Puppy Pipeline puts pups After researching and networking with other dog
rescue operations, Dougherty concluded that many
on fast track Southern dogs were being euthanized primarily
because of supply and demand.
The South, he said, is full of dogs, many of which
Article by: ALEX GATERUD , Special to the Star Tribune spend their lives outdoors. "The animal population
down here, especially in rural areas, is epidemic."
Updated: November 16, 2011 - 3:34 PM
A few times a month, in the early morning, a shiny Perhaps because of that, funding for shelters is
white van pulls into the garage of the Animal scarcer than in other parts of the country, he said,
Humane Society in Golden Valley. The driver hops and spay/neuter programs are much rarer.
out, swings opens the back door and out pours a
wave of noise: the barking, yapping and whining of His solution was to get as many healthy dogs as
40 dogs demanding to be let out. possible to the North, where dogs are fewer in
number, cherished as companions and often treated
The dogs have been in the van for 17 hours, making as a member of the family.
a journey north toward their second chance at life.
Since it was founded, the pipeline has transported
All of them were rescued -- sometimes just hours thousands of dogs a year and has acquired three
before they were scheduled to be euthanized -- by vans, which are specially equipped with individual
the Puppy Pipeline Rescue of Georgia. The nonprofit cages, state-of-the-art climate-control systems,
transportation service shuttles unwanted dogs from and sanitary pads for long-distance travel.
shelters in the South, where they're likely to be
euthanized, to shelters from Maine to Minnesota, An anonymous foundation provides much of the
where they'll be put up for adoption. operation's funding, with individual donors
contributing smaller amounts. "We could easily
The pipeline got its start in 2006, when Atlantan double or triple this business if we had more vans
Mike Dougherty went to a shelter in rural Georgia to or more money," Dougherty said.
pick up two dogs for rescue. Just outside the
shelter, he saw animal control officers throwing The Puppy Pipeline makes sure the dogs it
euthanized dogs into a Dumpster. transports have their shots and health certificates. It
also requires that the animals be spayed or
"I witnessed the aftermath of 'kill day,'" he said. "And neutered and that the receiving shelters agree not
that day changed my life forever." to euthanize older dogs to accommodate new
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additions -- especially puppies -- from the pipeline. Longtime cat owners Dan and Mary Sullivan had
been thinking about getting a dog for a while. So
While 80 percent of the pipeline dogs end up in when they went to the Humane Society in Coon
Northeastern states, several Minnesota shelters, i Rapids, it probably didn't take much for Samantha to
ncluding the Animal Humane Society (AHS) system, charm them. After a few hours playing with the
also contract with Puppy Pipeline to bring in rescued year-old yellow terrier mix, the Sullivans decided
dogs. that Samantha was the one.
AHS chief operating officer Ray Aboyan said the Before she went to the adoption floor, Samantha had
society has been contracting for dogs and puppies medical and behavioral exams. She was spayed the
from the pipeline since 2008. "By taking these dogs day after the Sullivans adopted her and two days
in, we're saving lives," he said. "Otherwise these after they met, Samantha came home. (Not before a
dogs would be languishing and eventually name change: She's now Abby, a name Dan said
euthanized." "seemed to fit us better.")
But he's quick to point out that animals from the Although they didn't know it at the time, Abby was
pipeline don't displace local dogs. By the end of the the 6,000th dog that the Puppy Pipeline had
year, AHS will have taken in nearly 1,000 pipeline transported.
dogs, just a fraction of the 8,000 dogs the shelters
take in during the average year. Dogs from the Puppy Pipeline don't carry a special
designation, but society staff members tell potential a
"With dogs, we will first take care of our community dopters as much as they know about a dog's
here," he said. "If there are rescues or other history. That's how the Sullivans found out about
organizations in Minnesota that want us to accept Abby's long journey to their Coon Rapids home.
their dogs, they're our first priority. Minnesota dogs
come first." The couple say they're thrilled to be the owners of a
rescue dog, especially one from halfway across he
But because the demand for dogs and puppies is so country.
great in the Twin Cities, Aboyan said dogs from the
pipeline help society shelters remain a draw for "We are very happy with our decision and very glad
potential adopters by providing a wide variety of to give her a second start on life," said Dan. "Pets
animals. bring so much to a home. With all the love -- and
sometimes craziness -- that an animal brings to a
"The dogs are needed in this community," he said. home, you know, it's really like having a kid, and you
have to watch over them. We don't have any regrets
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on that, and we love her to pieces."
Alex Gaterud is a Minneapolis-based freelance
writer.
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