Local rescues transport dogs, cats to other states due to overpopulation

May 1—Due to overpopulation of dogs and cats in the area, two local rescue groups are transporting dogs and cats to other states where they will more easily be adopted.

"We have a multitude of animals down here and they don't get adopted out. They end up ultimately being euthanized," said Decatur-based Rescue Rangers founder Melissa Lance. "So, we have rescue partners up north that work with us to help with adoptions, placing them in homes. They have stricter adoption laws than we do."

Lance said other states, especially northern states, are stricter about citizens spaying and neutering their pets.

"That's one thing we require before they ever leave our state to be received by a rescue in another state, to go and be spayed or neutered," she said.

Mellisa Barnett, Morgan County-based rescue Paws 52 founder, said our area is overpopulated with cats and dogs.

"There are not enough homes for the amount of dogs we have around here. Up north there are more homes and less dogs," she said. "I think because they have better laws, and most places up north have better vetting, and they spay and neuter."

She said the strict leash laws and spay and neuter laws combat overpopulation in many other states.

"I think there's a big difference between city and rural areas," Barnett said. "A lot of people in rural areas, they have a dog outside, it runs around, gets pregnant, has puppies, they don't really do anything. Those puppies grow up, have more puppies and they just keep populating. ... If everybody would spay and neuter, we wouldn't have to transport dogs to Northern states."

Barnett said microchipping of dogs is more prevalent in the North, so lost dogs are more frequently returned to their owner.

Lance said they mainly transport dogs and cats to northern states, with many going to places such as Philadelphia, West Virginia and New York. She said sometimes they transport in personal vehicles, but often local rescues with vans will go at the same time and they will take animals for her. Lance said they will do a transport whenever their partner rescues call and let her know they have space available, or someone is looking for a particular animal.

"We will look and see who we've got that would fit the criteria," she said. "Because if they're interested in a long-haired tabby, or something that looks like a Maine coon or what have you, something that fits what they might be looking for, then we would send them pictures."

If the adoptee is interested, Lance said, then her rescue would update the cat on its vaccinations, including rabies. She said they get animals for transport from several different places.

"We get owner surrenders, a lot of animals people give to us, a lot of them are turned in from local animal shelters," Lance said. "We get them from hoarding situations. A lot of times there's going to be cases where there's a house full of animals that have not been taken care of, that basically have been hoarded and neglected. So, we try to take them out of the shelter or situations like that and move them into a better living condition."

Lance said when the animals reach their destinations, they will be delivered to partner rescues who have pre-approved adopters ready to receive their new animal.

Barnett said they rescue cats but find them local homes; they only transport dogs. She said last year they transported 400 dogs. Barnett said they meet a transport called MuttMovers TN every other Friday in Priceville with the dogs she has that need transported.

"He goes up the East Coast basically. So, he goes through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey," she said. "Most of them go to other rescues because the rescues up north will do the adoption applications, they'll check vet references, they'll do the meet and greet, they do all that stuff."

Most of the dogs she transports, Barnett said, are from the Morgan and Lawrence County shelters and people who contact them from the community.

Barnett said her goal with transporting dogs is "to save as many as we can from this area to hopefully lessen the amount euthanized in the local shelters. Most of the time we feel frustrated because we can't do more. It seems like the more you know, the more there is. We get daily requests for somebody who wants to surrender their dog, or they have a litter of puppies, or the shelter's crowded, and we wish we could do more.

"We're doing all we can do. ... We just keep trying."

Lance said she has a goal when it comes to transporting dogs and cats elsewhere.

"To get all the unwanted animals into homes and placed, that way at some point we'll have a wait list for animals here," she said. "For my feelings and my heart, just knowing these animals are going to a good, forever home and that they will forever be taken care of."

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.