Pixel Flood Resources for Victims of Catastrophic Rains & Flooding in South Carolina

Rains and flooding of epic proportions have hit the eastern U.S. since last weekend, and the waters are still rising. People in South Carolina especially are still suffering immensely with lives lost, homes destroyed, roads obliterated and flooding damaging thousands of homes and businesses. There are many people that are still displaced, and others who live near dams and rivers that threaten to flood their communities at any moment. This tragedy is not over yet. It is the Katrina of the east coast and it's heart breaking!

This is very personal for us. We have friends in Charleston, having lived there for many years, and we've stayed in Columbia a number of times, so this is very personal for us. South Carolinians are wonderful people. Please stay tuned to the local weather if you live in the area, such as Rob Fowler of the Storm Team 2 in Charleston SC. He's an excellent resource for the Lowcountry weather, and Mommy has known him since they worked together many years ago. He's trustworthy and always presents the best information and facts.
We wanted to share some important and helpful information on shelters across the state of South Carolina, as well as share a couple of news articles. Special thanks to MilkPaws.com dog blog for getting us started in creating this list. God be with everyone in the affected areas and may your lives, communities and homes be returned back to normal soon!

Pet Friendly Rescue Shelters:

• Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission , 200 Leisure Lane, Irmo, SC
• Lexington Leisure Center, 108 Park Rd, Lexington, SC 
• St. Andrews Middle School, 1231 Bluefield Dr., Columbia, SC. Pets on leashes or in crates.
• Charleston County Sheriff’s Office Work Camp, 3887 Leeds Avenue, N. Charleston. All pet friendly shelters require leashes and/or crates.
• Lower Richland High School , 2615 Lower Richland Blvd., Hopkins, SC. Pets on leashes or in crates.

Pet Boarding for SC Flood Victims:

• Pet A Coat Junction – Lexington, SC  803-951-7387
• VCA Palmetto Animal Hospital – Myrtle Beach, SC  843-903-1900 (24-hour intake!)
• Chapin Pet Lodge – Chapin, SC  803-345-5082  (1212 Beagle Run Rd)
• Wescott Acres Pet Resort & Rescue – Columbia, SC  803-407-4708  (86005 Wescott Road)
• Winding Lane Kennels and Stables – Aiken, SC  803-643-3919

Lost and Found Pet Pages:

S.C. Flood Lost and Found Pets (Facebook Page)
Lost and Found Pets of South Carolina (Facebook Page)
SC Flood Animal Shelter and Rescue Victims (FacebookGroup)

News Articles about Lost/Found Pets and Efforts to Help in South Carolina:

Pet Friendly Shelter Opens in Columbia SC - WYFF4 News

Lost and Found Pets Populate Facebook in wake of drenching storm - Post and Courier

News article listing shelters by county for displaced families (not listing pet friendly, but very helpful. Not everyone has pets and you may be able to get assistance to board your pets just to get through this tough time.)

I will post more information as I find it friends. If you come across any additional information, please share it in a comment below or on my Pixel Blue Eyes Facebook page. Let's help South Carolina and the surrounding communities out. Let's get them through this, and lets save as many pets as we can!

With much love, Pixel and Mommy Jenny

The Joy of Traveling - Part I: Pixel's Road Trip to the Beach

My Family just recently took a long, much needed vacation to the beautiful shores of Florida. It was such an incredible experience for me, as I've never even seen the beach before. I'm six and a half years old now, so it was always something I wanted to experience with Mommy. See, I was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. I love the mountains and beautiful seasons that I experience here, but I've always wanted to see the ocean. Mommy grew up on the eastern shore, and she often told me stories about the beautiful beaches; describing the ocean, the waves, the wildlife and the wonderful experiences she had there. It has made me long to go for years.

Once we set a plan into motion and started preparing for our 10 day excursion, Mommy and I were so excited we could hardly contain ourselves. I've only long distance traveled once in my life, and that was to the 2013 BlogPaws convention last year. That was 4 days and 3 nights, but this beach trip was going to be 10 days, which might as well have meant we were moving there. At least when it came to my travel needs. I double and triple checked Mommy's packing skills when it came to my stuff, and we both packed WAY more than we ever needed. But our philosophy is simple:  better to pack too much and not need it than not pack enough and be left without what you need. Thus, Mommy and I packed at least 2-5 times as much outfits and toys than we ended up using. Anyone else pack like that?

After making enough food to feed a large iditerod team of dogs and people, and after packing 3/4 of the house into Grampy's van, we were off. It was a long drive so we split it up into two days. We stayed at a FANTASTIC Pet Friendly hotel in South Carolina that really made us feel welcome and comfortable. I will be doing a full review of the Residence Inn Marriott in a later post. Once on the road, me and my sisters informed the family that we would be doing spot checks of every single rest stop and gas station from Virginia to the beaches of Florida. Thus, we only had to stop about 35 times times per day,  meaning that our 5 hour first day's travel turned into 8+ hours. We found nice rest stops all along the way that had real nice pet walking areas that even included supplies for picking up any 'messes' you made. In our defense, traveling with three little girl dogs, and a van full of people with differing "break" schedules, requires frequent stops...especially when you're doing surprise inspections.We didn't mind all the stops though. We were together and that was all that mattered.
So do you want to know what happened next? Stay tuned for more posts detailing my amazing beach trip! Wait until you see all the photos...you're going to love it!