Oct 1, 2019
In this episode of the Individual Animal, we dive deep into the process of shelter transports. We talk about how to get the process rolling, why it’s safer than you might think it is, and why it’s good for dogs and people.
A few months back, we did an episode of the Individual Animal where we spoke with Chris Bender about his experiences doing shelter transports. The response to that was mixed, with some people commenting that it was life-saving for the animals in their shelter and others commenting that transporting meant that dogs at the destination were going to suffer at the expense of the transport dogs. Others made the wild and unsubstantiated claim that shelter transport within the U.S. caused diseases to spread.
Within the group of organizations who do transport dogs from other communities, there are a subset that do not transport “pit bull” dogs. This is because they follow the self-fulfilling prophecy that there’s a “pit bull” problem or worse, that they subscribe to Roger Haston’s belief that “these are the dogs nobody wants.”
What Sasha Wilkerson and the rest of the great folks at the Lenawee Humane Society found is the simple truth that transporting dogs from one community to another saves lives. It’s good for dogs and it’s good for adopters.
It’s also good to step outside of your own community and find out what reality is like for other communities who might not have your resources.