Dog Transport Volunteers Save Lives

Illustration courtesy of The New York Times

In its own well-written, sophisticated (and yes, funny!) way, this recent NY Times Op-Ed piece perfectly explains why the transportation of dogs from overcrowded, high kill shelters is crucial to saving hundreds of thousands of canine lives. Using her beloved rescued dog, Landon, as an example, the author, J. Courtney Sullivan, traces the history of the infrastructure that was put in place after Hurricane Katrina, and how this infrastructure facilitates the transport of dogs from rural shelters in the south to rescues and shelters in the Northeast. This not only helps relieve overcrowded southern shelters, but boosts the northeastern shelters too. How? It stocks those shelters with adoptable dogs, including a good percentage of puppies, making them competitive with pet stores whose "inventory" comes from puppy mills.

There are quite literally, countless ways that overcrowded shelters can help abandoned dogs find  homes, and transporting orphaned animals to areas of the country with greater demand is just one important way to reduce overall euthanasia rates. What strategies does your local shelter use to help dogs get adopted, and what do you recommend? We'd love to hear them!

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