MENASHA (NBC 26) — Volunteers are searching Menasha for lost and displaced animals following a tornado, working to reunite pets with their families as residents begin to recover.
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Animal rescuers are checking live traps, responding to calls, and following every lead they get about missing pets while crews clear debris across the city.
For rescuer Brittney Schmidt, the work is familiar. Her team recently helped displaced animals during the New London floods.
"Once we heard about this tornado coming through, there was no question we were coming out," Schmidt said.
The team has been setting traps in areas where people reported missing cats, checking them each day in hopes of good news.
"We are on our way to go check some of our live traps we have on Second, Third, and First Street," Schmidt said.
That patience paid off. After several days of searching, the team found Sammy the cat, who had been missing for 3 days.
Sammy is not the only animal recovered. The team has also rescued a kitten, taken in displaced dogs, and retrieved a pet bird.
Volunteer Danica Rocha stepped up to foster Sammy until he can be safely reunited with his sibling, Hope.
"After seeing the damage I knew I wanted to be involved and help," Rocha said.
Schmidt said bringing pets back to their families is at the heart of what the volunteers are doing.
"They lost everything and to be able to bring that tiny little piece of home back, its the most important thing I think we can do," Schmidt said.
Anyone with information about a missing or displaced pet is encouraged to contact the volunteers directly or reach out through their social media pages.
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