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The 18 dogs include two adult dogs and 16 puppies. They were at the main shelter on the island, the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, which was destroyed during the hurricane.
"Some of them are kind of standoffish, and a little bit skittish," said Bryan Hayes, of the ASPCA. "They've been through a lot. They went on a plane ride for their first time. They got on a truck for their first time. They were probably in stainless steel kennels for their first time because they were down in St. Croix. The facilities there were pretty much wiped out."
The SPCA of Wake County and HSUS took in 39 dogs from Puerto Rico in October.
"What they seem to need most of all is a lot of patience and time," said Molly Stone, of SPCA of Wake County. "It's almost like they fell asleep last night on Earth and woke up this morning on Mars. It's very very terrifying for them."
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The hope is the dogs will be ready and up for adoption next week, after being spayed and neutered. Adoption fees are $95 for adults and $150 for puppies.