How to save a life: Local volunteers give pets a second chance at adoption with rescue transport

Kendra Eads remembers the exact date she started helping groups transport adoptable dogs across the country.

It was Sept. 15, 2013, the anniversary of losing her dad. She and her mom decided instead of being sad that day, they would keep busy and help a few dogs in need.

At the time, Eads had no idea her service would become a ritual for her and her mother every other weekend.

"I didn't even know it existed. I volunteered in 2011 for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri shelter, fostering and adopting dogs, and now I'm a board member for the shelter," she says. "Once you put your name out there, it just starts to spread like wildfire. I've now got my mom and friends helping, too. "

Eads recalls transporting dogs from Sikeston, Missouri, to Perryville, Missouri, through the North Little Rock Arkansas Shelter. She says the dogs on that transportation route usually end up in Minnesota, where overpopulation is not nearly as prevalent.

A litter of puppies wait to switch cars for the next leg of their journey with the Rescue Road Warriors. This delivery of five puppies, 10 cats and one older dog will make their way to Pleasant Valley, New York. (Glenn Landberg)

Overpopulation is a common issue Midwest shelters face: Because of puppy mills and less-strict spay and neuter laws, there's often an influx of animals at shelters in the area. The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri has an open-door policy under which it accepts any animal that is dropped off. But during the shelter's busiest season, it's almost impossible to give all the animals at the shelter the care they need.

In addition to the quantity of animals they have, treating heartworm is also a main issue, says Requi Salter, volunteer and transport coordinator at the local shelter. In the northernmost states, she explains, there is more funding for heartworm treatment, so the disease is less prevalent than in the Midwest. That's just one of the reasons rescue transport is important, Salter says.

During times of crowding, the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri sometimes transports 40 to 90 dogs and cats in a weekend, she notes. While each leg of the journey seems relatively simple, planning the multiple drop-off and pickup points can be an incredibly difficult feat of organization, she says.

Here's how it works: Pets are transported across the country by being passed from volunteer to volunteer. Drivers transport the animals for a couple hours at a time, until they meet with the next group of volunteers at an agreed-upon location. Once there, the dogs are taken out and walked. Some are dropped off at rescues along the way, while others are added to the caravan. This process continues until the dogs reach their final destination.

Eads says it's relatively easy to get involved -- you just need to meet the requirements. In addition to having a valid driver's license and insurance, Eads says you usually need someone from the rescue organization or a veterinarian to vouch for you before you transport your first animals.

Erin Clayton and Lisa Clair hug during a handoff for the next leg of a delivery for the Rescue Road Warriors. The animals will make their way to Pleasant Valley, New York. (Glenn Landberg)

The number of pets transported and modes of transportation used vary. Eads says she's even brought dogs to an airplane for transport before -- she remembers meeting the pilot in Cairo, Illinois.

A bumper sticker hangs on Joanna Gable's car. (Glenn Landberg)

"It's just so easy to find a way, volunteer and serve. And it's fun," she says. "It costs you a little time and gas, but we do it almost every weekend. There are different places that help transport to actual adoptions from rescues, so it's not just shelter to shelter."

Since her first volunteering experience, Eads has brought two new dogs into her fur-baby family. Combined with the two she had before working with the Humane Society, she laughs, saying she's got "about a 30 percent retention rate" when it comes to fostering pups.

"I've had Shepherd puppies that I fostered until they were 8 weeks, a little Chihuahua ... the ones that I know are going to get adopted, I have no problem letting go of," she says.

While the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri doesn't have its own transportation organization, it often works with groups such as Rescue Road Warriors, SEMO Animal Rescue Alliance, Southern Paws Transport, Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Transport, Above and Beyond English Setter Rescue, Midwest Animal Rescue Services, Bootheel Paws Express and many more.

Thomas and Lisa Clair load up a car with five puppies, 10 cats and one older dog for the next leg of a delivery for the Rescue Road Warriors. The animals will make their way to Pleasant Valley, New York. (Glenn Landberg)

So far this year, 462 animals have been transported to different rescue facilities from the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, Salter says. In the past eight years, she says she's really seen the transportation program expand.

When a dog is transported from the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri to a different shelter, the Humane Society gives up the rights to that dog and doesn't collect from its adoption fees. However, Salter says because of the influx of animals the shelter has, giving up some animals doesn't bother them.

"What we're getting out of it [pet transportation] is we're saving a life," she says. "And that's payment enough."

For more information or to get involved in rescue transport, call Salter at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, 573-334-5837.