Utah organization reaches out to the flood victims no one is talking about

Twenty dogs displaced by the Louisiana flooding crisis are heading to Utah, where they will be taken in by staff at the Cache Humane Society in Logan.

The four-legged refugees were formerly housed at Acadiana Humane Society in Lafayette, Louisiana. That shelter is currently underwater according to Stacey Frisk, the interim director at Cache Humane Society.

“It will be a bit of a tight fit,” Frisk said of available space at her shelter, “but we have fantastic adoption rates in Cache County.”

The dogs will be safe in Utah. Cache Humane Society is part of a coalition called No Kill Utah, an initiative led by Best Friends Animal Society that works to prevent stray animals from being killed.

“As coalition members, we pull dogs from Utah shelters all the time," Frisk said. "Best Friends reached out to us and asked if we would reserve some space for these Louisiana dogs displaced by the flooding.”

Acadiana Animal Aid is sponsoring the costs of the dogs’ transportation. As of late August, more than 325 animals had left the Pelican State on emergency transports, Melinda Falgout, the board president of Acadiana Animal Aid, posted to the group's Facebook page.

“When Cache heard of our trouble with the flooding, they stepped up to help,” said AAA employee Drea Broussard. “It is much appreciated.”

Cache Humane Society is an independent, locally funded non-profit.

“If people want to promote these kind of rescue operations they should seek out their local shelter and donate,” Frisk said.

Three puppies will be flying on a private plane and are expected to arrive in Salt Lake City on Thursday afternoon. The remaining dogs are awaiting state certification, but Frisk said "the paperwork has been difficult to get given the conditions in Louisiana." Once the dogs arrive, and as long as they pass a medical examination and are already spayed or neutered, they will be quickly up for adoption.