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If you can spare even an hour of your time on a weekend, and you'd like to sign up to become a volunteer driver, please visit the sites below - or simply type "volunteer animal transport" in your browser. Volunteers like the people profiled in Fifteen Legs will help you connect with groups in your area. Many more volunteers are needed to escort rescued animals home. |
In their own words... "…There are two tiny little holes in my heart where the two we handed over briefly lived, and the truck never seemed so empty as it did on the ride home…" -Theodora (Teddy) Wambold, Volunteer Transporter "I fell so in love with this little pupper that had he not been going to his forever home, I would have filled out an adoption application immediately. It was hard to imagine that this sweet adorable boy was living in a puppy mill never touching grass or having any human contact." - Donna S. Alexander, Volunteer Transporter "Tears came to my eyes as I watched them cautiously come out of their carriers and explore their space. I'm sure they had never seen so much room in their lifetime and we were both so happy for them." - Jan Davidson, Volunteer Transporter "These animals know they're being rescued." - Linda Marie Carson, Volunteer Transporter "What's ten dollars in gas to save these two kittens' lives?" - Stacy Schall, Volunteer Transporter "I really enjoy doing this because it gives me a chance to combine two things that I love - animals and flying airplanes. I get the satisfaction of knowing that some very nice dogs and cats are going to find homes by bringing them to the rescue groups that arrange these transports." - Kevin Boyle, Volunteer Pilot "It's all done through the internet. It's really amazing... ...People who have never met each other just get together to help this dog come home." - Jill Diorio, Volunteer Transporter "…At times, transport and rescue can be exasperating. So many animals and too few transporters!" - Brandy Holleran, List Owner, OTRA "... a lot of times there's no place for those dogs to go. If they're not pulled out of that shelter immediately, then they're never gonna get out. So there has to be some type of system of volunteers willing to do this, and they're all over the country, and it's truly amazing how many animals are moved that way." - Gayle Fitzpatrick, Friends of the Plymouth Pound "In the first row of kennels at the very end there was a dog that took my breath away...that dog was Buck. He stood out because he was an obvious case of severe cruelty - ...It's the first time I'd seen anything like that...but despite his past history this dog was as sweet as pie, very friendly, and wanted nothing more than to get out of the shelter and into a loving home." - Deanna Trietsch, Shelter Volunteer "When I heard that he was in danger of being killed in a shelter and there was a great home waiting for him, I knew that a little effort on my part and on the part of some drivers for one weekend could buy Buck an entire lifetime. How could I say no when mileage was the only thing standing between life and death for a dog who had been through so much in his short life? I couldn't." - Elizabeth C. Sescilla, Volunteer Transport Coordinator/Monitor |
Drive a Leg of a Transport and Help Save an Animal's Life! |
Buck |
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Why Does Volunteer Animal Transport Exist? A swelling group of people who meet up in cyberspace are opposed to what happens to millions of our nation's homeless animals once their shelter stay expires. They deem the killing unacceptable and unjust; and they're doing something about it. The increasingly popular activity that saves these animals' lives takes place every weekend, all over the country. The "legs," (as they are known to the people who drive them) are vital to the pre-arranged journeys that take rescued animals home. |
Drivers Wanted! To witness complete strangers delicately knitting themselves together first in cyberspace and then on the ground for legions of doomed animals is like watching a series of miracles unfold. The problem is that there aren't enough drivers. Many more volunteers are needed to take these rescued animals home. |
How Does the Animal Transport System Work? The process begins with technology. The Internet enables pictures of out-of-time animals to be posted to Yahoo and other message boards, where hopefully, they will tug at peoples' hearts. If a family falls in love with a photo, there are often other hoops to jump once they've become an approved adoptive home. What if the tiny Chihuahua named Batman is in a shelter in Florida, and the adopter lives in Maine? What if Batman only has forty eight hours left to live? It's at times like these that the wizards of coordination swirl into action. The volunteer transport coordinator maps the animal's route all the way to the adoptive home. Each trip is divided into legs, which means each driver will serve as a compassionate escort for an hour or so before handing an animal off to the next driver. The animal's itinerary is posted on line. In addition to the route and handoff locations, drivers can find health, behavior, and other helpful travel information. As people sign up for the various legs, the cyber-based run sheet fills, and soon the transport is ready to go. There are rules that must be followed before animals can board these rescue railroads. All travelers must be spayed or neutered unless a medical condition exists, and a veterinarian's certificate of health must be packed with each animal's luggage. The coordinator, who's often stationed at a computer far from the actual route, monitors the journeys with expert loving care. As each person hands the leash or crate over to the next driver, a call is made to notify the unseen choreographer of the trip. Things like heavy traffic, lost drivers, or car sickness can easily derail the transport, and throw it off its well-oiled track. |