As the proverb goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
Nowadays, people who go out of their way to make the world a better place are praised and called heroes.
Rarely will you hear about someone's good deed being met with hostility and criticism.
Natural disasters are terrifying and awful for anyone to experience, but they tend to bring people together and force strangers to work alongside one another to rebuild their communities.
In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one North Carolina woman may face charges for sheltering pets, and people have a lot of strong opinions about it.
Tammie Hedges was terrified by the thought of what could happen to pets when Hurricane Florence came around.
As an animal lover and the owner of Crazy's Claws n Paws, a non-profit group that helps low-income families with veterinary bills, pet supplies, and other needs, she offered her warehouse space as an option for pets to stay.
At this point in time, Hedges was in the process to convert her warehouse into a shelter.
"The goal was to make sure they were not out there drowning," Hedges told CBS17. "We had an elderly couple, they were evacuating that afternoon, and there was no way they could take 18 animals with them."
During this difficult time, Hedges was able to temporarily shelter 27 animals (17 cats and 10 dogs). With the help of volunteers and donations, the animals were in safe hands during the storm.
When the storm passed, she received a call from Wayne County's animal services manager, who told her, "You can voluntarily hand over the animals or I can go get a warrant."
Hedges ended up giving the pets to animal control.
"So a group of us got together to do something to help those animals is why we opened our building to them so they'd have a safe dry place to go until their owners returned to get them," Hedges told local reporters.
"I had not gone out and gotten any animals, but a couple of independent rescuers had gotten some from flooded areas and brought them to me."
According to Kathie Davidson, a Crazys Claws N Paws volunteer, the temporary shelter was still able to provide a safe space for the animals.
"Each one had its own cage or playpen, its own water, its own food, and cats had their own litter box. There was a kennel set up with pads that dogs could be taken to to use the bathroom," she said, according to the Goldsboro News-Argus.
Frank Sauls, the animal services manager for Wayne County, said Hedges could be charged.
"If we didn't feel like anything was being done wrong, we would not have taken (the animals)," he said. "But that is for the courts to decide."
Hedges is appalled by the fact that her good deed could end her up in court.
"We're not just gonna let (the animals) suffer and die and drown," she said.
"I think it's really sad that when someone tries to do the right thing, they're punished for it," Davidson chimed. "I'm hoping they don't file charges. We'd like to see him reach out to her and push the reset button."
On the non-profit group's Facebook page, social media users expressed their disappointment.
"Punishing this loving woman for caring and saving the lives of pets that were in the water and in danger of drowning, and providing these pets a warm safe place to be? UNBELIEVABLE! She should be given an award!!!" one user wrote.
"Absolutely infuriating and a waste of resources. Calling & voicing my disgust from California," another commented.
[H/T: Fox 5]
