Dogs rescued from floods travel to Tampa shelters

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It was a long, tiring trip, but Taylor Champagne and a buddy made it. They drove through the night to bring dozens of homeless dogs from a flooded area of Louisiana to Tampa Bay.

The dogs were living in shelters, but had to be moved out to make room for new dogs who became strays because of the floods.

The non-profit, Acadiana Animal Aid, collected the dogs from a number of different shelters and coordinated where they would go.

"You just have to help when you get that kind of SOS," said Pam Backer, the shelter director at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

Their van, loaded with animal crates, arrived at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay mid-morning Thursday. 

The volunteers who delivered the dogs will go back to providing emergency services for areas devastated by flooding, when they get back home to the Lafayette area.

They dropped off 18 dogs, many of them puppies, at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Others are going to shelters in Pinellas and Sarasota Counties.

The dogs have to be checked by a veterinarian, microchipped, spayed or neutered. They should be ready to be adopted by the weekend.

Here are some of the adorable pups! (Mobile users click here):