Weedoo Works With Big Dog To Rescue Stranded Pets

Weedoo CEO Tara Lordi (right) meets with Brianna Burks of the St. Thomas Humane Society.

Local environmental company Weedoo Boats recently joined forces with Big Dog Ranch Rescue to save more than 150 dogs and cats in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Weedoo Boats, based in West Palm Beach, is a leading manufacturer of aquatic weed harvesters and workboats. Led by CEO Tara Lordi, a Wellington resident, Weedoo Boats not only saves waterways, but is no stranger to animal rescue. Weedoo Boats utilized its shallow draft workboats to provide aid during the hurricane aftermath in Orange, Texas in 2017 and again in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2018. “Although this rescue effort is different than our typical missions, we had no choice but to step up,” Lordi said. “When Big Dog Ranch reached out to us, we knew we had to help.”

Together with Big Dog, Weedoo Boats chartered a private cargo plane to transport more than 150 animals scheduled for euthanasia. The animals were stranded for several reasons, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Activists on the island raised awareness to the situation last month. The plane arrived Friday, Aug. 28 at the Treasure Coast International Airport. The dogs and cats were offloaded and taken to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves.

For information on how to foster, adopt or donate, visit www.bdrr.org. For more information about Weedoo Boats, visit www.weedooboats.com.