This past weekend, the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Boston’s Brewster Shelter received a transport of 11 puppies, who began their journey in Mississippi, and travelled more than 1,500 miles to get a second chance at life. The transport is a collaboration between ARL and the Animal Rescue Front; an organization based in Dennis, and focused on rescuing animals from the southern region of the United States, particularly Mississippi, where spay and neuter programs are scarce.
“We just have a huge pet overpopulation problem in Mississippi,” said transporter Missa Damiens. “The shelters are bursting at the seams and don’t have the resources or the people who want to adopt.”
Just over half of owned dogs in Mississippi are spayed or neutered, however according to the Massachusetts Animal Fund, 87 percent of owned dogs in the Commonwealth are spayed or neutered. This astonishing gap can be attributed to low-cost spay and neuter programs like ARL’s Spay Waggin’, and now the demand for puppies in Massachusetts is greater than ever before. Twice a month ARL receives the Southern puppy transports and this year alone, the organization expects to take in more than 350 puppies from the south.
“There’s a lot of kill shelters down south and just unbelievable volumes of dogs and cats,” said Veronica Sarmento, ARL Shelter Agent. “Up here we don’t have enough, and we have people coming into our shelters on a day-to-day basis asking for puppies. It’s a wonderful effort that’s being done, working with ARF and getting a nice reputable program going to get these puppies into homes.”
Per state law, the puppies are quarantined for 48 hours, and will be monitored for medical issues or disease. With the help of ARL staff and more than two dozen volunteers, the puppies will be socialized, and will also be medically evaluated, vaccinated, and microchipped before being made available for adoption. This program is truly a collective effort that is saving more than just the lives of the puppies that are being transported.
“By pulling dogs out of the Southern shelters it frees up space for more dogs to be cared for without having to resort to euthanasia,” said Caitlin Tomlinson, ARL Associate Director of Shelter Operations. “Since there are not many puppies entering shelters in the northern part of the country, puppies brought from the south are in high demand and adopted very quickly.”
For more information on our adoptable dogs, cats or small animals, log onto www.arlboston.org/adopt.
ABOUT THE ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON:
The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) is an unwavering champion for animals in need, committed to keeping them safe and healthy in habitats and homes. Founded in 1899, ARL provides high quality veterinary care, adoption, and rescue services; while also confronting the root causes of animal cruelty and neglect through innovative community programs, police investigations, and public advocacy. In 2016, ARL served more than 17,800 animals throughout Massachusetts. ARL is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. We receive no government funding and rely solely on the generosity of individuals to support programs and services that help animals in need.
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