Each week a few lucky dogs from Dallas wing their way to safety in Washington

Dopey & Sleepy and their new family at SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.

Society for Companion Animals founder Tawana Couch climbed out of bed last Wednesday at 3 a.m., loaded three very lucky dogs into her car, and headed out to the Frontier Airlines cargo hangar at DFW airport.  Just twelve hours before she had rescued the dogs, named Dopey, Sleepy, and Leo, from the over-crowded City of Dallas animal shelter where they'd been scheduled for euthanasia.   From there they were transported to a warm, safe foster home to relax, get some fresh air, and spend a quiet night on a clean, soft bed.  Now they were on their way to the airport to catch an early morning flight to Spokane, Washington, nearly 1,500 miles away, where staff and volunteers from SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. were waiting.  By Friday, Dopey & Sleepy would be adopted and enjoying a new home and a family of their own, and Leo would be well on his way to finding his forever home as well.

Thanks to the Society for Companion Animals this scenario plays out twice each month, April through September.  The City of Dallas shelter takes in more than 30,000 dogs and cats each year.  At any given time there are nearly 800 dogs in the shelter with more coming in each day.  Only about 2,500 are lucky enough to get adopted each year.  Another 2,500 are reclaimed by owners or transferred to rescue groups. The remaining 25,000+ unwanted animals are euthanized each year, including many highly adoptable mixed breed dogs, purebreds, and puppies.  

"When I first heard about the dilemma suffered by the shelters in Texas, I was left in disbelief that so many small breeds and mixes are euthanized," said Angela Scheres, Director of IT Services at SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.  "Given the large population in Dallas, it is incredible that so many animals are dying needlessly. Though Texas is a world away, we are here to saves lives.  It doesn't matter where those lives began, it only matters that those lives are not ended early because of the irresponsibility of our race."

SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. operates a shelter and adoption center in Spokane, Washington and provides animal control services for the city, including cruelty investigation services,  spay/neuter services and an educational program .  There is a huge demand for small and medium dogs in the Spokane area. SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. maintains a waiting list of people looking for both purebred and mixed breed dogs.  Some families, knowing the dangers of buying a dog from a pet store and the cruelty inherent in puppy mills, will wait over a year for the chance to adopt a new friend.  If word gets out that new dogs are scheduled to arrive, staff members often find people waiting at the shelter the next morning. According to Ms. Scheres, "They want small dogs that are friendly and stable, and Tawana always sends us fantastic dogs - they are rarely in our shelter for more than a few days." In some cases, pre-adoption paperwork  is already complete by the time the dogs arrive in Spokane, so those dogs can go directly to their new homes the day they arrive.

 Society for Companion Animals is a 501c3, all volunteer organization dedicated to rescuing stray dogs and "death row" dogs in city/county municipal shelters, and giving them new life by relocating them to areas where there is a waiting list of responsible owners wishing to adopt.  Ms. Scheres affirmed, "The work she [Tawana] does through Society for Companion Animals is invaluable and is a fantastic example of the difference one person can make.  She is the epitome of what a 'rescuer' is, and I am honored to be a part of her circle of saving lives."  

How you can help:  Each and every dog moved from Dallas Animal Services to SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. since the program began in June 2008 is now part of a loving, permanent family.  But the key to the continued success of this program is volunteers.  Volunteers are needed to pick up dogs from temporary foster homes at 3 a.m. and deliver them to the airport by 4 a.m.  If you know anyone willing to drive from near downtown to DFW around that time, even once or twice a month, they could be the key to saving more lives.  Temporary foster homes are also needed to simply care for a dog or two overnight.  Society for Companion Animals hopes to ship 36 dogs in 2010 at an estimated cost of over $6,000 - $4,300 for airfare, plus the cost of a plastic airline-approved pet carrier for each dog - so monetary donations are welcome as well. Small to medium sized airline-approved plastic crates are also appreciated.  Call 214-941-1014 or email office@societyforcompanionanimals.com for more information on how you can help.