Volunteers Help Dogs Amid Flood In Alaska

Photo of a happy reunion from msn.com

The Situation

Storm damage and evacuations reshaped daily life across the Yukon–Kuskokwim region, forcing families to flee while beloved pets were left behind. This is how neighbors and rescuers stepped in.

Storm Damage and Evacuations

Typhoon Halong has been wreaking havoc in its path. Villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region are facing powerful winds and record tidal flooding. The storm has caused a lot of damage to houses as well as community infrastructure. Local Alexie Stone commented from the Alaska Airlines Center, “In our village, we’d say that we’re Native strong, we have Native pride, and nothing can break us down. But this is the hardest that we went through. Everybody’s taking care of everybody in there. We’re all thankful that we’re all alive.” Residents like Stone that were hit hard by Typhoon Halong are seeking shelter in cities like Anchorage and neighboring towns. Hundreds of people were being sheltered at the Alaska Airlines Center, an arena in Anchorage. Unfortunately, these people have had to leave their dogs behind. Dogs were not allowed on evacuation flights alongside their humans. Enter Bethel Friends of Canines. The nonprofit organization has been chartering flights in their effort to rescue as many dogs as they possibly can.

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About Bethel Friends of Canines

A roadless region demands creative rescue logistics. Volunteers in Bethel have been moving dogs by air, water, and snow for years to keep them safe and find them homes.

Roadless Region, Lifesaving Work

Airlifting dogs in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region is not anything new for the volunteers with Bethel Friends of Canines, based in Bethel, Alaska. According to their website, “Bethel, as well as the Y-K Delta, is a roadless system. What does that mean? That means all our dogs are transported via airplanes, boats, snow machines, or ATVs. How many rescues can say that??” The nonprofit organization has been saving dogs since 2011, and since then, “no adoptable dog has been put down.” Prior to BFK9, “dogs and cats were given four days for their owners to claim them from the pound before they were shot. Now after four days dogs and cats are turned over to BFK9 where they are placed into foster homes.” They also fundraise and organize low cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinics for lower income families and rescue animals.

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The Rescue Mission

As evacuations continued, volunteers scaled up fast—fundraising, chartering flights, and preparing for dozens of daily arrivals to reunite dogs with their families.

Raising Funds and Scaling Up

Organizer of Bethel Friends of Canines, Jesslyn Elliott said, “It costs us $3,000 to do this so and we don’t know how many times we’re gonna have to do it. We’ve never had a natural disaster to this, like, magnitude. So this is all very, very foreign and new to us. So we’re just kind of winging it.” The organization took to Facebook in hopes of raising money through donations. They were able to raise over $22,000 to help with the rescue efforts. Bethel Friends of Canines normally would hold 15 to 20 dogs at a time, but since the rescue mission began, 15 or more dogs are arriving daily from just a single flight.

Of course, the owners of these dogs want nothing more than to reunite, but they are scrambling to find a place to live where they will be safe from the natural disaster. Unfortunately, many homes in the area cannot even be repaired until next summer due to the harsh winter temperatures and impending snow forecasts. A majority of the residents are staying in Anchorage and Nome, which are over 250 miles away from their homes. So far, eight dogs have been reunited with their owners in Anchorage.

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The Rescue Team

From veterinarians to teachers, a small network worked against the clock—finding, feeding, and flying dogs out before the village emptied.

Racing the Clock

Veterinarian Susan Shaffer Sookram has been instrumental in rescuing the dogs. The whole rescue team realized that time is of the essence because almost everyone has left Kipnuk and it is possible that dogs will be forgotten or lost in the shuffle. Sookram said in a phone interview, “There’s going to be nobody left there. We’re having to kind of accelerate how the animals are going to be leaving places only accessible by, at first, helicopter and now small planes.”

On-the-Ground Heroes

Volunteers and other staff of Bethel Friends of Canines are not the only ones making a difference. Some of the few remaining residents of the affected villages are teachers. One teacher, Jacqui Lang, found a dog named Happy waiting on its owner’s clothes. Lang confirmed that the dog has since been reunited with its family. Lang and a few other teachers helped wrangle the dogs to be loaded at the airstrip. They fed the dogs, guided them into crates, and labeled them with tags. BFK9 employee Matthew Morgan has said, “You’ve got some heroes out in Kipnuk. They’re like the last people left there. Without them it would have been chasing dogs all night in the mud.”

For a reflection on everyday courage, see Self-Kindness and Personal Growth.

Final Thoughts

Rescue is a relay—neighbors, volunteers, and donors passing care forward until families and dogs are together again.

Looking Ahead

It has been an incredible team effort to rescue these displaced dogs, and I am confident that they will be reunited with their loved ones. A big thank you to the kind souls at Bethel Friends of Canines and everyone else who has shown up in a time of need.