A woman in Houston, Texas, was in charge of 21 dogs when her home flooded – she (and the dogs) had to move into the attic of her house when water rushed in on Sunday. According to Click 2 Houston News, Betty Walter was steadfast in her commitment to the dogs in her care, even though the majority were not even her own, and she refused to leave without them.

Walter waited 14 hours for help to arrive – as reported in TODAY, the perfect help showed up with a boat capable of carrying Walter’s entourage of dogs. The rescue angels were Buck Beasley, Jeremy Williams, and Anthony Hernandez – three men who were canvassing the area to help people (and pets) in need.

Walter expressed her gratitude to the men in a Facebook post:

To these amazing guys that help me and some of my neighbors dogs that I rescued. I was worried there was too many dogs on the boat and it would tipped over. I told them I would stay behind and for them to make 2 trips. They said NO we are taking all and you. We had 21 dogs on this boat. No place for any humans on this boat. We had to walk in water over my head to get out.

Though Walter and the nearly two dozen dogs are safe, she is worried about the future. Her home was nearly destroyed with water and she doesn’t have flood insurance for the repairs. People who have learned about her act of kindness have asked how they can help (donations to Betty Walter here) but Betty has asked for funds for an area rescue group – she wrote:

***UPDATE***** We remain safe and dry. So many people stepped up and donated to me and my immediate needs are met. If you would still like to help, please consider a donation to Bay Area Pet Adoptions. BAPA is the only no kill shelter in Galveston County. It is because of the support of this organization that I was able to shelter these dogs. Their volunteers and board members have dropped off medicine and supplies and have helped walk dogs, and of course, one of their volunteers took us and my neighbor with his dog into their home. www.bayareapetadoptions.org

More news and updates at the National Animal News Facebook page.