Kevin Roberts isn’t just an outdoors enthusiast – he’s also passionate about rescuing and fostering dogs. In this article, he tells us about the story of Elvis, a brave dog who made his way from the U.S to Canada via transport – one of the lucky ones to escape death at a high-kill shelter and gain a new lease on life in a new country with a new family. Here’s Elvis’ story.
It was a cold December night in Manitoba. My husband and I were travelling across town to the home of a person we had never met. The host for the evening was warm and friendly. There was food and drinks, the house was filled with people who were all there for the same reason we were. They were there to rescue dogs.
Around midnight, a car with plates from Iowa pulled up. The house fell silent. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the arrival of this mini-van and its furry passengers. Ten lucky dogs who had escaped death, aided by these angels in a mini-van, were about to gain a new lease on life.
The van was filled kennels, but still, there was such an assortment of dogs! All of them were wagging their tails, and happy to have leashes clipped on and brought into the warm house.
These dogs had been rescued from high-kill shelters in the United States, and were on their way to their foster homes, and then forever homes here in Manitoba, Canada.
We were to pick up a dog name Elvis. He was a 6-month-old Jack Russell and Australian Shepherd Mix who had been surrendered to a high-kill pound in Missouri. Elvis was a happy, friendly, eager- to-please dog, and the shelter workers, overwhelmed as they were, knew that there just had to be a home for this guy out there.
Through their networks and with the aid of social media, a rescue group was willing and able to take in Elvis. The only catch? The rescue group was over 1,000 miles away, and in a different country.
Elvis started his journey toward his happy ending (a forever home) by aid of a transport. What is a transport? It’s composed of animal loving volunteers who take legs or shifts on a longer journey to get a dog to a safe haven. Transports can be by car or plane, and many of these people are volunteers, but all of them love animals.
If the rural shelter that Elvis was housed in hadn’t gotten him on a transport, he would have been euthanized, due to a limited number of available homes and an overabundance of dogs in the community.
The story for Elvis had a happy ending. Elvis is now called Benny, and has a family to call his own! He was adopted into the perfect home, he spends his summer on the family’s sailboat, and his winter taking long walks and playing in the park across the street. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated transport drivers who helped Elvis leave the shelter in Iowa.
Next week, I sit down with two veterans of rescue organizations and learn more about saving lives with transports, as well as how you can get involved.
