ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Pet lovers can’t imagine leaving their furry family members behind when storms like Hurricane Irma loom. The same is true for those who dedicate their lives to rescuing stray pets – people like Dara Eckert.“I could not imagine leaving these guys here for 48 hours by themselves to weather the storm,” says Eckert, the executive director of the no-kill pet-adoption facility Friends of Strays.
As Hurricane Irma doggedly marched toward Tampa Bay, Eckert and her husband heeded the mandatory evacuation order for their Pinellas County neighborhood and moved their family of six pets, which includes three dogs and three cats, into Friends of Strays, which was not located in a mandatory evacuation zone.
It would be a full house for a full two days.
During the hurricane, Friends of Strays was looking after 110 adoptable animals – 105 cats and five dogs – along with pets of Friends of Strays staff and board members, and the Eckert’s six furry family members.
For 48 hours, Eckert and her husband made sure each one was cared for, from potty breaks to fresh food and water. There was little rest, not just because of the menagerie, but also due to the fact that the Eckerts’ air mattresses didn’t withstand the pointy claws of their dogs, one weighing in at 120 pounds, for more than a few minutes.
Entertainment was provided by watching Irma roar outside on the shelter’s four security cameras.
“We saw a stray cat on the cameras during the storm,” says Eckert.
She says she ran outside to try to rescue the feline but it ran, scared, away from the shelter.
Eckert says she wasn’t too worried about damage. Friends of Strays replaced its roof within the past year, and prior to the storm, volunteers helped clear out the nearby retention ponds. The shelter’s large generator was fueled, and the building surrounded by sandbags.
The building fared fine, and so did the strays, thanks in large part to this animal lover who stuck around to provide comfort to homeless pets.
“It makes me feel so good when I see people coming in and adopting these guys because they’re such incredible cats and dogs, and they’re going to make wonderful family members,” Eckert says.
She adds that Friends of Strays also helps reunite animals and their owners, which often occurs following storms like Irma. Eckert recommends pet owners microchip their animals, and adds that many shelters, including Friends of Strays, include microchipping as part of the adoption process.