Soon my work with the census was over and I got back to my retired life and my garden. I could not get the idea of doing dog transports out of my head. There is not much I can do these days that make me feel useful but doing a transfer from time to time to help give a dog or puppy a new life was something I could do.
I had a chat with a friend that I had worked with for years. I knew she was a pet person also and I related to her about the folks that I had met that were transporting dogs to the North. She informed me that her friend who was retired and was currently working in Transport and usually had one or two runs a month.
I immediately contacted Ann and she soon filled me in on how the system worked. You need to have someone who is working in the network to personally vouch for you. Ann knew of our little 5 dog rescue home and within a week had me set up with a run to do my first transport.
There are a lot "Do's and Don'ts" to learn to insure the safety of the dog or dogs that we transport. Top of the list is Puppy Pads and paper towels for the occasional accident or upset stomach, Cold water to keep the animals hydrated at each stop, Treats for your passengers as well as checking all collars for proper fit as some dogs can slip a loose collar before you can react. Having a couple spare collars is also helpful as some dogs come from the kill shelter with nothing but their lives to start the Road to a New Life. Having a couple of pet carriers is essential as some dogs are hard to handle in a car and will usually travel better and feel safer in a carrier.
Transporting puppies is another lesson. Puppies do not touch the ground from the time they leave the rescue or foster until they get to their final destination. Parvo is an extremely contagious and deadly virus for puppies and simply by walking on the ground where a carrier dog has been can infect a puppy.
Yesterday was one of those rewarding transports. We picked up a Jack Russel Terrier from a local shelter and drove him over 200 miles to a foster rescue. Little Jack as we called him on the trip came with only his life and a used collar from the shelter. He had been there for 30 days which is unusual for a dog to last that long unless they are especially adoptable. Like so many shelter dogs his name and past are lost and known only to him.
The folks at the shelter went the extra mile to get him to the vet, checked out and then on to a foster half a state away to insure that his future will be a good one. Little Jack loved to ride in my copilots lap. 30 days of confinement with little human interaction is hard on dogs. They love to love and be loved and people are half of that equation.
Little Jack would not lay down and go to sleep, he was really enjoying himself watching all the traffic and scenery go flying by as we crossed hills and valleys. When we stopped for lunch we parked the car right in front of the restaurant window where he soon spotted us and all the time we were there he kept an eye on us though the front widow. We each had a piece of chicken for lunch and when we left we wrapped up two large pieces of chicken skin for Little Jack.
We walked Little Jack again before we left and he dutifully left his calling card on each and every tree he passed. Once back in the car he was going crazy trying to find where that wonderful smell was coming from. I unwrapped the fried chicken skin and he gulped down piece after piece until it was gone. Back on the road Little Jack soon succumbed to his belly full of fried chicken skin and the rhythm of the road. He crawled into the back seat, made himself a comfy spot and fell sound asleep. He did not wake up until we stopped to meet his foster mom.
Today Little Jack is at an adoption fair where with a little bit if luck and his charming personality he will find a new home. He will make someone a wonderful family member.
The next time you are at a restaurant just off one of the nations highways and you perchance see a car parked at the back to the lot and someone walking a dog, you may be seeing another lucky traveler on the Road to a New Life.
Health and happiness from the Third Hill
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