Puppies drown as heavy downpours overwhelm St. Louis-area shelters

Thomas Leffler
·4 min read

Workers with the Humane Society of Missouri clean Marigold, a pitbull-terrier mix, after the pooch was caught in the historic flash flooding that hit the St. Louis area, including the HSMO's Best Buddy Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. (Humane Society of Missouri)

Historic flooding in the St. Louis metro area has not only put residents in peril, but the sudden rainstorm proved equally devastating for the region's furry companions.

Stray Paws Adoptables shelter in St. Peters, Missouri, like other local animal shelters, was bombarded by the deluge of rain that brought over 12 inches of rain to the city Tuesday as well as a record-breaking 9.07 inches in St. Louis proper. Dozens of dogs found themselves caught up in the floodwaters that rushed into Stray Paws in the early-morning hours, and 10 puppies didn't survive.

"Sadly the puppies did not make it, the water levels were too high," shelter officials wrote on social media. "Fly high little ones. Our hearts are breaking."

A number of adult dogs also held at the shelter were deemed safe as of Tuesday afternoon and were taken to a local veterinarian for monitoring after the incident. Responders from Central County Fire and Rescue were able to rescue the dogs one by one. The shelter is allowing the dogs to stay with the local vets to "decompress" before transferring them to foster homes.

"It's been very hard on everyone," Stray Paws volunteer Lisa Carrera told AccuWeather Tuesday night. "They were begging for fosters for those babies (puppies) just two days ago."

One of the rescued dogs, a pit bull, still appeared to be in shock, board member Vicki Ferris told the St.. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We don't know if he will make it," she said, crying.

As word spread about the shelter's dire situation, the response from the community kicked in and has been astounding, officials said. Hundreds of foster applications for the displaced dogs have poured in. More than $33,000 had been raised for the non-profit as of Tuesday night.

Some of the offices of Stray Paws Rescue were flooded when historic heavy downpours hit the St. Louis area early Tuesday, July 26, 2022. A total of 15 adult dogs were rescued, but 10 puppies died in the flooding. (Stray Paws Rescue)

The Humane Society of Missouri is also feeling the after-effects of the catastrophic floods, which left behind more than 9 inches of water in the lower levels of the organization's Best Buddy Center location in Maryland Heights, damaging supplies and animal holding enclosures. Workers managed to wade through the high waters and rescue the couple of dozen dogs that were being housed at the shelter, but immense damage came nonetheless.

"This morning when staff started to arrive ... it was immediately evident that there was a tremendous amount of water around the building and then subsequently in the building," Humane Society Communication Director Laura Keller said. "It was a mad dash to get the animals that were on the lower level. They were all okay, we were able to get them all out and get them cleaned up because the water was a little funky."

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

The rescued dogs were transported to Humane Society headquarters in St. Louis via a large animal rescue trailer. The main facility did not sustain any flood damage. Officials said the Best Buddy shelter would remain closed until a damage assessment can be completed, although they're not sure the building that opened in 2017 will survive potential foundational and structural damage.

"All the animals in the flooded areas were able to be moved very quickly and are all safe and accounted for, but we anticipate having to replace or repair hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of damaged equipment and supplies," Humane Society spokesperson Gary Lowder told AccuWeather.

The Humane Society is currently accepting donations via its website and is offering animal transport to its headquarters for other local shelters that sustained more intense damage. Lost items that donations will look to replace include dog beds, sheets, towels and toys.

In nearby East St. Louis, Illinois, Gateway Pet Guardians also took a huge hit from the flooding, springing volunteers from across the area into action to assist on-site at the St. Clair County (Illinois) Animal Control Center with shelter support. Video taken from the shelter showing several dogs standing in the murky floodwaters Tuesday morning prompted a rapid response from the community:

In all, about 40 dogs and 13 cats were rescued from the center.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $33,000 has been raised online for Gateway Pet Guardians, and all of the impacted dogs at the St. Clair shelter have been assigned to foster homes.

"A huge thank you to everyone who raised their hand to help," Gateway wrote on social media.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.