I've referenced transport a couple of times, but never really talked about the details of it. Transport is something that just amazes me. The amount of effort, coordination, and dedication that's shown to pull this off is impressive. Before we meet transport, we are sent what is called a "run sheet". This run sheet is incredibly detailed. It has all the drivers listed as well as meeting points, mileage between hand off points, detailed descriptions of the dogs, pick up spots, and final destination for every dog. It also has details on drivers picking up the dogs - names, phone numbers, car descriptions. Some of these stretch across the country either vertically or horizontally and some are a bit more local.
For me, I have mixed feelings when I meet transport. Of course, I'm thrilled for all the animals that are ON transport and headed to a better place. I still can't help thinking about what the poor dogs have been through to get to this point and how relieved I am they are here with me and all of the other rescue groups now. I just can't help but wonder who was left behind and if anyone will be able to help them the way these animals have been helped. I also wonder about the dog(s) I'm picking up. Will they be frightened? Will they be excited? What type of shape are they in? How stressed are they? Are they going to cry while we're driving back? I think that's the one that gets me the most. I have to drive, so I am unable to provide much comfort in that case. There's also the normal stuff like will I get there on time? Is the transport running on time? Is everyone going to have a safe drive? What's traffic like?
The number of dogs, cats, rabbits, and any other living creature moved through transport per year are unknown. The groups we work with generally have large run sheets with many dogs every time and I have seen very large run sheets for other groups. If you are involved in transport and are reading this, THANK YOU for all you do. It can't be an easy job tracking and coordinating everyone or transporting a van full of animals, but it is very much appreciated.
Showing posts with label transport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transport. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Another Busy Week at PAWS!
I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend! We had another busy and exciting week here at PAWS! Sadie had nine puppies on Friday and is being such a good mom! All the pups continue to be healthy and Sadie is starting to relax a little. When I was over on Saturday, she was coming up to me asking for some attention. She is such a sweet, pretty girl. I think she will find a home as soon as she's able to wean her puppies.
We have about 10 dogs waiting to go to their forever homes and seven more that got to go home this week. We'll be getting caught up on some of our spays and neuters this coming week, so we should be able to get more dogs home this coming week.
On Saturday, I borrowed the president of our rescue's Jeep, packed up my foster dog, and headed out to Hagerstown, MD to meet transport. I was picking up four puppies from a rural West Virginia shelter. Thankfully, we missed most of the bad Memorial Day traffic and arrived just in time to meet transport. It was quite full this time around. There were at least 15 dogs that were on their way to rescues. Our four are Lab / Mountain Cur mixes - three girls (two black, one tan) and one boy (cream colored with a black tipped tail).
The condition of dogs off transport always varies. Sometimes they are very clean, sometimes they are covered in dirt because they've been living outside as strays, sometimes they have had accidents in their crate and are covered in that and everything in between. They are almost ALWAYS happy to be there though. Occasionally, we have incredibly shy ones, but even then, the tails usually start going at some point. I can't imagine what the dogs think is happening to them when they go on transport.
In the case of these four, they were in ok condition. They needed baths and some flea/tick treatments, but still happy to be there. They weren't sure where they were going, but they seemed to figure out that it's better than where they came from. I pulled them out of their crate and moved them into the crates in the jeep and we headed back to PetCo for the end of our adoption event.
As usual, a HUGE thank you to the Sterling PetCo for supporting us during our adoption event! Unfortunately, due to the holiday weekend, not much was going on when I got there. I had some of our Key Club volunteers help me unload the dogs and bring them in. It was there we realized that the dogs were covered in fleas and baby ticks. We got some flea and tick medication for them, but it wasn't enough. We saw the fleas jumping off the dogs and onto the volunteers. Definitely not a good situation! Thankfully, we were able to bring them to the groomers in PetCo who gave them all a flea and tick treatment before they went to their new foster homes. Keep your eyes on the website for pictures of these new additions!
We have about 10 dogs waiting to go to their forever homes and seven more that got to go home this week. We'll be getting caught up on some of our spays and neuters this coming week, so we should be able to get more dogs home this coming week.
On Saturday, I borrowed the president of our rescue's Jeep, packed up my foster dog, and headed out to Hagerstown, MD to meet transport. I was picking up four puppies from a rural West Virginia shelter. Thankfully, we missed most of the bad Memorial Day traffic and arrived just in time to meet transport. It was quite full this time around. There were at least 15 dogs that were on their way to rescues. Our four are Lab / Mountain Cur mixes - three girls (two black, one tan) and one boy (cream colored with a black tipped tail).
The condition of dogs off transport always varies. Sometimes they are very clean, sometimes they are covered in dirt because they've been living outside as strays, sometimes they have had accidents in their crate and are covered in that and everything in between. They are almost ALWAYS happy to be there though. Occasionally, we have incredibly shy ones, but even then, the tails usually start going at some point. I can't imagine what the dogs think is happening to them when they go on transport.
In the case of these four, they were in ok condition. They needed baths and some flea/tick treatments, but still happy to be there. They weren't sure where they were going, but they seemed to figure out that it's better than where they came from. I pulled them out of their crate and moved them into the crates in the jeep and we headed back to PetCo for the end of our adoption event.
As usual, a HUGE thank you to the Sterling PetCo for supporting us during our adoption event! Unfortunately, due to the holiday weekend, not much was going on when I got there. I had some of our Key Club volunteers help me unload the dogs and bring them in. It was there we realized that the dogs were covered in fleas and baby ticks. We got some flea and tick medication for them, but it wasn't enough. We saw the fleas jumping off the dogs and onto the volunteers. Definitely not a good situation! Thankfully, we were able to bring them to the groomers in PetCo who gave them all a flea and tick treatment before they went to their new foster homes. Keep your eyes on the website for pictures of these new additions!
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