California Rescue Mission
Outreach Pawsabilities recently undertook a critical rescue mission during the California fires, illustrating our commitment to saving lives and highlighting the harsh realities faced by many shelter dogs.
On Sunday, January 7th, our team decided to rescue several dogs facing euthanasia in various shelters. Our initial focus was on Apple Valley, where numerous dogs were in imminent danger.
For a number of reasons , such as stray holds and evaluations, the dogs we targeted were not immediately available. This information only came to light on Tuesday morning, following our driver’s departure on Monday night. It’s important to note that many shelters in California are closed on Sundays and Mondays, adding to the complexity of rescue operations.
Our first successful rescue was a little brown terrier from Riverside, who was on the brink of euthanasia due to aggression. Interestingly, in our experience, truly aggressive dogs are rare. Our next rescue involved a shepherd from a private home, who had undergone extensive leg surgeries. Following this, we rescued a silver Shepherd from Coachella, initially labeled aggressive but proved otherwise.
En route to San Jacinto, we learned that several dogs we hoped to rescue were actually at Coachella, but time constraints prevented us from returning. Unfortunately, this meant that three dogs slipped through our rescue efforts, and we hope other organizations were able to step in.
At San Jacinto, we rescued a white Dogo Argentino bull terrier mix, also deemed aggressive, and made a last-minute decision to take another small terrier. With time running short, we had to coordinate with another transporter to rescue a Pocket Pit from Orange County, while our original transporter headed to San Bernardino. After some delays, we successfully rescued two more dogs from San Bernardino.
In total, we rescued eight dogs, seven of which were on euthanasia lists. Among them was a four-month-old bully, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of shelter euthanasia policies. The shelters, overwhelmed with intakes, face a heartbreaking triage situation. For every dog adopted, three are surrendered, and for each euthanized, ten more await the same fate.
Currently, five of the eight rescued dogs are in quarantine, and the others are at our rescue facility. We are also preparing for the arrival of 11 Havanese and a Corgi from Nebraska, courtesy of Best Friends. This mission underscores the dire situation many shelter dogs face and the vital role of rescue organizations in providing a lifeline to these vulnerable animals.
This operation serves as a poignant reminder of the urgency and significance of our work at Outreach Pawsabilities. The challenges we encounter in these rescue missions are multifaceted, often involving logistical complexities and heart-wrenching decisions. The reality is that many shelters, due to overwhelming numbers and limited resources, are forced into difficult positions where they have to euthanize animals that could have otherwise found loving homes.
