FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)— Two Humane Fort Wayne staff members and two volunteers hit the road on Thursday, and will return on Friday with 20 dogs from overwhelmed shelters in the South. Shelters across the South are seeing an influx of pets that have been separated from their families after Hurricane Helene. To make room for those pets, those shelters are sending the animals that were already looking for homes elsewhere. "These are essentially dogs that were living in eastern Tennessee shelters at the time that Helene hit," Humane Fort Wayne Community Relations Manager, Melissa Gibson, said. "And we're getting them out of that shelter to make room for all of the animals that are now wandering astray because of the actual hurricane." Humane Fort Wayne won't be driving to Tennessee, though. Many animals have been taken from shelters in the South and have been brought to the Humane Society of the United States' hub in Hagerstown, Md., about eight hours away. "I'm extremely happy and blessed for this opportunity," Intake Manager, Allison Caley, said. "And grateful for the community to provide us such a wonderful facility that we can house so many animals." These 20 dogs will bring Humane Fort Wayne's new shelter to capacity. So, they'll be looking to adopt them out as soon as possible. Especially since they may be transporting animals affected by Hurricane Milton in the coming weeks.