Rescued animals being brought to Brazoria County Fairgrounds

KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- In Harvey's wake, crews are working to save stranded animals and reunite owners with lost pets.

The lines didn't stop Friday at a parking location at the Katy Mills Mall. People weren't there to buy goods, instead, help animals left stranded by Harvey.

"I think that these dogs and animals need help and I thought it would be fun to help," volunteer Jack Herberig said.

Volunteers walked and fed animals, and cleaned animal cages.

"It doesn't make me sad," Herberig said. "It just makes me want to help."

An Austin based group, Austin Pets Alive, is running the parking lot shelter. An area originally meant to help nearby agencies, but that quickly changed.

"We also are running into an extreme need for stray animals to go," Austin Pets Alive Executive Director Ellen Jefferson said. "So we've also become a little bit of a hub for stray animal intake."

The displaced animals are crated and packed into cars. They'll be moved to nearby shelters. The goal now is to get pets reunited with owners.

"We are rapidly working with the city of Austin, city of Houston, and Best Friends," Jefferson said. "They are working on a lost and found database that people would have access to."

It might take some time because animal organizations say this is not like anything they've seen before.

"We were involved with the 2011 Bastrop fires that were really terrible for animals," Jefferson said. "We did search and rescue that was nothing compared to this. This is just massive."

Katy isn't the only place where animals are being saved. As the water rises in Brazoria County, crews are racing to help stranded animals.

"We've been working for seven days," Brazoria County emergency management lead Jesse Leija said. "We've got about a hundred plus horses, cattle. We've got about 200 to 300 heavy cattle that we've been working with."

And with the levels continuing to rise, responders aren't sure when they'll be able to retire their street boats.

"God created creatures," Leija said. "We're here to save them."

If you're looking to help animals, check with the shelters and see if they need volunteers. The groups certainly need supplies, including plastic spoons, kennels and poop bags. You can also donate online.

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