Have you ever driven a dog (cat, bird, or any other animal) in a relay fashion over a long distance? If so, then you should be familiar with terms like ‘transport’, ‘run sheet’, ‘it’s a go’, ‘legs’, etc. This is kind of how it works: an email goes out on a Monday that gives the details of the dogs that have probably been rescued from certain death that will be transported to a receiving rescue group. There are different time slots/legs of the trip that are divided into roughly 1hr segments. You sign up to drive a small portion of this normally long journey to help a dog or many dogs to safety. If you have ever replied yes, you will probably have people begging you the drive for the next 20 years! Most of the transports are on Saturday & Sundays. There will subsequently be about 20+ emails and some of them coming as late as midnight on Friday night finalizing driver information and coordinating meeting locations.
So why do people who have never met each other offer up their time and gas money to drive dogs that they may never see again? Simply put, BECAUSE THEY CARE AND THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
On this particular transport going from Gadsden, AL to Fayetteville, NY, there were a total of 9 small breed dogs on my leg. The cutest were these two female Boston Terriers! This can be a traumatic experience for some of the dogs that have long distances to travel. They are in strange cars with strange people. They get handed off to a new driver just about every hour. Every time they get out it is in a new place with new scents and smells. But the ending is that these transports literally save their lives and they go on to be adopted by loving families. But back to the Boston Terriers, they were just so cute and despite the circumstances, you knew they had good hearts. Then, let’s not forget about Ricky Bobby, the Pomeranian. He barked the entire 1hr drive with me. When I got him out for his potty break, he looked at me like, “oh, no, I might not be as big & bad as I thought!”
If you ever have the opportunity to drive a leg on a transport, do it. It is so rewarding to know that you were able to help out in a small, but grand way!
On Saturday, Bruce broke loose from jail. Okay, it was not jail and he didn’t do anything but wag his tail. Volunteers from two states came together to rescue him. Bruce was turned into a local shelter because his family could not afford to take care of him. Sadly he is heart worm positive and the treatment can be very expensive. McKamey Animal Care & Adoption Center contacted Southeast Pug Rescue to see if we had a spot for Bruce. So with a lot of emails, a lot of planning, and a lot of miles, Bruce was safely transport to a foster home where he will be loved and cared for until he can get a clean bill of health. 
