Rescue animals stranded, fostered in Princeton during floods land in Lower Mainland

Dozens of rescue cats and dogs stranded in Princeton for a week due to flooding have now made it safely to their Lower Mainland foster homes after chartered flights landed in Abbotsford.

Jadyn Andriesse with the Heart and Soul Dog and Cat Rescue Society says the 76 animals left Manitoba last Thursday, and strangers in B.C. and beyond pitched in to make sure the cats and dogs were taken care of.

“Definitely one thing that I have said multiple times over the past week is ‘This entire experience has really restored my faith in humanity.’ It’s amazing how many people will reach out when you ask for help. It doesn’t matter if you know them, it doesn’t matter what they’re going through. If you show that you need help, people will be there,” she tells CityNews.

“Pulling them off that plane was one of the most amazing things. I got really emotional, a lot of us got really emotional. We’ve been waiting for them for a week so being able to take them off the plane and cuddle up with them was really really nice.”

When catastrophic flooding closed the major highways in B.C. last week, it wasn’t even the first time the animals were trapped because of weather.

Stormy conditions in Saskatchewan soon after the folks from K9 Advocates Manitoba hit the road, meant an unplanned stop in Moosomin. The animals and the humans in charge of transporting them were given shelter by a kind stranger.

“The RCMP, they came and got the animals into a heated, good spot to take care of them for the night, where the local vet stopped in for a visit,” Andriesse says.

Resuming their trip after the unexpected detour, the plan was for the trailer to arrive in Abbotsford on Sunday evening.

“We had all our fosters lined up, we had all of their supplies ready for them. And we were just hearing road closures and flooding. We figured the safest thing for everyone was to stop in Princeton,” Andriesse explains.

At that time, residents of Princeton were coping with heavy flooding, as the Tulameen River breached the town’s dikes and sent water coursing through the low-lying parts of town. The mayor was out directing traffic because of the influx of cars trying to get through the town due to highway closures, and nearly 300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes. Water and gas were later cut off, putting the rest of the town on evacuation alert.

RELATED: ‘Princeton always steps up for Princeton’: Community comes together amid flooding, evacuations

Still, as soon as the word went out that animals needed help — people who live there stepped up.

“They were lined up the street, going to pick them up, take them home,” Andriesse says.

“It is really amazing. The amount of people willing and ready to drop everything and help not just the animals, but us here who they’ve never met, was truly amazing. They ended up hanging on to the animals and taking care of them for about a week. They easily could have been like ‘No, we’ve got enough on our plate.’ But they did it with no hesitation at all, which is absolutely amazing.”

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A local shop, Everything Pets, donated food and so the spur-of-the-moment foster parents wouldn’t have to worry about basic supplies.

A dog named Beauty was scheduled to have her leg amputated soon after she arrived in Abbotsford. It had never healed properly after a car crash, and life as a stray had taken its toll. The surgery just couldn’t wait until she got there. So a veterinarian in nearby West Kelowna made sure she got the operation, volunteering his time and significantly discounting the cost.

“She’s doing great. She’s healing really well. She’s super happy,” Andriesse says.

A few other animals never made it to Abbotsford, but only because their temporary guardians have decided to adopt them.

“Some of them, they just really fell in love. They have already found their forever homes in Princeton.”

Donated supplies flown to Princeton 

Fundraising helped Andriesse’s group arrange for a chartered plane to get the animals to the Fraser Valley, but they wanted to make sure to repay some of the kindness they’d been shown.

“We requested the airline come to Abbotsford Airport first so that we could load up the AIRPLANE with supplies for the people of Princeton — blankets, non-perishables, clothes, shoes, and obviously some pet food and everything for their animals — and sent it up, and brought the cats and dogs back down,” Andriesse says, adding the Bosley’s store on Whatcom Road helped collect donations to send to the struggling town.

“They have been so grateful. They’ve been really, really happy. They went through a lot. A lot of Princeton was almost fully underwater. There were houses that were up to the roofs in water. It’s really heartbreaking. We’ve been really grateful. I think having the animals probably helped a little bit too. They were doing something so good by taking them in.”

While the ordeal was stressful for the animals and all the people involved, Andriesse says the outpouring of support has been heartening and the happy ending has been a huge relief.

“This one has been quite crazy for us, but it’s been really exciting for people to see just how much work and how many people go into rescuing these animals.”

The rescue is still fundraising to help pay for the transportation and care of the animals, with some of the money going to help K9 Advocates Manitoba with the extra costs they incurred on their lengthy detour.