By Tom Embrey

Senior Writer

The Moore Humane Society has taken in three dogs and six puppies from 161 dogs and cats rescued from the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter in Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac.

The Humane Society of the United States rescued the animals from the Louisiana shelter to make room for new strays and transferred them to the Humane Society of Charlotte where they were sheltered for 48 hours and given medical care.

Since the Moore Humane Society is an emergency placement partner with the national organization, it was contacted about sheltering some of the animals and making them available for adoption.

On Sunday, Corky Kern, a member of the Moore Humane Society board of directors, and shelter manager Heather Collins drove to Charlotte, returning with the nine animals.

Because of the high euthanasia rate for felines in Moore County, they didn't transport any cats or kittens, preferring to keep the space available for cats open for local animals brought in.

"While some people may criticize our decision to help, we feel it's important to reach out to others in times of emergency," Kern said. "You never know when we might need them to return the favor. It is the right thing to do for the animals and the right thing to do for Moore County."

She added: "If Moore County were hit by a natural disaster, wouldn't we appreciate help that would enable us to better serve the people and animals of our community?"

Kern said all the dogs have "great temperament ."

The three adult dogs are available for adoption at the Moore Humane Society 5355 N.C. 22, Carthage. The puppies are expected to be ready for adoption by the end of the week.

Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or tembrey@thepilot. com.