KENNESAW -- More than 60 survivors of Hurricane Katrina arrived in metro Atlanta Tuesday looking for a new place to call home.

The hardy survivors included more than 60 dogs and two cats. They were given up by owners who lost everything to the deadly storm and could no longer care for their beloved pets.

Volunteers drove the dogs the eight hour trip from the gulf coast to Cobb County.

The animals will be distributed to adoption agencies throughout the metro area to help them find new homes.

If you are interested in adopting one of the pets or just want to help you can go to www.muttshack.org for more information.

Part 2

Channel 2 viewers have come through to help orphaned pets in a major way! Today, many people have applied to adopt or provide a temporary home for pets orphaned by Hurricane Katrina – after our original story Tuesday.

Rescue Organizer Amanda Bechtold says, “They’re all very highly adoptable animals.”

A stack of applications and Bechtold has been on the phone with people inquiring about adopting.

She says, “We’ll just do a pre-adoption today. We’ll be getting all the health certificates today, and they could be released as early as tomorrow.”

Two of the dogs will find at least a temporary home in an already dog-crowded house owned by John Flanagan and his wife Laura Summers.

We asked her why she wanted to bring more dogs into her home. Summers answered, “It’s like a calling. It isn’t practical. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s something that’s just the right thing to do.”

Her husband agrees. “We just try to help as many as we can. It’s what we really do. We don’t have children, so these are our children.”

It costs about $150 to take one of the New Orleans orphans home with you. People’s reaction when they learn they’re not free?

“They get a pretty good reaction. I think they understand that it’s gonna cost a little bit of money to bring in a family companion. That covers all their vaccines and like I say, their spay and neuter,” Bechtold says.

A horse as small as some of the dogs is keeping them company while the horse’s owner takes dogs to visit the vet.

Rescuer Amanda St. John says, “The dogs are much happier out here in the sun. They like Atlanta a lot.”

St. John also added she believes the dogs like Atlanta even more than New Orleans.