Second Chances: PetSmart Charities®’ Rescue Waggin®’ Program

PetSmart Michelle Thompson, PetSmart Charities®

The PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® program had a big year in 2009. First, the program celebrated its 5-year anniversary in May with a two-day Super Summit in St. Louis, Mo. During the event, PetSmart Charities honored two very special program dogs – Dipper, one of the first dogs to ride a Rescue Waggin’ vehicle to a new home, and Ernie, the 25,000th dog transported by one of the Rescue Waggin’ vehicles (you can read more about Dipper and Ernie on the Rescue Waggin’ program site).

Now, just five months later, the program has reached a new milestone – 31,000 dogs transported to new homes (31,028 to be exact). What does this mean? It means that a lifesaving program is gaining strength and saving the lives of even more dogs and puppies. Right now, six to eight million pets enter shelters across the United States every year, and only about half of them find homes. Homeless-pet overpopulation in the U.S. results in the euthanasia of millions of innocent dogs and cats every year.  In fact, euthanasia is the No. 1 killer of pets in the nation.  Every day, the clock is ticking for pets who will be put to death if they’re not adopted in time. 

That’s why PetSmart Charities started the Rescue Waggin’ program – to give homeless pets the “rides of their lives” to new lifelong, loving homes. The Rescue Waggin’ program was created to achieve one goal: save the lives of adoptable dogs and puppies facing euthanasia at overcrowded shelters.  Since the program’s establishment in 2004, Rescue Waggin’ vehicles have logged more than 1.5 million miles transporting dogs and puppies from shelters that had reached capacity to designated shelters in areas of the country where adoptable dogs and puppies are in demand. Once transported, most dogs and puppies only have to wait an average of only three days before being adopted.

The program also provides capacity-building grants in areas of homeless-pet overpopulation to expand local spay and neuter services for cats and dogs and to fund professional consultation aimed at improving shelter facilities and operations for participating animal-welfare agencies.

Today, the Rescue Waggin’ program operates in 24 states and has four routes:  Midwest, Great Plains, South Central and Northeast.  Thirteen pre-qualified animal-welfare organizations serve as “destination shelters” in communities where pet lovers are on waiting lists to adopt dogs and puppies in need.  There are 49 “source shelters” enrolled in the program that have high overpopulation of homeless pets, and very high euthanasia rates.  Working in cooperation with both the source and destination shelters, the Rescue Waggin’ vehicles pick up the dogs and puppies for whom there is no more time or space and transport them to locations where they can be adopted … and get the second chances they deserve.

Comments

17 May 2010 3:54 pm

dvarga said:

How do I find a dog to adopt