ZEBULON, N.C. — A North Carolina man reunited with his dogs Wednesday after he was forced to leave them behind during Hurricane Florence.
Jack Denton had to abandon his dogs because floodwaters were starting to take over his Newport home. Denton is disabled and knew he couldn't save himself and his two dogs.
[RELATED: Hurricane Florence aftermath: Man rescues dogs in flooded kennel]
“I had to swim out of my house cuz I'm handicapped and everything. I had to go up two blocks swimming and I didn't know what to do with my dogs, “ said Denton.
As he swam to a friend’s house, Denton said he prayed someone would rescue his dogs from the floodwaters.
Members of the nonprofit Cause for Paws of North Carolina went to the coast to help rescue animals affected by Florence.
The group initially went to help in shelters, but they received a call about two dogs stranded on the roof and immediately went to help them.
[RELATED: More than a dozen dogs saved from dogfighting ring in Concord, officials say]
"The street was completely flooded, mailboxes were underwater, water was rising pretty fast," said Kincaid, Program Director for Cause for Paws of N.C. "We paddled out there and found the dogs strapped on the roof."
The organization checked for Denton after rescuing the dogs to make sure he had a history of being a good owner.
After he was safe, Denton said he visited a shelter daily to see if his dogs were there.
"He's an incredible pet owner," Kincaid said. "He goes every month to make sure those dogs get heartworm preventative. He makes sure those dogs are up to date on vaccines. He truly did not want to leave these dogs behind. They're his buddies."
Cause for Paws held the reunion at a Zebulon thrift store and Denton couldn't have been more happy.
[GALLERY: Fire at York County dog kennel]
Although he lost everything after Hurricane Florence, he said he still has his family and his dogs.
"They're like my children," he said.
Cause for Paws of North Carolina is going to take care of flea and heartworm preventative medication and food for Denton's two dogs, ACDC and Babes, for the next year.
The organization is also collecting supplies for dogs and cats at their thrift stores.
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