Dogs displaced by Hurricane Michael sheltered in RI

It's their first day in Rhode Island.

Ten dogs from Birmingham, Alabama, are now at the Potter League for Animals in Middletown.

They are animals that were already in shelters down south, but are being moved to make space for animals that have been found in the area affected by Hurricane Michael as well as for animals whose owners have been displaced by the devastating storm and need a place to safely house their pets.

"Any time we're called upon and it's possible for us to take animals we want to do that we want to be able to help," said Brad Shear, Executive Director of Potter League.

The canines were flown to St Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey, then driven here.

"We get the call for disaster, then we'll house the dogs at our shelter as kind of like a layover, then our partners all pull together, we reach out," said Melissa Morgan of St. Hubert’s who drove the dogs to Rhode Island Tuesday.

"It's best feeling in the world, it's why I do what I do, all about these guys," said Morgan.

Under Rhode Island law, the dogs need to be in isolation for five days.

They will be spayed or neutered, brought up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped before they’re adopted out. It’s expected the dogs that arrived Tuesday will be available in about one week.

In the meantime, Potter League has plenty of its own dogs and cats ready to be adopted now.

"When we got the call we took as many as we possibly could which means we're full, so we have animals that need homes and hope people will come in and adopt those as well," said Shear.

To find out more about these dogs and other animals available for adoption go to www.potterleague.org