Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My sister just adopted a great dog from a South Jersey no-kill shelter. The poor sweet dog had spent over a month as an overcrowded shelter in North Carolina, and was driven to NJ by a charitable group that routinely transports dogs in need of adoption from the South to the Northeast.
That reminded me of how a I met a lady here in a thread on C-D who said that she regularly volunteers for a similar charitable group, transporting pets in her own car from states where they have little hope of adoption to states where adoption is more likely. I also get regular e-mails and newsletters from Best Friends and North Shore, national rescue groups I support, that do a lot of this regional transporting.
I poked around online and found another charity whose stated mission is to transport dogs from the Southeast to New England states for adoption.
So I wonder, what is it about some regions that makes people less likely to adopt dogs (and cats too I'm sure) while here in the Northeast, we tend to adopt a lot more? It can't just be something like financial status--I refuse to believe "the people in the south are poor and people in the northeast are wealthier." That just can't be the case. For example, NJ has pretty high unemployment and a super-high cost of living, but animals are literally being trucked into NJ and other states in this region because they get adopted there.
Is it that the southern states just have many more homeless pets? and if so, why?
Do people in the South just overwhelmingly prefer pure bred dogs, so shelter dogs just don't really get adopted?
Do Southerners tend to stick with one dog or one cat, while we Northeasterners collect multiples?
I was just wondering, hopefully someone can shed some light.
My sister's new dog is really great looking (look up Catahoula Leopard Dog in google images), sweet, healthy, and well behaved. Yet she sat in a shelter for over a month in NC and no one wanted her. She showed up in NJ and the workers at the shelter said "she won't last long" and sure enough the next day, my sister is visiting her with the kids and other dogs, and filling out the application. Next day, she's adopted.
Please share your insights on this issue. Also, if you know of non-profit groups that do this "transporting" of pets for trans-regional adoption, please share their websites here. I'd like to add to my list of charities I support, and I see this as a really worthy cause. Other people might also want to support these groups.
I asked a similar question quite a while back, and got some interesting insights. It is getting more common for dogs from Kentucky, etc. to be imported to the Midwest now than it was when I asked the question. And we do have thousands of dogs being put down here. Puppies seem to be imported more. I think they may have a better chance in the Midwest, although puppies, especially pit puppies, do get put down here as well. Other times, I'm not sure what the driving force is. A lot of times it's facebook crossposting that sparks interest in a particular dog or dogs. Also, gassing as a form of euthanasia may be legal there, and people don't like to see that happen to dogs. There definitely isn't a simple answer to this.
With regard to puppy mills, my state, PA, is infamous for the large number of puppy mills, but we are also one of the "destination" states for transported homeless animals. So the posters who speculated that states that tolerate puppy mills would be the states with lower levels of shelter adoptions are incorrect.
A few people touched on the financial thing, but poverty is everywhere. Up here in the North (now I see it's not just the Northeast that's a destination but all of the North) we have lots of areas where people are poor, unemployed, or underemployed. Plus we tend to have higher costs of living, including more expensive veterinary care. But we're the regions that seem to be adopting like crazy.
A few posters in that thread seemed to resent the "importing" of dogs from southern states into northern shelters, because those imported dogs tend to get adopted faster than the local ones. But I see it as a good strategy that helps shelters stay financially solvent. Every time they adopt out a dog, they get a fee, and those fees keep the place open and support the dogs that are still in the shelter. Turning over those "imported" dogs helps support the other dogs as well. Plus, when a charitable organization shows good numbers--higher numbers of adoptions, that appeals to donors more, and we tend to give more.
I've also been involved with a few cat rescue groups, and they have a similar argument about kittens vs adult cats. The kittens get adopted quickly while the adult cats sit longer. But it's that high turnover of adoptable kittens that keeps the revenue coming in, that helps to support the adult cats, including the special-needs ones that are harder to adopt. You have to not only look at it with your heart, but with a sense of what keeps a business financially healthy. Greater financial health means you are better able to fulfill your mission.
I applaud this transporting of dogs and cats to places where their chances are better. It seems to benefit the animals, families seeking pets, and the shelters/rescue groups as well. It's a win-win-win.
I just still wonder WHY this transportation is necessary. We've seen some hypotheses in these two threads, but really no definitive answer.
Oh, forgot to follow up on this other hypothesis. A few people in the other thread mentioned that perhaps there are just higher numbers of homeless pets in the South because people there are less likely to spay/neuter. Some related this to poverty or education level.
