Rescue dogs have tails a-waggin'

The lives of about 40 dogs from Shelbyville shelters will be saved Tuesday when they take the ride of their lives to Westland, Mich., thanks to the efforts of PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin'.

"This program is saving lives," said Brenda Goodrich of Bedford County Animal Control. "In bigger cities, especially in the Northeast, people are waiting in lines to adopt dogs, and they're paying a lot more than $65."

PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin' is a non-profit charity that moves adoptable dogs from shelters with high areas of pet overpopulation to shelters where they're more likely to be adopted.

Tuesday will mark the Rescue Waggin's third trip to Shelbyville, one of only two shelters in the state to participate in the program. The large, climate-controlled truck can hold up to 60 dogs.

"We are the farthest shelter for the charity," said Goodrich. "They want us to fill the truck, and unfortunately, we can."

BCAC received more than 1,900 unwanted dogs and cats last year and of those, 1,474 had to be euthanized, according to a press release issued from the charity. The majority of the euthanized animals were healthy.

Goodrich says they put down from eight to 12 dogs per week. The majority of BCAC's dogs in recent months would have put down if it weren't for Rescue Waggin' making the three trips from its base in Wisconsin to Shelbyville to pick up the dogs and puppies.

"This is a wonderful program, but it is only one piece of the pie," said Kimberly Warren, a volunteer for the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Society, which is participating in the program with BCAC.

In participating with the Rescue Waggin', the goal of the Shelbyville shelters is to save the lives of these dogs, educate the public about spaying and neutering, and ultimately become independent of the charity, Goodrich said.

Although the Rescue Waggin' will make one trip a month to Shelbyville to pick up shelter dogs, Goodrich and Warren say their goal is to be operating independently within five years.

"We don't want people to drop their dogs off just because we have (Rescue Waggin')," said Goodrich. "Rescue Waggin' has given us an opportunity to get a good start toward that independence, and we are so appreciative."

Shelters in Shelbyville are working toward saving money to open a spay and neuter clinic in Shelbyville. PetSmart Charities awarded them a $10,000 grant toward the cost of the clinic.

Dogs are given behavioral tests, and also are treated for rabies, worms and other diseases prior to being accepted by Rescue Waggin'. Upon their arrival at the new shelter, they are given 12 to 24 hours of rest time prior to getting medical check-ups and spay or neuter surgery. They are then placed on the adoption floor.

Between three and four pets are euthanized nationwide each year, according to the press release. Rescue Waggin' was created to help shelters place adoptable pets into good homes, no matter where those homes are located. More than 21,000 dogs have been saved through the program since it began four years ago.

Because the Shelbyville shelters are holding on to, and feeding, more dogs -- who are waiting to go on a ride -- they are in desperate need for food donations.

WHAT'S NEXT

* To raise money for their spay/neuter clinic, BCAC, the humane association and Shelbyville Animal Control are sponsoring the "Hawgs for the Dawgs" poker run Oct. 4. For more information contact BCAC at 685-1130.

* The fourth annual Celebration Pet Day will be from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 at Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

To donate pet food, contact Bedford County Animal Control at 685-1130 or the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Society at 684-3738.