Hanna McCullough

Cookie was rescued along with 51 other dogs.

by Julie Hauserman

The dogs have been penned for so long that they stiffen when shelter workers try to put them on a leash. Even large adult dogs have to be carried or wheeled around on a cart.

Still, life is looking up for the 32 adult dogs and 20 puppies who arrived May 9 at the Humane Society of Broward County, Fla.

Their journey began two days earlier and 950 miles north, in a remote area near Morgantown, Ky. The dogs had been penned in close quarters at the Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary for years, and their anxiety showed.

One dog frantically ran back and forth, a sign that he had finally gone “cage crazy.” Doghouses in the dirt-floored pens were chewed up, and the animals were plagued with fleas, ticks, and medical issues.

“These dogs were friendly to people, but they weren’t getting the love of human interaction. They never got out to play, and they weren’t getting walked,” said HSUS Kentucky State Director Pam Rogers. “The facility was underfunded and understaffed.

Some of these dogs had been sitting there for many years. There were three or four dogs in each pen. They were living in dirt and mud, with just tattered tarps for shade.”

Overwhelming Proportions

The HSUS

Dogs in the Kentucky sanctuary before transport.

Caring for so many dogs had become too overwhelming for the sanctuary’s founder. Dogs were being collected, but they weren’t being adopted out.

And although the sanctuary has 65 acres, all the dogs were packed into pens on about 2,000 square feet of ground.

“People with good intentions sent these animals to this sanctuary,” Rogers said. “I think if they recognized the conditions we found these dogs were living in, they would have made other arrangements.

It is very important for people to check out these sanctuaries carefully before they send animals or donations to them.”

Hanna McCullough, a local Kentucky volunteer, contacted the owner and offered to help. She called rescue groups and The HSUS, asking for assistance in getting the dogs the care they needed.

Hitting the Road

Not long after, The HSUS's 75-foot, custom-built animal transport vehicle pressed into service for the journey to Kentucky. The dogs were in such a remote area that the rescue vehicle—the size of a tractor-trailer—couldn’t reach them.

So, 11 people loaded dog crate after dog crate into a van and transported the pups to the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society, about 30 miles away.

In Bowling Green, the dogs went into a veterinary triage unit, and then were loaded into the HSUS vehicle for the trip to Florida.

“We’re happy to help,” said Jo-Anne Roman, senior director of operations for the Humane Society of Broward County (a 33,000-square-foot facility that welcomes 200,000 visitors a year and can house more than 300 animals at one time).

Hunter Wilson/The Daily News

One by one, the dogs were carried to safety.

The dogs arrived a bit “shell shocked and stressed,” said Mary Steffan, medical director at the Broward County shelter. They have been getting rest and medical care, and soon they will be up for adoption.

Little by little, the dogs are relaxing and enjoying their one-on-one time with shelter workers and volunteers. Before long, they’ll even learn to walk on a leash.