Hurricane Florence: Coast Guard rescues beagles by boatful in floodwater

Credit: United States Coast Guard 5th District Mid Atlantic

Credit: United States Coast Guard 5th District Mid Atlantic

Members of the United States Coast Guard rescued 10 furry friends from floodwaters that came during Hurricane Florence.

USA Today reported that beagles were in cages as a trailer was underwater in Riegelwood, North Carolina.

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The dogs’ owners, Josephine Horne and her husband, Jackie Horne, were rescued first, brought on board a 16-foot Coast Guard punt boat. Another boat came by and Coast Guard member Mitchell Moretti rushed to rescue a beagle.

Related: Hurricane Florence: Trucker driving school bus rescues 64 dogs, cats from South Carolina

“If we would have gotten here just a few minutes later, I don’t know if these guys would have made it,” Moretti said.

Soon the boat was filled with the dogs.

“We got a boat full of beagles!” crew member Tyler Elliott said. “This is the best day of my life!”

Horne told USA Today she and her husband initially evacuated to a relative's home, but went back to their trailer once it looked like the storm died down.

“It looked like everything was fine. It was fine,” she said. “It’s like this came out of nowhere all at once.”

A neighbor’s four pit bulls were also rescued.

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