Ricardo Pimentel is a hero. When Hurricane Delta got closer to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Pimental opened his home to about 300 dogs and other animals.

Dogs, cats, bunnies, a hedgehog, and even sheep found shelter in Pimentel’s house and patio during a terrible hurricane. Pimentel said the house smelled a little gross for a while, but well worth the sacrifice. Pimental founded Tierra de Animales (Land of Animals) shelter about ten years ago along the Peninsula.

“It doesn’t matter if the house is dirty, it can be cleaned,” he told NBC News. “The things they broke can be fixed or bought again, but what’s beautiful is to see them happy, healthy and safe, without wounds and with the possibility of being adopted.”

Pimentel began preparing for the storm by boarding up the shelter and bringing animals into his home to keep them safe. He was worried about food and shelter and posted a request on social media. While he was busy preparing for the storm, the request went viral.

Source: RT/Youtube

“If I lived with just 10 or 20 dogs, I wouldn’t worry much, but here we have hundreds of animals and we can’t afford the luxury of not having enough food,” he said. Local residents and people from all over the world donated money. All in all, the post raised thousand of dollars. The community chipped in to help clean up at the shelter, which was slightly damaged due to the hurricane.

“We would like to think that thanks to all this attention, somebody would like to be part of the story and say: ‘I adopted a dog saved from that famous Hurricane Delta,’” he shared.

We encourage everyone thinking of getting a pet to adopt instead of shop. Read more resources about adopting animals on One Green Planet, including 7 Reasons to Adopt Your Next Furry Best Friend, 5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Adopt a Pet, and These Heartwarming Before and After Pictures of Adopted Rescue Animals Will Make Your Day! Read tips for pet adoptions and what to consider before adopting an animal. We recommend using these apps to find shelter dogs near you!

Read more recent animal news in One Green Planet about including the animal shelter that threw an epic birthday party for one of its dogs, Dennis Quaid the cat’s new owner, another dog’s bucket list, this rescue kitten’s jaw was fixed with buttons, and the sweet rescue husky with an untreatable tumor and big personality!

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