Hurricane Florence Hero Volunteer Rescues Abandoned Dogs Moments Before They Drown in Locked Cage

Trigger warning: If you are a pet owner, this video will really upset you. You can see the dogs crying in their cage until they see volunteer rescuer Ryan Nichols of Longview, Texas, who comes to rescue him.

Historic storming and floods hit North Carolina late last week and over the weekend, and while people were encouraged to evacuate their homes and get to higher, dry land, some of those who did choose to leave, left their pets behind.

That put countless innocent pets in harm’s way as the storm approached, and many would have met a terrible fate — but our heroes, a group of volunteers, went in and saved lives, including these six dogs that would have otherwise drowned after being left in a cage as the water rose.

These poor, suffering animals had been rescued from a property in Leland, North Carolina where their owners left them as they fled the hurricane. In a cage. To be helpless to escape as they drown.

Journalist Marcus DiPaola reported on Twitter saying: “‘Rescued six dogs in Leland, NC, after the owner LEFT THEM locked in an outdoor cage that filled with flood water that was rapidly rising.

“We got them out, but by the time we left, the water was so high that they would have drowned. BRING YOUR PETS WITH YOU! #HurricaneFlorence.”

Dogs CAN swim, and they would have had a fighting chance had they not been locked up. This is evidenced by the dogs swimming out, scared, after the chain is unlocked — they then are guided to safety in the nearby wooded area.

This is not the only animal rescue to happen during Hurricane Florence. In fact, on Sunday one reporter stopped mid-broadcast to rescue a dog. WTVD’s Julie Wilson on Facebook Live in New Bern, North Carolina, when she noticed a woman trying to save a Rottweiler who was in knee-deep water.

“Do you think that is safe?” asked the reporter.

“It’s my daughter’s therapy dog. I have no choice,” replied Tasha.

The reporter ended up handing over her phone and jumping in to the water herself to rescue the dog, whose name is Daisy.