up ofmany islands. They are 50 miles from Florida.

Horowitz's group also has a pilot who is ready to help. The pilot will fly to the Bahamas to helprescue animals when it is safe.

Horowitz likes to help animals in areas affected by bad weather. Lucky Dog has been helpinganimals for a while.

Previous Hurricane Assistance

The group also helped in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. They brought those animals tothe Washington area, too. Lots of volunteers showed up to help when a van full of animals brokedown. They took the animals the rest of the way.

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Lucky Dog also helped rescue about 60 dogs in Puerto Rico. That was last January after HurricaneMaria hit the island. The animals flew on a plane because Southwest Airlines gave them a freeflight.

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Quiz

1 How did Mirah Horowitz become involved with Lucky Dog?

(A) She owned a dog that the animal group helped.

(B) She adopted a dog from the animal group.

(C) She is in charge of running the animal group.

(D) She asked the animal group to help her shelter.

2 How did Lucky Dog help dogs in South Carolina?

(A) They took them from shelters and had a pilot fly them to Grand Bahama where they would be safe.

(B) They took them from shelters in South Carolina and held events in Maryland to get them adopted.

(C) They found them alone in the streets and put them in South Carolina shelters that are inland.

(D) They found them alone in the streets and found families in South Carolina to adopt them.

3 This article is mostly organized with a problem and solution structure.

Which of the following summarizes the problem and solution?

(A) When Hurricane Dorian hit, many dogs were stuck in shelters.

(B) When disasters hit, Lucky Dog tries to help animals left behind.

(C) When Hurricane Harvey hit, Lucky Dog formed a group.

(D) When it is safe, a pilot will fly to Grand Bahama.

4 Read the paragraph below.

Hundreds of people in South Carolina left the state because a big storm was coming. It is called

Hurricane Dorian. It struck the Bahamas on September 3. Then it continued to make its way

along the East Coast of the United States.

This paragraph states a cause. In which of the following selections do we find the effect?

(A) The shelter has still become crowded. That is because people near the coast are evacuating and

leaving animals at the shelter.

(B) They also have to make sure there are enough foster families to take them in. Foster families will take

care of the dogs until they find their permanent homes.

(C) Lucky Dog is also talking to an animal shelter in Grand Bahama. Horowitz said the workers there did not

know how the animals were doing.

(D) Lots of volunteers showed up to help when a van full of animals broke down. They took the animals the

rest of the way.