The Open Road and a Carload of Puppies

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

05 Feb 2007 06:16 PM

Back in March I started to learn more about volunteer animal transports. A group of animal lovers share the driving duties to help get shelter pets from a dangerous situation (like a high volume kill shelter) to a safe one (like a no-kill shelter, foster home, or forever home). I had signed up for one transport, but last minute changes meant I wasn't needed. Between schedule conflicts and other excuses, I finally got my chance to do my first transport on Saturday the 3rd.

Let me just say -- I was kind of nervous. I didn't really know what was expected of me, apart from having enough car space to fit a few dogs. So I signed myself up for just one leg of a transport going from Virginia to New Jersey -- the last leg, driving from Mt. Holly to Woodbridge. Initially, I was assigned one pit bull mix named Cassie and a pair of mutt-puppies who were traveling in a crate. After a bit of passenger shuffling, it was determined that me and my station wagon would be a good vehicle for a gigantic crate filled with ten pointer mix puppies.

The run sheet -- the list of who's driving which animals where, and everybody's contact information -- suggested bringing water, bowls, and newspaper. So I stocked up and hit the road. It took me about forty-five minutes to reach the meeting point, just off the NJ Turnpike at exit 5 in Mt. Holly. It was pretty easy to pick out the transport folks -- they were the ones with all the dogs walking around the parking lot. So I pulled up and introduced myself and the adventure began.

A cheerful lady named Alicia had brought the crateload of puppies from Newark, DE to the Mt. Holly meeting place. Much to her dismay, there had been a bit of a poop explosion during the trip. So we took the gigantic puppy crate from her car and put it into mine... and then the gloves went on. Somebody held the flashlight while I yanked out the yucky newspapers, then replaced them with fresh ones. I also added a Tupperware full of water, which the puppies seemed glad to have.

Back on the road, and back on the NJ Turnpike... I was heading to the next meeting place, just after exit 11. I gave Kim -- the person who was hosting the puppies overnight -- a call so she'd know I was coming. The puppies started to make sad little peeping noises, so I started to sing. Apparently it worked, because by the time I reached the Grover Cleveland rest area, the puppies were all heaped up together and fast asleep. I helped Kim and her two daughters move the crate to the next car and my dog chauffeur duties were done!

Would I do it again? Definitely. It cost me a few hours and a half tank of gas, and in return I got to help get some gorgeous puppies a second chance at finding a home. Everybody I met was great!

Read up on more ways to help your favorite shelter.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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