A huge haul of puppies got the fright of their lives recently while traveling to California from the Heart of Louisiana Humane Society. The van transporting them flipped on its side on a highway in east Texas in the middle of the night.
Puppies in Peril
The accident took place around 1 a.m. on Tuesday in Longview. Forty puppies were en route to the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe when the van carrying them collided with the median and tipped over on Interstate 20.
The driver was able to call 911. Firefighters from the Longview Fire Department Station 3 and police officers were dispatched to shut down the highway and flip the vehicle upright. It was then towed to the fire station.
“Assessments were done by the firemen on each puppy and an emergency vet was contacted to do additional health checks,” a news release said. “Unfortunately, two of the puppies did not survive the accident.”
The driver and the remaining 38 puppies survived.
Looking Forward to Forever Homes
Renee Resko, the vice president of development at the Helen Woodward Animal Center, said that in her 23 years at the center, she had never seen this type of tragedy.
“We’ve all been so fortunate to just expect that each transport will arrive safely,” she said in a statement. “There is so much care put into these journeys by the participating shelters and the transportation companies who do all of this for the love of the animals. This morning’s accident came as a shock to all of us.”
The puppies were scheduled to arrive last Wednesday in California. The center’s veterinary staff planned to give each pup a medical assessment.
“We know that one of the puppies has a broken leg and one has some mild head trauma so we will be keeping those puppies with us until they are fully recovered,” the center’s adoption services director Kendall Schulz said.
“We are incredibly moved by the severity of the accident and the miracle of how many of them not only survived but were safe from injury,” she continued. “We put all of our hearts into looking after orphan pets but I sincerely feel that something greater was looking out for them.”
As soon as they are deemed healthy, the puppies will be available for adoption.
