This is an image of 21 dogs on a flat-bottom boat taken last Sunday in Houston, according to Today, brought together by a serendipitous outpouring of dog love.
In anticipation of Hurricane Harvey, Betty Walter–Houston resident who works three jobs to rescue dogs–had rounded up 20 neighborhood dogs in her attic to wait out the storm. Betty stuck with her pack even as she ran out of food and water, turning down rescue boats which offered help only to humans.
After two days, on Sunday, a ragtag group of rescuers including Jeremy Williams, Anthony Hernandez, and Buck Beasley–who came by with a flat bottom boat–shouted to Betty’s window to offer help. “She was like, ‘I have a lot of dogs,’” Today quotes Williams.
That wasn’t a problem because, as it happened, Buck Beasley and his wife had already set aside a special shelter for homeless dogs at their house, where they took Walter’s friends and another neighborhood Doberman.
Walter is now asking people to donate to Bay Area Pet Adoptions or Mutts & Meows. I’ll save myself a cocktail tonight and chip into that. Let’s pour one out for Betty and the dogs. (And the cats, don’t forget the cats.)