Good Flights and Greater Good Charities along with local shelter staff help unload 181 animals ranging from guinea pigs to dogs to cats off of their rescue flight from Florida on Oct. 9, in Everett. These animal were moved out of hurricane impacted areas to make room for the ongoing influx of homeless and lost pets due to the storm. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Good Flights and Greater Good Charities along with local shelter staff help unload 181 animals ranging from guinea pigs to dogs to cats off of their rescue flight from Florida on Oct. 9, in Everett. These animal were moved out of hurricane impacted areas to make room for the ongoing influx of homeless and lost pets due to the storm. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Pets fleeing Hurricane Ian land at Paine Field

The 181 pets were evacuated from Florida to the Pacific Northwest. They’ll now be adopted at shelters around Puget Sound.

EVERETT — Guinea pigs, cats and dogs, oh my!

An emergency airlift of 34 dogs, 118 cats and 29 guinea pigs made its way to the Pacific Northwest in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the Category 4 storm that wreaked havoc in Florida two weeks ago.

The motley crew had either been housed in a shelter prior to the storm or separated from their families due to the storm. After the storm, the influx of displaced animals overwhelmed Floridian shelters.

Good Flights, a Greater Good Charities program, conducted airlifts and ground transport for at-risk pets, in a partnership with the Humane Society of the United States. Good Flights has transported more than 6,600 shelter pets since 2021.

On Sunday, pets from Florida shelters in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Palm City and Port Charlotte were flown to Oregon, Idaho and Paine Field. The animals that arrived in Washington were transported to shelters in Bellevue, Blaine, Friday Harbor, Redmond, Shoreline and Stanwood.

The pets will be evaluated and treated for any follow-up medical care at their new shelters before being put up for adoption.

Not only do the pets have a shot at finding new homes, but relocating these animals creates more space in Florida shelters for the continued influx of displaced animals. That increases the likelihood of families who lost their pets in the storm being reunited.

Greater Good, a Seattle-based nonprofit, has provided more than $475 million to organizations like the Humane Society since 2007.

The animals that arrived at Paine Field are available for adoption at The NOAH Center, Seattle Area Feline Rescue, Embrace a Discarded Animal Society, Seattle Humane, Animal Protection Society and Motley Zoo.

Kayla Dunn: 425-339-3449; kayla.dunn@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @KaylaJ_Dunn

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Everett
Adopt A Stream Foundation will host summer solstice market

Peruse local crafters and artisans or check out the foundation’s half-mile nature trail.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

Marysville
Marysville school board appoints new member

Malory Simpson will take on the role left after board president Connor Krebbs’ resignation. The seat is up for election in November.

Bothell
Portal Space Systems announces major expansion in Bothell

The move will allow Portal to eventually triple its workforce as it moves toward producing one spacecraft per month by 2027.

Traffic moves northbound in a new HOV lane on I-5 between Everett and Marysville on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WSP to perform emphasis patrols along I-5 in Snohomish County

State agencies will study data from the patrols to better understand high-risk driving behavior and the impacts of emphasis enforcement.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.