Post by michele5611 on Sept 19, 2011 20:07:07 GMT -5
www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/130094713.html
Posted on Mon, Sep. 19, 2011
Rescue flights give dogs new life
A North Jersey nonprofit saved more than 100 from overcrowded shelters in the South.
By Stephanie Akin
THE RECORD
FAIRFIELD, N.J. - Small airplanes delivered more than 100 quivering dogs to North Jersey on Saturday in a rescue from overcrowded shelters in the South where they were likely to have been euthanized.
The animals arrived at the Essex County Airport in loads of one to four, greeting volunteers with wagging tails, sniffing noses, and the occasional wide-eyed gaze.
"All these dogs are so lovable," said Michele McGuire, one of about 50 pilots who volunteered to transport the dogs on private planes from South Carolina. "And they would have all been put down."
The flights, which arrived throughout the day, were organized by Pet ResQ Inc. of Tenafly to move the animals from overcrowded shelters with euthanasia policies to regional groups committed to finding them homes. They brought a beagle, about a dozen Labrador retrievers, and a litter of shivering fur balls that volunteers identified as collie-golden retriever mixes.
A German shepherd arrived with a bag containing a blue stuffed gorilla toy and a note from a veterinarian that his lame front paw would likely require amputation. And a 3-year-old boxer mix saw volunteer Bob Trembley of Dumont sitting on the ground and eagerly folded herself into his lap, where she stayed for more than an hour.
Robyn Urman, an organizer from Pet ResQ, estimated it would take anywhere from a day to three months to find homes for most of the dogs.
Dogs in many Southern states are rarely spayed or neutered, creating a constant stream of unwanted puppies in shelters that don't have the resources to handle them, Urman and other volunteers said. Northeast shelters, on the other hand, have consistent inquiries from families looking to adopt small, well-mannered pets. Several of the dogs had been placed with families who saw their pictures online before the animals were loaded onto the planes, volunteers said.
"There's a little underground railroad of dogs going from south to north," McGuire said.
Urman said she organized this particular day of flights with the goal of transporting a record number of dogs from the South Carolina region, where an animal-cruelty case made national news in the spring. The shelter in Chesterfield, S.C., was overhauled after animal control officers were accused of shooting to death 22 dogs, according to published reports.
Although bad weather in South Carolina grounded several of the flights, 130 dogs arrived in New Jersey. More flights were scheduled for Tuesday to transport the remaining six dogs, Urman said.
Pilots described a festive atmosphere at the airports in South Carolina and Virginia, where many of the smaller planes stopped to refuel or hand off the dogs for the second leg of the trip.
Firefighters grilled hamburgers, and crowds gathered to see the animals off, said James Anastas, a pilot from Hoboken.
Posted on Mon, Sep. 19, 2011
Rescue flights give dogs new life
A North Jersey nonprofit saved more than 100 from overcrowded shelters in the South.
By Stephanie Akin
THE RECORD
FAIRFIELD, N.J. - Small airplanes delivered more than 100 quivering dogs to North Jersey on Saturday in a rescue from overcrowded shelters in the South where they were likely to have been euthanized.
The animals arrived at the Essex County Airport in loads of one to four, greeting volunteers with wagging tails, sniffing noses, and the occasional wide-eyed gaze.
"All these dogs are so lovable," said Michele McGuire, one of about 50 pilots who volunteered to transport the dogs on private planes from South Carolina. "And they would have all been put down."
The flights, which arrived throughout the day, were organized by Pet ResQ Inc. of Tenafly to move the animals from overcrowded shelters with euthanasia policies to regional groups committed to finding them homes. They brought a beagle, about a dozen Labrador retrievers, and a litter of shivering fur balls that volunteers identified as collie-golden retriever mixes.
A German shepherd arrived with a bag containing a blue stuffed gorilla toy and a note from a veterinarian that his lame front paw would likely require amputation. And a 3-year-old boxer mix saw volunteer Bob Trembley of Dumont sitting on the ground and eagerly folded herself into his lap, where she stayed for more than an hour.
Robyn Urman, an organizer from Pet ResQ, estimated it would take anywhere from a day to three months to find homes for most of the dogs.
Dogs in many Southern states are rarely spayed or neutered, creating a constant stream of unwanted puppies in shelters that don't have the resources to handle them, Urman and other volunteers said. Northeast shelters, on the other hand, have consistent inquiries from families looking to adopt small, well-mannered pets. Several of the dogs had been placed with families who saw their pictures online before the animals were loaded onto the planes, volunteers said.
"There's a little underground railroad of dogs going from south to north," McGuire said.
Urman said she organized this particular day of flights with the goal of transporting a record number of dogs from the South Carolina region, where an animal-cruelty case made national news in the spring. The shelter in Chesterfield, S.C., was overhauled after animal control officers were accused of shooting to death 22 dogs, according to published reports.
Although bad weather in South Carolina grounded several of the flights, 130 dogs arrived in New Jersey. More flights were scheduled for Tuesday to transport the remaining six dogs, Urman said.
Pilots described a festive atmosphere at the airports in South Carolina and Virginia, where many of the smaller planes stopped to refuel or hand off the dogs for the second leg of the trip.
Firefighters grilled hamburgers, and crowds gathered to see the animals off, said James Anastas, a pilot from Hoboken.