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Nearly 70 Dogs lost in Humane Society Fire – How to Help

By Eric Forrest on March 17, 2016

Tragedy, no matter where or when, affects us all. And though those directly affected by the one discussed here are hundreds of miles away from us on the Plains, we know every helping hand is needed for our fellow animal lovers and the animals in their care. Please read, share, and help any way you can.

Imagine if your favorite local shelter was struck by fire. Not only would there be physical loss, but the heartbreak (especially given the loss of animal life) takes its toll, too. And while shelter employees and volunteers should be doing the good work of adopting animals, fostering, and rehabilitating, they’re left instead with damage control and reacting to the tragic event. You’d certainly hope the local community would come together for your shelter. You’d also hope fellow animal lovers around the country would lend a hand.

On Tuesday, a clothes dryer sparked a fire at the Humane Society of Southeast Texas in the town of Beaumont. And before it could be extinguished, the blaze spread through the shelter, claiming dozens of animal lives, causing much damage to the building, and displacing people and animals alike. The shelter was home, at the time, to nearly 200 animals- many of them puppies. A KGW-NBC article cites Amy Bean, president of the Humane Society of Southeast Texas board, saying “A lot of animals didn’t make it.” Most heartbreaking, “the puppy room was the worst,” she says.

Carrie Fontnow, shelter manager, told us this morning that the shelter is “Looking for donations for a temporary shelter,” but the need doesn’t stop there.

While the shelter gains its footing, foster homes may be needed for some animals. And though it’s hard accommodating this need for us here, we can help in a number of other ways. The shelter needs to refill its food supplies. Monetary donations are needed to solve immediate problems and address longer-term needs like rebuilding the shelter.

Among the immediate needs are dog and cat food (Purina only), monetary donations, cat litter and pans, and blankets.

For a longer list of items the shelter uses frequently, click here.

If you’d like to help the Humane Society of Southeast Texas and its animals with current hardships or for the future, please visit humanesocietyofsoutheasttexas.org. There you’ll see a “Donate Now” button, be able to make a one-time monetary donation, a recurring monthly donation, or prepay for volunteer orientation using Paypal. There’s also a gofundme page- https://www.gofundme.com/qrusw2qk

If you’d rather send a physical donation, the mailing address is:

Humane Society of Southeast Texas
PO Box 1629
Beaumont, TX 77704

There are other ways to donate and they’re all available at the link provided above.

If you are able, please help. And knowing you’ll do your best, the Humane Society of Southeast Texas provided this message on its website:

“Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated, is thinking about donating, and wants to donate in the future. Your support means more to us than you can possibly know.”