Fifteen Legs...
The Pony Express Of Rescue

It's a Sunday morning like any other. Good people all across the country are going to church, eating lunch with family and friends, and enjoying the one day of the week that symbolizes rest and rejuvenation.

But on this same Sunday morning, animal transporters all over the U. S. arrive at their designated sites. They aren't here for profit or gain but for one purpose only: to ensure that highly adoptable dogs get to have the lives they so richly deserve.

Everywhere in our country, animal lovers who want to do something for abused, abandoned or mistreated dogs have found the one thing they can do. Drive dogs to safety. And it is no easy task, either.

Transport drivers are a vital link in the chain for this grassroots animal rescue movement. Without them, literally thousands of animals would never make it out of high kill shelters.

"I never planned on being a driver," transporter Janet Bell says. "It's something I backed into. In 2003, I heard about someone needing help with driving some animals, and I volunteered to do a leg because I had a bit of free time one Saturday."

And that's how it starts. Through an incredible network of volunteers, animals are transported out of high kill shelters in the South. Rescue groups in northeastern states such as New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York are looking for dogs. The spay/neuter laws in these states are much stronger than in the South. Transport groups call participating transport shelters inquiring about possible adoptable dogs.

Some want certain breeds; others don't care. People are looking for pets, and rescue groups want to help. Dogs (and cats - - there are cat transports, as well!) travel from as far away as Florida to a reach their forever homes in the northeast. But it takes extraordinary effort and coordination of services to get them there.

"I don't like to kill dogs," Lexington, Virginia shelter director Karen Beard said. And that's the sole reason for every volunteer's participation in animal transport. Karen works tirelessly with Virginia Rural For Transportation to give dogs a second chance for a promising tomorrow. It's not just work; it's hard work and it's never-ending.

Karen is at the shelter on a Sunday morning, making sure transporters have the right dogs for their run, or leg. In all, fifteen legs make a complete journey to safety. Each leg is about 60-90 miles long with some transporters making overnight journeys to complete their leg.

It is truly a modern day frontier with miracles happening while we work, play and sleep. Complete strangers from all over the country meet together in cyberspace to coordinate shuttling homeless, often abused dogs to safety. Thousands of men and women refuse to accept the inevitable for shelter dogs. "I don't like to accept defeat. When I fail, I fail the dogs," Karen said.

But to move these dogs requires tremendous coordination. How do transporters know their routes? Or where to meet for the next leg? Toni Klemko, of Highway To Heaven, is just one of the many transport coordinators working non-stop to save dogs and cats. She maps out the route, sends an email to participating drivers, and then posts them on her animal transport website. The run sheet looks something like this:

STILL NEEDED
LEG 6: Lexington, KY to Cincinnati, OH (EDT) (I-71) ALL DOGS
99 miles, 1 hour, 30 minutes TIME: 3:10 pm to 4:40 pm NEEDED:

LEG 7: Cincinnati, OH to Columbus, OH (I-71) ALL DOGS
108 miles, 1 hour, 50 minutes TIME: 4:55 pm to 6:45pm NEEDED:

LEG 8: Columbus, OH to Cambridge, OH (I-70) ALL DOGS
79 miles, 1 hour, 20 minutes TIME: 7:00 am to 8:20 pm NEEDED:

LEG 9: Cambridge, OH to Washington, PA (I-70) ALL DOGS
80 miles, 1 hour, 20 minutes TIME: 8:35 pm to 9:55 pm NEEDED:

OVERNIGHT NEEDED IN WASHINGTON, PA ALL DOGS

LEG 10: Washington, PA to Somerset, PA (I-76) ALL DOGS
77 miles, 1 hour, 20 minutes TIME: 8:00 am to 9:20 am NEEDED:

As you can see, the entire effort hinges on volunteers' willingness to drive dogs to safety. Without these dedicated volunteers, the entire transport movement would collapse. Highly adoptable dogs would meet a tragic, premature end. Even though every driver knows the risks involved, it's Toni's job to keep the risks first and foremost.

"The very nature of rescue transport creates some risk for those who participate in it," Toni writes to her drivers. "Even a good-natured dog may find it stressful to be passed from stranger to stranger and cooped up with unfamiliar dogs, and in consequence may act in uncharacteristic ways. Neither I nor anyone associated with this transport can accept liability for any accidents or incidents that may occur during the transport."

Yet despite the risks, people all across the U.S. are raising their hands to help. Dubbed the Pony Express of animal transport, these dedicated volunteers give more than their time, their gas and vehicles. They put their compassion to work.

Dogs do what dogs do even with the best of circumstances. They pee, poop and throw up. Some have travelled hundreds and hundreds of miles, as many as fifteen legs before reaching their forever homes. Just like humans, they get carsick, tired and cranky.

And sometimes the dogs are smelly. But animal transporters see beyond the stress of a dog's current condition. They see dogs with shiny coats and warm, loving arms wrapped around them.

Transporter Janet Bell describes it this way. "I saw what beautiful animals were coming from the rural areas and getting a chance they would never have had if they'd stayed there. I was stunned."

Janet goes on to say, "It's a sad reality and tragedy that only a small percent of the shelter animals --only the cream of the crop -- will get to safety. However, it is beyond tragic...it's criminal...if a rescue opening goes unused. I quickly realized that I couldn't stand the thought that an animal would lose a chance to get to a rescue because of distance standing in the way... I'm still doing it, almost every weekend, and sometimes twice in a weekend. "

But dogs are just one part of the equation. Factor in other variables like traffic conditions, accidents, getting lost, or even the possibility of losing a dog during transport. The responsibility is enormous.

And once a driver reaches the end of his route, he must hand over more than tired dogs on leashes. Legal documentation must be handed off to the next driver showing that the run is a rescue. Without it, the driver places the entire rescue run in jeopardy. Once a driver has met the contact for the next leg of the journey, the transport coordinator is called and informed of their status.

Every day, animal transporters prove there is no reason for dogs to die in a shelter, especially if it's due to lack of space! Profoundly hopeful, this is volunteerism that empowers individuals. Whether it's from one end of Florida to the other, a multi-state transport, a cross-country transport, or even a transport into Canada, each person in this tightly woven movement feels joy.

They can actually see that their single act of compassion is helping a previously unwanted dog enjoy a better life. For these hard-working, dedicated volunteers, it all comes down to one question, "Do you want to save a dog?"

That question is answered every minute of the day, as an animal transporter cleans up a doggy mess, pats the scared canine affectionately, and heads north.