Lil Bit, a Chinese pug, bolted from his crate and ran in circles as soon as his owner unhooked the latch and said, “We’re back, Lil Bit.”

Mark and Terri Reeves, victims of the 2011 Mississippi River flood, were forced, as others have been, to leave their dog at the closest thing the county has to a pet motel, the Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society shelter on U.S. 61 South. Lil Bit is one out of about 85 animals being housed at the shelter.

The Reeveses, who live off Glass Road on Rocky Lane, also had to leave their tabby cat, Sam, when they were forced to evacuate on May 9.

“It’s been hard,” Mark Reeves said. “We’re used to having them around. And they’ve never been in a cage before now.”

“This is a very loving and caring community,” said Georgia Lynn, director of the Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society. “Everyone has pitched in to help us take care of these animals,” which include chickens, goats and a miniature pony.

She said animal owners and the public have given money to help house and feed the animals. The shelter also is using a grant from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Volunteers from DiamondJacks Casino have also been helping out as part of their service projects while the casino is closed.

“We didn’t have any other option,” Reeves said, who is staying with family until the water recedes. “They let us go back to see the animals whenever. It’s a lot off our mind knowing they’re safe.”