SANTA CRUZ, Calif. --
Groups like the Santa Cruz County's South County Equine Evacuation Unit made sure that no pets were harmed during the Lockheed Fire that has raged in the Santa Cruz Mountains for more than a week.
The group said coordinating pet evacuation efforts were much easier this year because of the practice they received during last year's Summit, Martin and Trabing fires.
"This was very, very coordinated," said Loren Keeley, of the equine evacuation unit. "A lot of people got certified through FEMA, and Cal Fire always knew where I was. We've got HAM operators going. They knew where I was, who I was picking up, where I was taking them and I felt a lot safer."
Among the 300 animals rescued during the Lockheed Fire were horses, llamas, sheep, a pot belly pig and 100 head of cattle.
"That's really our job, to keep the animals safe at that point -- no matter what four legged creature it is," Keeley said.
Most of the animals from the Lockheed Fire were housed at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter on Rodriquez Street.
Animal agencies from as far as Marin County took in animals from the shelter to make room for pets evacuated during the Lockheed Fire.
There was also no cost to board evacuated pets.
"We didn't know that we could," said David Wilson, of Bonny Doon. "We thought we'd have to go to a motel, and where will you find that will take in rambling Dalmatians. Then we heard about the animal rescue and we took them down there."
The Santa Cruz County animal shelter is also working with the Red Cross so that pets in the future can stay with their owners if they are evacuated and must spend time in an evacuation center.
You can read more about rescuing animals in Santa Cruz County during the Lockheed Fire by clicking here.
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