A chihuahua under the seat... Oh MY!

Saturday was another big transport day. More dogs than usual, we helped transport 30 dogs from Greenville, SC to rescues and adoptive homes in several points north.

One of the drivers who met us in Spartanburg, SC had several dogs crated in the back of her SUV, and she also had an 85 pound yellow lab named Beau tethered in the back, and a 10 pound chihuahua untethered on the front seat. Keep in mind that at the shelter, they don't let the dogs out to relieve themselves if they're going on a transport, they just load them up and send them off. Well, part way to Spartanburg, Beau's tether came undone and he was frantic to go to the bathroom! He jumped over the front seat and all you-know-what broke loose. What a mess! Meanwhile, the frightened chihuahua that had been sitting there dove for cover when it saw this huge lab coming at her and ended up hiding under the front seat.

The chi stayed right there, too, snarling and snapping at any attempt to get her out. Fortunately this driver was taking the next leg to Charlotte, NC also, which bought some more time. Once in Charlotte, everyone tried to get the dog out from under the seat. We couldn't get the seat off, and that dog was not budging! Here it is, 95 degrees out and muggy, and dogs and drivers are waiting in the parking lot before the transport could continue on.

Finally, the last driver showed up and through some magic was able to coax the scared chihuahua out. Kudos to the new dog whisperer!!

We were an hour late, but when we got to the next stop in Salisbury, NC, the drivers there were waiting, and thank goodness they were experienced transporters. Dogs were walked and watered, and in 10 minutes all were loaded and on their way.

I want to comment on one of the passengers in our car. He was a 4 month old German Shepherd puppy named "Flame". He had a huge burn down the middle of his back. In spite of his name, it didn't look like a burn from a fire, rather it looked more like an acid burn. It was raw and oozing, and yet he was a sweet and trusting boy. Whoever did this, or let it happen to him, should be strung up by the most tender part of their anatomy.

In transport, we see the worst of humankind, and the very best of animals. I'll take the animals any day. Transport isn't glamorous work. Yesterday it was hot, hard, sticky, smelly, and dirty work.

I can't think of a better way to spend my Saturdays.

"Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves,
defend those who cannot defend themselves,
and plead the cause of those in need."
- Proverbs 31:8-9

Another Saturday...another animal rescue transport

As usual, I packed a cooler this morning and my friend Mari picked me up at 8:15am and we headed down I-85 to Spartanburg, SC, about an hour and a half away, where we met up with four other vehicles. Two had come from further south where they picked up the animals at the Greenville, SC shelter and the third and fourth were headed to Charlotte, like we were. We walked and watered, then carefully moved the dogs, one at a time, secured the paperwork for each dog, and headed up I-85 to Charlotte. Sounds easy? Not so much.

The passengers Mari and I were transporting were a pregnant border collie named Jasmine, a weineramer named Kenzie, and a long haired brindle retriever named Angel and her 5 puppies. These animals were all pulled from a high-kill shelter and were headed to Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusettes. Most of them will travel two days, one leg at a time, then moved to the next vehicle every hour or so, all done by the generousity of unpaid volunteers who donate their time and gas money to save these fur babies. If not for a transport, today probably would have been their last day. They would likely have been gassed late this morning. This is the harsh reality of the lack of spay/neuter laws in the south: death in a gas chamber.

Jasmine

Angel with Mari

Angel's Pups

Kenzie

Mari

Edie

When we got to Charlotte we were to meet two other drivers. One showed up. The other one, who has a reputation for not showing up or showing up very late, didn''t show up. Rather than wait for her, the two drivers that were taking the next leg to Salisbury, NC each took an extra dog. We added a beautiful golden named Austin to our truck. He was rescue-tethered because we didn't have another crate for him.

Most of these shelter dogs were once family pets. The sweet border collie was turned in to animal control "because she got pregnant again." Never mind that the moron owners never got her spayed and probably left her tied out in the backyard where she was a sitting duck. She looked like she had never had a bath. These dogs don't jump into the vehicle. Most of them have to be lifted, and they average 50 dirty pounds. These poor creatures got the most basic of health care at the shelter - rabies shots so they could travel, and possibly some flea treatment, before they hit the road. About half way to Salisbury, Mari and I started to see fleas hopping around the car, we think courtesy of our new passenger, Austin.

This is hard, stinky, but very rewarding work. These animals and their puppies will end up in happy homes or in the foster care of rescues in the north. It was about 250 miles of Mari's driving and gas. Today we helped save 9 dogs and the future puppies of sweet Jasmine. That's why we do it. And that's why next Saturday we'll do it again.

Spay and neuter your pets!<