Pets Alive in NY has offered to take the feral dog currently at MAS. Huzzah!
Brainstorming session – everyone pitch in your suggestions and thoughts. As they say, there are no bad ideas! What we need in order to save this dog:
1. Advice on how we get a feral dog from MAS to a boarding facility. We need specifics here please on getting this dog from her cage at MAS to a vehicle and from the vehicle to the kennel at the boarding facility. Huge plus if someone with experience can physically assist. Sedation, special equipment… what’s appropriate?
2. Transportation from Memphis, TN to Middletown, NY. All options are on the table at this point – official transport services, individual volunteers, etc. The key is getting her moved quickly.
3. This is not a brainstorming item but I’m adding it because I know people will ask. If you want to donate specifically to assist in boarding and transport costs, please visit our regular ChipIn. Meows and BowWows will be helping us with the dog in Memphis. If you wish to donate to her care after she gets to Pets Alive, their website has donation info.
Also, I’m sure I don’t say this enough but all you guys are awesome and I love you.
Added: Bringing up from the comments so everyone can read this good info:
Hi, everyone — this is Steve from Olympic Animal Sanctuary. Very quickly, so you don’t have to spend time looking me up, I’m one of a handful of people in the entire country that specializes in feral dog rehab. I’m going to explain the situation as plainly as I can, and I hope that one of you in Memphis will step up and do what needs to be done for this dog, because if you don’t, she’s dead in a few hours.
What needs to happen is this: one of you needs to go to the shelter with a crate, have shelter staff put the dog into the crate, put the crate in your vehicle, and take it to a safe location, like your garage or bathroom. That will save her life, and buy us some time to work out placement. The rescue options we have for her are not in Memphis, and we simply cannot mobilize anyone quickly enough to get her out in time. One of you has to do it.
I understand that you may be concerned for your safety and the dog’s well-being. Your concerns are valid, and I am happy to personally guide you through this process if you’re willing to step up. This is actually mush easier than you might think. Here are some basics:
Line the crate with straw or shavings, because the dog is going to be urinating and defecating in the crate. No bathroom breaks. No walks. You will not take the dog out of the crate.
You will feel that you need to provide food and water to the dog, but she will not eat or drink until she feels safe, and that won’t happen in the first twelve hours. She will only spill the food and water all over the crate. If we are not able to coordinate transport for her within twelve hours, I will personally guide you through providing water for her.
You may, if you wish, thread plastic zip ties through the door of the crate to secure it shut. In most cases these dogs do not attempt to escape, they simply hunker down in the back of the crate and are completely silent and still.
These dogs do not bite except in defense, and they have to generally be pushed very hard to elicit a bite. They do not come forward — their primary defense is to run away, and it is only when that is impossible and you attempt to handle them that they bite. the bites are not serious in most cases — they are simply trying to create an opportunity to run by making you back away. This should not be an issue because you WILL NOT be handling the dog.
When you move the crate, you will be able to carry it, with two people, without sticking your fingers where they can be bitten.
You will have as little interaction with the dog as possible — simply get her out and leave her alone. Very easy. Anything more is going to stress her out and will be a waste of time. I am networking with other feral dog specialists right now and believe we can have her placed very quickly, but I need one of you to buy me the time I need to arrange transportation. I will walk you through every step and be on the phone with you as much as you need, so please, someone in Memphis, the time for blogging, Facebook sharing, praying, and crossing fingers is over for this dog — we have a very clear, step-by-step solution, and I just need one of you to commit to getting her out of the shelter so we can take those steps. If you will be the one to save this dog, reply here as soon as possible with your contact info. I will continue to check it throughout the day, as will Shirley.
Thanks.