BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Shelters in the south are facing a challenge, overpopulation and not enough adoptions, but Companion Animal Alliance teamed up with Wings of Rescue and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for a quick fix.
“We're getting dogs in every day. We can get up to 30 animals in a day,” says Lauren Jordan, an adoption counselor at Companion Animal Alliance.
“We fly from high kill areas and also disaster relief to our rescue partners around who have empty kennels,” says Erin Robbins, the logistics coordinator with Wings of Rescue.
ASPCA and CAA have coordinated dozens of ground transports throughout the country, but Saturday morning records were set and lives were saved.
70 dogs left the shelter in hopes of a new home in New Jersey where organizers say people are waiting in lines to adopt and shelters are completely empty. This is the first time CAA has partnered with Wings of Rescue.
“In the state of Louisiana, it is estimated that there is about a 70% kill rate,” Robbins says. “So only 30% of those that come in as owner surrenders, strays, unwanted litters make it out alive. These pets have made room for those. Every pet on here is saving two lives.”
One by one, dogs that volunteers have grown to love, were loaded onto their first flight to a new life.
"They're able to kind of take the weight off us when we have overpopulation,” Jordan says. “We’re sad to see the ones we've gotten connected with leave, but we know that they're going to be really great up north. "
For the last two years Wings of Rescue has been shipping dogs from Louisiana to shelters across the country for adoption. Every few months animals are flown from neighboring cities up north where families are waiting to adopt. Robbins says spaying and neutering can solve the issue of overcrowding.
“We will never be able to rescue or transport out our way out of this problem. It’s spaying and neutering. People need to spay and neuter,” Robbins says.
Organizers say this transport gives dogs a fair shake at life while opening doors for other dogs to have the same. Right now, around 206 dogs and 151 cats are at the shelter. Jordan says as soon as they free up space, more dogs come in.
“We still have so many coming in. We are still very full. We still need many adoptions. That's why we work with partner shelters so that we can free up that space to help more dogs here, but it's just never-ending. We're still really full.”
Organizers say most of the dogs will be in a home within three days.
If you’d like to make a donation or volunteer with CAA visit their website.
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