Volunteers take truckload of supplies to help animals affected by Hurricane Harvey
Updated 7:57 pm, Friday, September 15, 2017
Family and friends of Val and Gina Queiroga helped load the truck with pet supplies to take to Houston, Texas.
Family and friends of Val and Gina Queiroga helped load the truck with pet supplies to take to Houston, Texas.
Photo: Contributed Photocontributed photo Val Queiroga loads donations of pet supplies from his garage to a Ryder truck he and his wife Gina are driving to Houston, Texas, to help animal victims of Hurricane Harvey.
contributed photo Val Queiroga loads donations of pet supplies from his garage to a Ryder truck he and his wife Gina are driving to Houston, Texas, to help animal victims of Hurricane Harvey.
contributed photo Bikers Against Animal Cruelty volunteered to load donations onto a truck Val and Gina Queiroga are driving to Houston, Texas.
contributed photo Bikers Against Animal Cruelty volunteered to load donations onto a truck Val and Gina Queiroga are driving to Houston, Texas.
NORTH HAVEN >> Val and Gina Queiroga will do anything to help animals, and after seeing the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, they knew they needed to help the animals that were left behind.
With the help of family and volunteers from Bikers Against Animal Cruelty, they filled a Ryder truck with donations collected over the last few weeks and drove it to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Thursday where they distributed the supplies to the Humane Educational Society, just one organization near Houston, Texas, taking on the burden of dogs rescued from Harvey.
“We knew it would be heartbreaking,” Gina Queiroga said. “I wanted go bring back every single animal.”
Their garage was filled with toys, linens, food and anything an animal would need and they raised almost $2,500 through their GoFundMe page, , Val Queiroga said.They weren’t able to deliver the supplies to Houston because the humane society was still under water, Gina Queiroga said.
Their passion for saving rescue pets started when they adopted their rescue pit bull terrier mix, Opie. They have been long-time fosters for rescue dogs, but wanted to be able to do more for animals. Val Queiroga said as an officer with the North Haven Police, he knew there was more he could do. So he and his wife Gina founded their own rescue non-profit called Rescue K 9-11.
“If there’s an S.O.S. for animals, we try to be there,” Val Queiroga said, “whether that means taking them in or just working with another organization to find them homes.”
With the status of a legitimate rescue organization, they have the authority to pull animals from abusive homes or bad shelters. Their organization is still getting off the ground, but the couple said they’re motivated by the need they see in so many animals.
“Right now with Houston we’re seeing an out pour of support, but rescues always need that support,” Val Queiroga said.
At the end of September, their organization is holding a two-day adoption event called Operation Animal Freedom at the North Haven Fairgrounds. Their goal is to shed light not only on the need rescue animals face, but also the abuse many animals suffer.
“We see how many animals need homes,” Gina Queiroga said. “It’s not just dogs and cats. It’s all animals. So we decided to bring all rescue groups under one roof.” Vendors at the event will include Connecticut Parrot Rescue, Mainely Rat Rescue, Companion Pet Rescue, Where the Love Is Animal Rescue and the Connecticut Humane Society. All the product vendors and food trucks scheduled are cruelty-free.
Even if people can’t adopt a pet, Val and Gina Queiroga said fostering is one of the most important ways somebody can help. Their organization assumes all the financial responsibility of the animal and the foster family provides the love and home the animal needs. The money to support the animals has been coming mostly from their own pockets, so they are always looking for donations, either monetary or as supplies.
“It’s hard to think of the money when you see a mom and eight puppies who are about to be euthanized and nobody is stepping up to take them,” Gina Queiroga said. “We just step in, take them and worry about the funds later.”
The couple calls themselves “foster failures” because one pit bull terrier puppy they fostered they have since adopted.
“You do fall in love,” she said. “You need to keep your mind set that you’re saving their life and you have to save the life of the next one coming in.”
Operation Animal Freedom will be held Sep. 23rd and 24th at the North Haven Fairgrounds 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For vendor or volunteer questions, email rescuek911@aol.com. Learn more about the event at operationanimalfreedom.com.
