NEW ORLEANS — Fans of Animal Planet's "Pit Bulls & Parolees" answered after the show's shelter call for help when its first floor flooded during heavy rain.
More than 30 volunteers showed up outside the Villalobos Rescue Center ready to walk dogs and drop off donated blankets. After thunderstorms dropped as much as 4 inches of rain in some parts of New Orleans, the center shared photos of Claiborne Avenue building taking on water.
Rainwater flooded more than a dozen kennels and workers scrambled to move dogs upstairs into crates. They said it only took 20 minutes of heavy downpours before water started creeping into the building which houses 150 dogs.
“For the dogs … it's a change of their daily routine and the water actually doesn't seem to faze them very much, but it's all the chaos that comes with it, Heidi Ziegler, the rescue center’s medical coordinator said.”
Friday morning, volunteers came from all over to give the center dry blankets, walk the dogs and shower them with love and attention.
"I think the work they do is wonderful," one volunteer and fan of the show said. "I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday and I noticed that they had an abundance of flooding from all the rain that was coming."
The center said Friday that all of the dogs are dry but concrete inside the building remains damp. Workers are planning to continue to clean while monitoring the weather throughout the weekend.
Anyone who wants to drop off blankets can do so at the center at 4525 N. Claiborne Ave. Volunteers can show up to sign paperwork that will allow them to walk dogs.
To learn more about volunteering or adopting a dog, visit the Villalobos Rescue Center Website here.
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WWL-TV reporters Danny Monteverde and Meghan Kee contributed to this report.