A plane flying from New Orleans to Wisconsin crashed Tuesday morning just outside of Milwaukee. In the plane were 53 rescue dogs and three people. 

The twin-engine turboprop airplane crashed into the snow-covered Western Lakes Golf Club. It was a "catastrophic landing that severed the plane's wings”, Matthew Haerter, assistant chief of Lake Country Fire and Rescue, said at a press conference on Tuesday. 

After the crash, about 300 gallons of jet fuel spilled onto the golf course and into the marsh. “The oil spill triggered cleanup efforts from the state Department of Natural Resources”, Haerter said.

Every dog and person aboard the plane survived, although all three people and some of the dogs suffered minor injuries. Staff veterinarians sent 21 dogs to the Humane Animal Welfare Society for further treatment, and the rest to other shelters in the area, according to The Washington Post.

Maggie Tate-Techtmann, a director for the HAWS, stated at the press conference that all the dogs would be available for adoption in the coming days as soon as they are ready.

"It's just a lot of comforting them and caring for them. Every animal is different just like we are so we are all going to react a little bit differently, but between our behavioral [and] medical care, I'm very confident we can make all of them comfortable," Tate-Techtmann said.

Tony Wasielewski, the deputy fire chief who was part of the team of responders, has already taken home one of the dogs and named her CeeCee.

This was one of HAWS's regular trips transporting adoptable dogs from Southern states to shelters in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the Washington Post reported. “These trips make room for other animals in overcrowded shelters in the South. Spay and neuter programs are more common in Waukesha and lead to less overpopulation of pets in this region,” said HAWS Communications & Media Specialist Jennifer Smieja. 

By Olivia Kim