But there are likely just as many Northerners, especially inner-city people who don't spay/neuter, and who try to breed their dogs on their own. I work near Trenton NJ and live near Philadelphia, and there are a lot of people in those cities breeding dogs for fighting or status.
Also, like I noted earlier, our vet costs here in the Northeast are very high, so even "discounted" spaying and neutering are pricey up north.
And regarding educational level, I know a family that are on the higher end of middle class, with parents with graduate degrees, and they refuse to neuter their dog. This guy with a Master's degree and close to his doctorate actually said (regarding castration) "I couldn't do that to him, it just makes me cringe to think about it being done to me." The dog has gotten loose a few times, probably when a neighborhood female was in heat, and they really have no idea if their dog has fathered any litters. Plus, they complain that he "marks" their house with urine (duh). This kind of ignorance is not limited to the under-educated.
BTW, we only have a $2 difference in licensing fees in my PA county for fixed vs non-fixed dogs. And the municipalities I looked up in NJ only seem to have a $3 difference. But both states are "importers" of southern strays. So the suggested correlation between states that financially incentivize spay/neuter and dog-importing also seems to not be valid.
Also, if you know of non-profit groups that do this "transporting" of pets for trans-regional adoption, please share their websites here. I'd like to add to my list of charities I support, and I see this as a really worthy cause. Other people might also want to support these groups.
An awful lot of the transporting of dogs (and some cats) takes place on the weekends when many people are free to volunteer a couple of hours to drive a "leg" of the transport. There are individuals who act as transport coordinators, set up the routes, contact the volunteers and monitor the transport on the days that it happens.
A transport may include as many as 20 dogs and have multiple drivers for each leg since no single driver can fit all 20 dogs in their vehicle. A leg varies from 50 to 100 miles with designated hand off places usually located at convenient locations just of the interstates (often parking lots of fast food joints). There are a number of Yahoo groups specifically dedicated to posting each transport, generally the group is named for it's primary route, ie. I-81 Rescue Transport.
The schedule and route are known as a run sheet and it is very detailed. It lists each of the dogs and basic info about them, age, weight, breed, coloring, sending group, receiving group, etc. Then the start and stop point of each leg is listed along with the times. For example:
Saturday, Jan 25
Leg 1: Atlanta, GA to Commerce, GA 69 miles, 1 hr.
Leave: Atlanta 7 am
Arrive: Commerce 8 am
Driver 1: Alice Volunteer - Green Subaru Forster - GA plate: xxxxxxxxx cell no: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Driver 2: Betty Lendahand - White Chevy Suburban - GA plate: xxxxxxx cell no: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Leg 2: Commerce, GA to Anderson, SC 60 miles, 1 hr.
Leave: Commerce 8:15 am
Arrive: Anderson 9:15 am
Driver 1: Cathy Dogooder - Red Jeep Cherokee - GA plate xxxxxx
Driver 2: Donna Helper - Silver Toyota Highlander - GA plate xxxxxxx
....
Leg 17: etc, etc.
and so on all the way up to PA, NJ, NY, CT, VT, MA, (when we're talking about dogs coming out of the south and heading up to New England) etc. Somewhere along the line there will be one or more people who can overnight the dogs for longer trips.
Sometimes you will see that the coordinator will say that there is some donated money for gas if people need, but it's not very common.
Anyone who might be interested in signing up for this sort of effort should look for the Yahoo group for the interstate highway nearest to them and join the group. If there is a transport that you can help with you contact the coordinator and then join in this rewarding work.
Transports happen every weekend, (even when Christmas eve and Christmas day fall on the weekend) all over the country, on every major and secondary highway and the need for volunteer drivers always seems to exceed the number of volunteers. It's not uncommon to see a transport cancelled and hopefully rescheduled for a second or even third time before they can fill every leg.
The great thing about this sort of volunteering is that you can sign up when you are available, be it just a couple of times a year or every other weekend. How often is up to you.
If anyone wants more info ask here or send me a DM and I'll be glad to tell you more.
If they have not done so already, these groups should become registered as a 501(c)3. Lots of us who can't volunteer our time and cars would gladly donate money!
There are many facets to the south- north transport situation.
Some of the bad things
Puppies are big business. They bring in profit to shelters.
Many shelters buy puppy mill dogs on the very cheap directly from mills in the south/ mid west, bring them north and adopt ( sell) them out for several hundred dollars..
