In the wake of the devastating explosion at West Fertilizer Co. in West, Texas, a shattered community has struggled to cope with more than a dozen deaths and a blast radius that damaged dozens more homes.
Pets, too, were victims of the tragedy, and in the days following the April 17 blast, a dedicated team of law enforcement officers and volunteers have been working tirelessly to find and reunite pets with their owners.
Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton of the Waco Police Department, for example, has been searching through rubble, helping animal control officers locate and evacuate pets, according to CNN.
The veterinary emergency team at Texas A&M University also sent mobile veterinary clinics to help first responders. They have treated a variety of animals, including chickens and a bearded dragon lizard, CNN reports.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion close to 60 animals were rescued, with many reunited with owners, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Social media has played a big role in helping bring pets and owners together, as have websites such as CentexLostPets.org, the McLennan Animal Rescue Coalition and the Humane Society of Central Texas’ Facebook page, according to The Tribune-Herald.
Still, other animals remain in need of homes.
The Humane Society of Central Texas scrambled to open space for the onslaught of lost and orphaned pets, and the SPCA of Texas has put a plea for adoptions, according to WFAA.
"The SPCA of Texas asks the community to come forward and open their homes and their hearts to these animals and the hundreds already waiting for homes in the SPCA of Texas' two North Texas-area shelters," the SPCA said in a statement.
There has also been generous support from people outside the immediate region.
Eight-year-old Beth Kamman of Lake Zurich, Ill., for example, held a "Phantom Fundraiser" for the misplaced pets, urging friends and supporters to send money to the Humane Society of Central Texas, according to the Lake Zurich Patch.