CORNING, N.Y. -- How a big red school bus found a permanent home in the front yard of a pet daycare is a mystery to those passing by, but the story starts inside, where Elaine Walker is lucky enough to have dozens of best friends.
Walker has nurtured animals her entire life, and for eight years, she's owned a pet daycare in Corning.
"We just work really hard to always do better," said Elaine Walker, Happy Tails Daycare and Pet Resort owner.
A promise to do better no matter what the circumstance.
"I mean, there's just so many possibilities for emergencies," said Walker.
After years of wondering how to evacuate her daycare in case of an emergency, Elaine found the answer. She bought an old school bus, painted it bright red, took out all the seats, and replaced them with crates for dogs.
It cost $11,000, all to rescue pets under her care.
"I don't know, some people looked at me like I was crazy but it could happen," said Walker.
Hurricane Matthew's landing and the destruction it left behind prompted her to finally take action.
"It's just something that I haven't been able to stop talking about, and we've talked to the fire department about it," said Walker.
"I think it's a fantastic idea," said Cliff Miller, East Corning Fire Department.
The East Corning Fire Deparment believes the bus will be useful for all sorts of emergencies, including house fires, where they say they encounter lots of pets. The bus has room for 38 dogs, and it doesn't matter what size they are, they can be big or small.
"It's something that we should have had a long time ago," said Miller.
It's something Elaine is immensely proud of.
"I reached a point in my life where I needed, I wanted to do something different."
If you'd like to learn more about taking care of your pets during a disaster, Walker is hosting a preparedness expo at Happy Tails Day Care in Corning from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.