On Oct. 23, as the San Juan River flooded parts of Farmington, New Mexico, Ryan Dudgeon and fellow volunteers took a 14-foot raft into neighborhoods to look for pets left behind. Dudgeon and her husband, Cody, own Desert River Guides, a local rafting business. She told Outside that the group used its rafting gear and swift-water skills as they searched flooded streets and homes for animals. Outside said volunteers paddled where they could and walked while towing the raft when needed.
Outside reported that the team rescued dozens of animals, including pets and livestock. Volunteers searched homes, corrals and kennels, but the report did not give a final total. Some people had evacuated without their pets, while others needed help getting an animal away from floodwater. The group alternated between paddling and walking with the raft as conditions allowed. Dudgeon told Outside the team spent two days trying to rescue animals and float people out.
Rescue work soon turned into a temporary shelter effort. With guidance from the City of Farmington and Farmington Regional Animal Shelter, the Dudgeons opened part of a warehouse for pets that were lost or separated from their owners. As the waters receded, more animals began showing up as people found them, Dudgeon told Outside. She expected the guide shop to house cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens and other animals for weeks.
Outside described the flood as an unfamiliar disaster for the Dudgeons, who had lived in Farmington their entire lives. Ryan said the couple had never seen flooding like it. Outside reported that the guides wore drysuits and used swift-water rescue skills while navigating flooded neighborhoods.
The warehouse itself was threatened with flooding. Outside reported that officials placed the business under a flood watch late on Oct. 23, after the Dudgeons had moved rafts to a bus and started bringing in animal crates. Friends and colleagues helped move animals and supplies to higher ground. The volunteers had to adjust the shelter location as the rescue operation changed.
The Governor’s flood-resources page lists shelter options: McGee Park, a Red Cross shelter with room for people, pets and RVs; Four Corners Stockyard for livestock; and a temporary small-pet shelter at the former Desert River Guides building. The page gives no hours for the temporary site and does not confirm whether animals remain there.
The shelter had everyday tasks too. Outside reported that volunteers slept on the company’s camping gear, used the pool table and grill, and used camp stoves to prepare breakfast near the animals. The setup gave animal caretakers a place to stay near the animals. These practical comforts made the warehouse a place for people as well as pets while the shelter work continued.
A KSJE program listing identifies an Oct. 27 interview with Farmington Regional Animal Shelter representative Amber Francisco. Its summary says she described emergency services for animals belonging to families displaced by flooding and listed volunteers, dog and cat food, and litter among ongoing needs. That is a dated summary, not a transcript or an Oct. 30 service update; people seeking help should contact the shelter before traveling.
Dudgeon is also an elementary-school teacher and parent. She told Outside that she hoped to help children in her classroom return to ordinary routines while the flood response continued. Her account describes two roles at once: a guide using a raft to reach stranded animals and a local adult trying to make school feel steady for children. In Farmington, animal care and community recovery were unfolding side by side.
The reports do not provide a precise number of animals rescued, and they do not claim that every animal was found. They show a response that shifted from rescue to shelter: Dudgeon and her volunteer team took a raft through flooded streets. When the warehouse faced a flood watch, her friends and colleagues helped move animals and their belongings to another building on higher ground. Families across the region were also dealing with displacement.
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