Some
of the risks in long-distance rescue include poor screening of adoptive
homes, health and legal risks in transporting un- or under-vaccinated
dogs, the personal risks to transport volunteers, and the impossibility
of enforcing spay/neuter contracts at a distance.
While saving
dogs in immediate jeopardy is a worthy aim, one must know the dangers
and risks associated with interstate transport. Rescuers should form
relationships with their local shelters before seeking and accepting
dogs from afar. This applies to both adoption and fostering - it is
far preferable to adopt a dog locally than to have one sent across
several states at considerable expense of time, planning, and resources.
No one dog is 'more deserving' of rescue than another, and no one
person can save them all. We must make sure we are not merely passing
dogs off to any willing person.
Shelters
and their advocacy groups should be wary of anyone who prefers a long-distance
rescue of a dog when a similar dog can be found locally. This person
may have been refused at their own local shelters or may not be fully
informed of the intricacies and risks of long-distance rescue and
transport. Either possibility is a potential danger to both the humans
and the animals involved.
Despite
these caveats, we do recognize the benefits of interstate rescue.
Certain breeds are in high demand in specific regions and transporting
more to that area will increase adoptions. A special-needs dog may
benefit from an experienced foster in a different part of the country.
But in the case of commonly-available dogs and especially mixed breeds
in good health, local rescue should be sought and long-distance rescue
only rarely contemplated.
A
commonsense approach to rescue may seem hopeless when one is constantly
confronted by an *URGENT* posting for a dog, complete with graphic
details of its impending death. Such appeals may spark heroic rescue
efforts, but can seriously sway the judgment of even an experienced
rescuer. And all too frequently the dog or the situation is not quite
as advertised,
which breeds mistrust among rescue volunteers. Use factual language
and less emotional rhetoric in the posting of shelter listings. The
word "URGENT" should be reserved for use in situations which
are urgent above and beyond the normal risk of euthanasia incurred
by most American shelter dogs, hundreds of which will die the same
day with no heroic effort on their behalf. Descriptions of how animals
are euthanized in a particular shelter should be aimed at discussion
of shelter policy, not used as tools to encourage adoption or fostering.
Haphazard use of the phrase "kill shelter" is inflammatory
and unkind to thousands of dedicated animal advocates who have accepted
the burden of euthanizing the unwanted. A posting of shelter animals
should not attempt to sway one toward rescuing a particular dog or
set of dogs, but should instead respect the intelligence and emotions
of rescuers by simply presenting a list of available dogs, their descriptions
and (if known) the length of time remaining.
When
it is determined that a long-distance transport is warranted, simple
health and safety protocols are critical. There are indeed 'fates
worse than death' for shelter dogs. Rescue groups and adopters should
be carefully screened, and e-mail is *not* sufficient for this. At
minimum, a phone interview and/or home visit by a reputable local
rescuer should be conducted. Dogs should not be shipped across state
lines unvaccinated. Puppies under 4 months old should almost never
be shipped except under the most extraordinary circumstances. No intact
dogs should be sent to an adopter. The safety of transport volunteers
should be paramount. The receiving rescuer or adopter should provide
a substantial portion of the transport. The entire transport route
should be planned ahead, and overseen by one experienced transport
director who is able to be by the phone until the transport is successfully
completed.
In
summary, we urge rescuers to look locally before being swayed to heroic
out-of-state rescue efforts, and we urge shelters and shelter advocates
to use basic courtesy and common sense when recruiting adopters and
rescuers for the dogs in their care. These basic guidelines will help
ensure that volunteers remain in rescue, and that dogs shipped across
state lines do not end up in disastrous circumstances. This will lead
to a more professional public image of rescue, with many more lives
saved in the long run.
