WAUKESHA, Wis. — Animal shelters throughout South Carolina reached out to Wisconsin for help to find new homes for 132 displaced animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

On Wednesday, the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) of Waukesha County and several other animal shelters from around Wisconsin stepped up to take rescued pets in.

"When the call comes you answer," HAWS Communications Specialist Jen Smieja said. 

According to HAWS, 88 dogs and 44 cats arrived by plane at the Waukesha County Airport Wednesday afternoon.

“Here at HAWS, we’re taking about 30 animals and the other shelters are divvying up what’s left. It ends up not being that much or overwhelming because we’re all partnering up to help."

Smieja said this is a statewide effort, thanks to Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit leading the transport.

One volunteer made the nearly four hour drive from Eau Claire to Waukesha to pick up some of the rescue animals. 

"Knowing that they don’t have a voice and you have to be a voice for them is another passion of mine. That is why I’m here and we’re doing it for the first time too," Raven Johnson with Eau Claire Community Humane Association said. 

Johnson and Smieja said they’re just doing their part to help animals in need during a devastating time.

“While these animals are probably a bit stressed out from what they went through in the past couple of hours, couple of days, it is really a joy because we know that within a half hour, an hour or so, they’re going to start relaxing," Smieja said. "And they're gonna start feeling this comfort of 'Oh, I’m saved. I am going to go home.'”

Home is now here in the Badger State where they await their new fur-ever families.