Read The Back Story

I still remember the email that sat unread in my Inbox.
It was late, and mine was the only light on in the houses
shrouded by the salt marsh mist that surrounded us.

The subject heading said One Missing Leg, and I ignored
the urge to open it. The last few doses of reality had been
more than I could swallow, so I shut down my computer
and went to bed.

My latest project, a documentary and a book, had
shattered me emotionally. Though it was my choice to
pursue the subject matter, I nearly crumbled while
traversing this modern day trail of tears.

I cringed to think that I had started down this path with no
budget, no distribution outlet, and no equipment. Not even
a blessing before crossing the threshold and diving into the
abyss.

But I was stubbornly optimistic, and from the moment I
learned about it in an unpretentious newspaper, I knew this
story needed to be told. The angle hadn't surfaced yet, but
then again, this journey had just begun…

First I was introduced to Max. Someone wanted him to be
a fighter, and in an effort to provoke him, did something
unutterable to his skin. He sat dignified in the cool, crisp
air, and showed affection for the person under the tree
beside him.

Next was Betty, who faltered when she walked, and nearly
collapsed with each agonizing step. Completely blind from
being forced to live in the ammonia emanating from her
own urine, she pressed on anyway, as if she had
somewhere to go.

Then there was Buck, mutilated with scissors while just a
baby, but still able to smile and dance. They were all
unforgettable, and they had undeniably stolen my heart.

Not long after I had closed my eyes, the email jettisoned
me out of bed and lured me back down the stairs. It was
just as well, since I couldn't make myself forget about that
one missing leg.

The leg in question was not someone's limb lost to a
hidden land mine - it was a sixty mile stretch of highway
that stood between death and a second chance.

Each of the "legs," as they are known to the big-hearted
people who drive them, are vital to the pre-arranged
transports that take rescued animals home. Once they
sign up, volunteers serve as compassionate escorts for an
hour or so before handing an animal off to the next driver
on the route.

For the large numbers of dogs, cats and rabbits in our
nation's shelters, time is short. If no one comes forward to
claim, adopt, or rescue them, they will be killed by lethal
injection; or depending upon where they are housed
throughout the country, gassed.

Precious few out of the millions of animals waiting in
shelters actually make it onto a transport. Boarding
passes are hard to come by, and these passengers will
die if they miss their ride.

Max was transported from Georgia to Massachusetts, and
has since been adopted by someone who's conscious of
the horrors he's endured.

Betty, who was rescued from a Missouri puppy mill, rode
the rails to freedom in Rhode Island, where she was
adored and rehabilitated by her foster Mom before finally
going home.

Buck was pulled from a kill shelter at the eleventh hour.
His transport included twenty legs, two overnights, and
twenty one volunteers. He resides happily in Tennessee
with a doting young couple and a house full of canine
friends.

To witness complete strangers delicately knitting
themselves together first in cyberspace and then on the
ground for legions of doomed animals was like watching a
series of miracles unfold. How to translate that to the
public in words and on the screen remained a mystery to
me.

A frightened little face stared back at me when I opened
the file attached to the email. There was one missing leg in
the transport arranged for a nameless Lab-mix with spots.
One more driver needed to step up before this pup could
trade death at an Indiana kill shelter for a loving adoptive
home.

I clicked away, and the tears that rolled off my face stained
my keyboard. Therein lied the story I was looking to tell. I
would focus on the people who filled the missing legs.
Those brave, generous souls that we like to emulate; the
ones who refuse to relent - until people and animals
everywhere can wake up to a better and vastly different
world.