Choosing The Right Rescue Annie Guion

Annie Guion - Brattleboro, VT

In 2019, 55% of dogs and 30% of cats coming to the Windham County Humane Society (WCHS) came via transport. WCHS is not an anomaly in that regard. Most shelters in New England transport animals both to meet the desire for families who want to adopt and to save the lives of animals in places where euthanasia is still a way to deal with overpopulation. New England shelters transport these animals while still meeting the needs of local animals. This is largely due to progressive practices, most notably providing affordable spay and neuter services, which led to a decrease in the local pet population.

The pandemic resulted in a ban on the importation of animals into Vermont. This was a wise move on the state’s part, because due to a lack of laws around importation, many large trucks come just over the border to hand puppies and dogs out to eager adopters. This practice was leading to large groups of people gathering in parking lots. The problem is, no one is monitoring those large trucks, some of which have 200 dogs on board and come to VT every week. Some are viable, reputable rescues. However, there are reports from police of trucks that don’t have a current transport license or health certificates for every dog, as required by law. Some of these trucks are transporting dogs for organizations that look like non-profits on their website, but are not a registered 501©3. There is some concern that some of these dogs are coming from puppy mills while being marketed as “rescues”. WCHS and other VT shelters work with our trusted partners, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey. One reason we love transporting with St Hubert’s is that they work with the sending shelters in the south to improve their overall operations. Every dog brought north for adoption results in a $25 payment to the sending shelter in the south. St. Hubert’s staff visits with these shelters to help improve their daily operations and has also sent shelter staff to national conferences for professional development.

While brick and mortar shelters in Vermont honored the ban, not all rescues did. If you are looking for a dog online, here are some recommendations to help you choose wisely: • Do your research and make sure the organization is truly a non-profit. Don’t take their word for it on their website. Check them out on the IRS webpage or look them up on Guidestar to see their financials, mission, and more. Any group

• All pets being transported over state lines are required to have a health certificate. It should be signed by a veterinarian within 10 days of transport.

Ask any group you are working with if they are aware of and comply with this requirement • While many places will list their animals as located in Brattleboro, the dogs are often actually somewhere down south. Some rescue groups are doing great work pulling dogs from shelters and ensuring that adopters get excellent postadoption support. Some, however, have no staff or foster homes in New England.

Ask any group you are working with to share their policy for post-adoption support and ask what happens if the adoption does not work out.

If you choose to adopt with Vermont’s brick and mortar shelters, you can rest assured that the animal came from a shelter and not from a puppy mill, that all the required regulations around transport were followed, that your adoption fee will support all of our programs, and that we will be here if things don’t work out. Adopting a new family member is a huge undertaking. It’s not always a perfect fit right from the start. We are here to make sure that you, your family, and your pet are all doing well and navigating your new lives together successfully.