Some, such as North Shore Animal League, do that and also actually advertise in newspapers to buy litters of puppies.
Some rescues take only the puppies and leave the mother dog behind to die in the shelter.
Many rescues will not take back the dogs they adopt out. Which is why we are starting to see big hound dogs/mixes in New England shelters. Turned by owners who can't get the original rescue to take the pooch and rehome him or her.
Many southern dogs are bringing in diseases long thought conquered in areas of New England. My own vet, where I've been going for 32 years, is seeing lots of heartworm in southern rescue dogs. This in an area where heart worm hadn't been seen in close to fifteen years. Strains of parvo are being introduced from sick southern dogs, again into an area where parvo had mostly disappeared. Stato dogs from Puerto Rico have actually come in with rabies.
All of this has caused some of the New England states to tighten up their regulations on the importation of dogs into these state, with quarantines, continual medical checks, etc.
Bringing dogs north does nothing to help southern states with their problem of dog overpopulation. Sometimes it's easier for them to just move dogs around, rather than tackling the problem.
The Good thing
When a dog needs a home, a dog needs a home. Who cares where that home is. If a dog has to go from point A to point B to get a home, what's wrong with that ? As long as all precautions are taken, the dog is healthy when placed and the rescue will take the dog back if it doesn't work out, then bravo for the dog. A good home is a good home no matter where it is.
But to answer part of the OP's question.
Pet overpopulation in the south is mostly cultural, I think. People just don't think to spay and neuter. Because the weather is comparatively warm, there is a long tradition in many areas, both rural and suburban, to have yard dogs. Dogs in these cases are just " dogs", not part of the family. When you're not that emotionally attached to a dog, then it's easy come, easy go. Dog is more livestock than anything else. When you don't want livestock, you get rid of it, usually by killing it or selling it. If you can't sell it, as the dog has no monetary value, then dumping or killing is the other alternative.
By yard dogs, I'm not talking about working farm dogs, hunting dogs,etc but simply dogs that live alone in a yard without purpose.
If you look at any city or area in the south there are many dedicated people working on getting pets altered. Inexpensive spay/neuter is readily available in many,many areas. People just won't do it. There are lots of organized rescues, many people working their butts off to help pets. Many times they are up against brick walls.
Case in point, a couple of years a bill came up in the North Carolina Legislature to ban the use of the gas chamber to kill pets. The legislature voted it down, saying it was the cheaper method of disposing of unwanted pets. It's attitudinal- pets are just not valued to a large segment of the southern population.
There are enormous numbers of great homes for pets in the south, enormous numbers of people dedicated to helping pets. However, the overall balance and attitude hasn't tipped yet, the way it has in the North East. .
To those who want to donate money to rescues, do this first. Investigate thoroughly. Most rescues last less than five years. Go with those established and organized. Check their finances. Check their profits and many have huge profits. What are they doing with them? Some go to $ 400,000 salaries. Make sure the rescue has a written policy of taking back any dog they place. Avoid those who place only puppies unless they take and adopt out the mother also.
In addition to whatever else was mentioned, there is a denser population in the northeast. That means there are more potential pet adopters near shelter locations compared to the southeast.
There are many facets to the south- north transport situation.
Some of the bad things
Puppies are big business. They bring in profit to shelters.
Many shelters buy puppy mill dogs on the very cheap directly from mills in the south/ mid west, bring them north and adopt ( sell) them out for several hundred dollars..
Some, such as North Shore Animal League, do that and also actually advertise in newspapers to buy litters of puppies.
I find it highly unlikely that NSAL is willing to buy totally unvetted puppies from southern mills. Several years ago my rescue group along with several others in the region agreed to work with them. I can't recall just how many dogs and puppies we handed off to them but it was 8 or 9 from us and probably about 4 dozen total and we were required to provide a great deal of vetting prior to them going to NSAL. They were not willing to reimburse any of the rescues for their expenses and told us "That is what you should hold fund raisers for". I know our group alone had over $900.00 in costs and they all had to have been quarantined for at least 14 days. Since this was an interstate transport each dog was also, by law, required to have a health certificate from a local vet, issued no more than 10 days before the transport.
Needless to say we were not willing to deal with them ever again because we could not afford to subsidize this large, well funded group.
If you have knowledge of specific groups who are doing this you should contact HSUS with details since this is one area that they are good with - doing undercover investigations that can take months to do.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
