PITTSBURGH — A local nonprofit is helping to bring relief to a forgotten population in Puerto Rico.
Volunteers with the nonprofit group FurKid Rescue traveled to Puerto Rico last week to help dozens of animals abandoned after Hurricane Maria destroyed the island.
PHOTOS: Rescue animals from Puerto Rico brought to Pittsburgh for adoption
The group is now bringing the stray animals back to Pittsburgh to be adopted.
Many of the dogs were abandoned, so the nonprofit works to find them new homes.
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"It's very sad just to see dogs disposed of on the streets; dogs living at gas stations is the norm," said Jennifer Bird, founder of FurKid Rescue.
The South Park-based nonprofit sent volunteers to the island to rescue dogs and bring them back to Pittsburgh for adoption.
So far, 12 dogs have been rescued, which may be just the beginning.
"People love hypoallergenic, small fluffy dogs," Bird said. "There, they are discarded as trash. They're street dogs and unwanted. We're very hopeful these dogs will find homes and we can bring more in."
That process continues this week.
Only Channel 11 was there as a cargo flight carrying two of the newly rescued dogs arrived in Pittsburgh.
Now the real work for FurKid begins: finding families for the rescued animals.
Bird hopes to rescue as many as 200 dogs from Puerto Rico this year alone.
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"By just showing them some love, bathing them, getting them all cleaned up and showing them care really helps bring them around," said Josh Knauer, a volunteer. "To see them here in Pittsburgh is really, really rewarding."
If you're interested in adopting, visit http://furkidrescue.org/.