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Overwhelmed West Virginia Animal Shelter Receives Help From Pittsburgh Groups

WEST MIFFLIN (KDKA) -- Twenty-three people died in the flooding in southern West Virginia. Many other people lost their homes and everything they own.

But you may not have considered that animal shelters in that area are overrun with dogs displaced because of the flooding.

And two Pittsburgh groups have come together to try to help.

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A plane carrying three dogs from an overwhelmed shelter in West Virginia arrived Wednesday night at the Allegheny County Airport.

"When you see how many animals become displaced or become orphans because their owners lose their homes or everything they own, it's one of the most heartbreaking things," said Mary Withrow from the Western PA Humane Society.

The Humane Society and the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team joined forces to help bring Zoey, Rover and Justine to Pittsburgh.

"They've been scrambling, all these shelters to get these animals out of the area, because they don't have the resources the handle this," said Jonathan Plesset from Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team, who flew the dogs from Charleston to Pittsburgh.

The dogs are now headed to the Humane Society on Pittsburgh's North Side where hopefully they'll find their forever homes.

Both groups hope to fly more dogs to our area.

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