Hardin County Animal Services in desperate need of help due to flooding

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — There’s no shortage of love for the four-legged flood victims that are now calling the Hardin County Fairgrounds their home. One massive show barn is full of dogs evacuated from the county’s animal shelter a few days earlier. “It all started Friday. We knew the flood levels were rising, we knew the water was coming up,” said Chris Sikes, the director of the Hardin County Animal Services. Pictures given to WREG show just how threatening things were on Legion Drive north of Savannah. “The water to the animal shelter was quickly rising, it cut off all the roads. We couldn’t even make it to the shelter. So we started evacuating the shelter immediately.” More than 200 animals- dogs and cats- were relocated to the fairgrounds. Since then several rescue groups from as close as Bartlett, Tennessee and as far away as Illinois, have taken animals for safe keeping. There’s been no shortage of donations of food, crates and blankets from the community. Folks dropping off one load said total strangers are reaching out to help. “It’s amazing! It’s a small town but everyone always pulls together and helps and it’s great to see that,” said Keisha Michael. But the organization and the furry friends they help are not out of the woods just yet. Sikes said the biggest concern now is raising money for more vaccinations. Since the flooding started last week, they have rescued about 75 dogs from the Tennessee River’s rising waters. Without vaccination records, the organization sets about to make sure each animal is re-vaccinated, but now they’re running low on those important vaccines. As the flooding continues, staff said there could very well be more animals coming in and medicine is now in short supply. For more information on the Hardin County Animal Services click here. If you would like to talk to them about volunteering or giving a donation, call (731) 925-3303.