Eric Pollock lead the pact Sunday. After a 24-hour drive from Florida, he returned to erie with a mission accomplished. 

“The drivers look a little worse for wear because we’ve been on the road for so long but we feel really good on the inside. There’s nothing better than this, seeing it all come together at the end,” said Eric Pollock, a dog intake manager with Because You Care. 

Ironically, a dog named Irma is one of more than a dozen animals rescued through the hurricane relief effort. 

Foster families said they felt obligated to open their homes, knowing the devastation these animals must’ve experienced after the storm.

“They’re still at it. They’re still ready to love again. I don’t know. I just don’t know how you can’t do it,” said Bonnie Carrick, a foster parent.

While there’s still work to be done with the hurricane relief effort, foster parents said they’re thankful for the opportunity to help in the best way they know how.

“Otherwise they would just be euthanized. I mean there are hundreds of animals everywhere. Shelters are already full and then you have these disasters where they can’t take anything else in,” said Amber Kreider, a foster parent.

The process of getting these animals to Pennsylvania began long before Because You Care ventured down South. 

“It started out with a team of people here that started recruiting new foster homes, interviewing the foster homes, visiting the foster homes and getting them set up before we ever went down to pick up the dogs,” said Kris Steiner, the executive director at Because You Care.

For these dogs there’s nothing more meaningful than the smell of fresh air, the feeling of soft grass and the comfort of home. 

The vet at Because You Care will look at each dog to make sure it’s ready for a family. 

Organizers said it’ll be a few weeks before people can formally adopt the animals.