FORT WORTH — All eyes were on the runway at Fort Worth’s Meacham airport Sunday for a very special arrival: two planes filled with passengers—the kind with four legs.

One-hundred seventy-six unowned dogs and cats were flown in from Los Angeles Sunday afternoon thanks to Wings Of Rescue. It’s part of a massive effort by several North Texas animal rescues to ease the burden on animal shelters in California which have had to take in hundreds of pets because of the wildfires.

“These pets were already in the Los Angeles system waiting for adoption so we are pulling these pets from these shelters in order for evacuees and their pets to be reunited,” said Cassie Davidson, of the Humane Society of North Texas.

Shelters in the Los Angeles area are 300-500% overcapacity so by sending these pets to Texas they’re making space for pets who were injured or separated from their families. 

Cassie Davidson with the Humane Society of North Texas has been on the ground in Los Angeles working to help shelters there.

“You’re gonna make me cry because I’m gonna tell you it is gripping,” said Davidson. “So to see that they are so overcapacity and they’re intaking pets that have been burned.”

Before they caught their flight, these dogs and cats received medical care and were temperament tested and groomed. Now they just need their fur-ever homes.

“What we need right now from our community is to really step up; foster, donate, volunteer it all will make a difference in the lives of these pets,” said Davidson.

The Humane Society of North Texas said this will not displace pets already in Texas shelters. That’s because more than 400 people have already stepped up to become emergency fosters for these dogs and cats.

“I just want to remind everybody that California stood in the gap when we had hurricanes here in Texas and so were going to give back,” said Davidson. “At the heart of the Humane Society of North Texas’ mission is pets and people saving each other and we are going to stand in the gap.”

The Humane Society of North Texas, just one of the organizations that led Sunday’s efforts, will be holding an adoption event this coming weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at their Fort Worth location where you can meet and adopt these California pets.