Animals run when their innate sense of pending danger is triggered. This is true of wildlife and domesticated four-leggeds.

As with most disasters, it’s impossible to know how many animals perish for not fault of their own.

PF1794, a Park Fire survivor pup, is being housed at the Butte County Humane Society. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

I walk dogs at Butte County Humane Society. On Aug. 9, volunteers were sent an email saying, “Butte Humane Society will be taking in 15 Park Fire dogs today at noon, and we need to make kennel space for them.” They had a sudden need for people to foster the dogs already at the shelter.

While I couldn’t help with the fostering, some of the Park Fire dogs needed walking when I was there Aug. 17. They don’t have names like the regular shelter dogs. They have letters and numbers. PF for Park Fire and not sure what the number means.

A staff member said this facility was one of three to take in the lost dogs. She said it’s possible some were strays, especially the puppies.

BCHS was the last of the three shelters to get the animals, with all of them being black. The staff member said black dogs are the hardest to find homes for. I was shocked by this considering I’ve had a black dog and plenty of friends have or had black dogs, too. I don’t get the reluctance to have a black dog other than perhaps a shedding issue.

One pup in particular with a PF designation clearly was not a stray. She was well behaved on the leash, loved belly rubs, knew to sit for a treat. She seemed a little nervous, but after whatever she went through, that is not surprising. She was about the size of my last dog, AJ, only longer. What a darling.

So many dogs at the shelter pull at my heart strings. The fire dogs add another layer of heartache.

Soon, though, they will be available to be adopted. Their people clearly aren’t coming for them. That’s so incredibly sad. I don’t understand people.