IL: Pipelines give pets new leashes on life

Pipelines give pets new leashes on life
Animals transported from areas where finding them new homes is unlikely
By John Keilman Tribune reporter
December 26, 2009

Gordo and Goblin, sweet-tempered pit bull mixes, were not long for this world when Candy Thomas met them in a downstate pound.  The puppies had been corralled by animal control, and their owner, unable to afford the $50 impound fee, decided to relinquish them. But Thomas, who runs a rescue operation near Carbondale, thought they had a good shot at finding a home -- one that would be hundreds of miles away.

That's how the dogs ended up in a van headed north this week, two of the latest passengers in a pipeline that transports animals from southern Illinois, or even from other states, in the hope they'll find a better future in the subdivisions and condo towers of greater Chicago.

A change of scenery does not guarantee success: Most of the animals end up in shelters, albeit no-kill ones, which then must try to arrange adoptions.  But advocates across the state say the animals' chances are far better here than in rural areas, where depressed incomes and an overwhelming abundance of dogs and cats make happy endings rare.

"Those are the lucky ones who get on that van," said Sally Matay of Illinois Animal Rescue, which brings up 60 or so animals every week. "The majority get adopted very quickly. Just given the chance for a good home, they get one."

Nationally, the Best Friends Animal Society began transporting small-breed dogs from Los Angeles shelters to other states two years ago, after finding other areas "that have not only a shortage of small dogs for adoption, but waiting lists for them," said Elizabeth Oreck, Los Angeles programs manager.  Best Friends, based in Utah, also transported dogs rescued from Midwestern puppy mills to the East Coast through its Pup My Ride campaign, which passed through Midway Airport last month and was featured in a Tribune article.  Oreck said there may be other similar efforts under way, but she was not aware of any that operated on as large a scale as Best Friends, which has found 2,500 dogs new homes, she said.

Matay's group, which is about 2 years old, formalized a practice that has been going on for years. Pet lovers in the Chicago area, hearing about dogs and cats facing euthanasia downstate, would drive there to retrieve the animals.  Some rural animal control officers say that without such efforts, few of the dogs and cats they take in stand a chance.  "My adoption rate is pretty pitiful," said Sandy Millman, Richland County's animal control officer. "We adopted 28 animals this year and impounded 824."

She and others say many downstate residents don't spay or neuter their animals because they find it too expensive or don't believe it's important.  What's more, they said, the plague of unemployment has prompted more people to try breeding dogs as a business. When the puppies don't sell, they are usually abandoned or dropped off at the local pound.

Dr. Dena Heflin, a veterinarian in the small town of Iuka, 85 miles east of St. Louis, said most people in the area aren't sentimental about their animals.  "I worked in Naperville for 13 years, and there is a huge, different mentality from there to here," she said. "You still have a lot of people here who love their pets, and they do whatever they can to keep them healthy, but the majority do just what they have to to get by. And most of those, it's barely even that."

Animal control officials around Chicago, though, said abuse, neglect and full shelters are a fact of life here too. Some had mixed feelings about the importation of more cats and dogs.  "There's certainly a need in Chicago," said Cherie Travis of Chicago Animal Care and Control, which has had to euthanize about half of the 20,000 animals it has impounded this year. "There's a misconception among people that the problem is just downstate or in other states."

Dr. Robyn Barbiers of Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society, an organization that takes in about 7,500 animals a year, said the region still seems to have room for dogs, especially puppies.  "You have to make sure you're not bringing animals in at the expense of animals in the city," she said. "For the most part, though, there is a nice balance going on."

Save-a-Pet Adoption Center in Grayslake harbors mostly local animals, but it has accepted many from other areas too. Shelter manager Dana Deutsch said the group recently took in 18 dogs auctioned by a Missouri puppy breeder.  "A life is a life is a life, whether it's here or down south," she said.

Illinois Animal Rescue focuses on pets that seem likely to be adopted quickly, though hard cases can make the trip too. A van load that arrived Tuesday included four terriers with matted fur and fearful eyes. Julie Marry-Falkenberry, the volunteer at the wheel, said they had been recovered from an animal hoarder.

But most of the 52 animals in her vehicle seemed happy and well-adjusted, bounding out of their crates as Marry-Falkenberry transferred them to other volunteers in a Joliet parking lot. One handsome boxer-shepherd preened in the back seat of a car as he awaited a ride to Huntley's Animal House Shelter.  "We rescued him literally one hour before he was to be euthanized," Matay said. "He'll get adopted out right away."

Two dogs already had a permanent home lined up.  Kelly Hjorth and Michael Olsen, of Crystal Lake, bought their first house in August but felt it wouldn't be complete without animal companions. They discovered a favorite pair online, and on a recent evening, volunteers delivered Gordo and Goblin to their new home.

The 8-month-old brothers beat a merry tattoo with their tails as they darted through the couple's split-level, pausing only to feast from matching food bowls set beside the Christmas tree. Finally they collapsed on the couch, their mouths lolling open as Hjorth and Olsen scratched the dogs' muzzles and bellies.  "They are awesome," said Hjorth, 25, a special education teacher. "We are all about giving second chances, and this is definitely a second chance for them."

Tribune reporter Lisa Black contributed to this report. jkeilman@tribune.com

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-pet-pipeline-26-dec26,0,4431080.story?page=1