ROWLETT, Texas — In the aftermath of this weekend's deadly tornado, it's been a busy week for Rowlett Animal Control officer Asher Moore.
"It's been a revolving door here," Moore said. "Dogs take it really hard -- probably worse than people do. Their whole world was rocked when this happened."
So far, about 50 displaced dogs and eight cats have ended up at the city animal shelter. Many have been reunited with their owners, but officials are still trying to locate the owners of about 15 dogs.
Officials also believe that in the coming days that they will see more cats being found or brought in.
"Right now they're terrified. They're so stressed out," Moore said. "They're going to find whatever hole they can crawl into and hide until it gets disturbed."
At the Animal Hospital of Rowlett, a crowd gathered Wednesday night for an emotional candlelight vigil to pray for the pets injured or lost. They also remembered those -- animal and human – who lost their lives in the devastating tornadoes.
"We have emergencies here right now that are being treated for injuries from the storm," said Christen Lynch, the animal hospital's practice manager. "We've had cats have come in that were dug from the rubble with broken legs and lots of animals that are fairly severely injured in the tornado."
The animal hospital is boarding animals for people who lost their homes, Lynch said.
Among the 15 dogs yet to be reunited with their owners is a tan Chihuahua, a shaggy white dog, a friendly boxer mix and an elderly pug. Members of the Friends of Rowlett Animals and shelter workers have been giving them lot of love and care.
"I know big guy," Moore said, comforting the sweet little Chihuahua as he held him in his arms. "It's ok."
"He's a real sweet, real friendly guy," Moore said of the dog. "Everybody loves him here."
But the separation is hard on both owners and pets.
In one case, a forlorn husky dog hadn't been eating well. But when his owner came to pick him up, he perked right up.
"That dog was so happy," Deana Seigler of Friends of Rowlett Animals, a nonprofit group that works with the animal shelter.
Then there are the stories of hope. In one case, Hope the cat.
The Main Coon cat had been found in the tornado rubble.
"Luckily when we scanned it for a chip it had one," Seigler said. "We called the owner and the cat had been missing for nine months."
The owner was reunited with Hope Tuesday night.
It serves as a reminder, she says, of the importance of microchipping animals.
"It really does help get them reunited," she says.
At the shelter, they're also collecting pet supplies for those impacted by the storm. Donated items for pets fill the front foyer of the animal shelter.
"We've got beds, collars, leashes, toys," Seigler said. "We've got everything that somebody might need for their pet if they were impacted by the tornado."
Shelter officials are asking that pet owners contact or come to the shelter if they are looking for their lost pet. They're also asking that Rowlett owners looking for lost animals go to the Rowlett animal shelter page, to report your animal lost. Owners are asked to include a picture if they have one.
Those wanting to donate pet supplies help those affected by the storm can also do so at this link.
