Update May 10, 2006
A Cross-Country Dog Rescue Road Trip
IDA's Connie Durkee Transports 23 Dogs from Mississippi to Washington State
Ever since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf States in August of last year, IDA has been helping animals affected by the storm and its aftermath. Even now, IDA staff and volunteers from all over the country continue to transport homeless animals from Mississippi, Louisiana and other storm-ravaged areas to animal shelters in other regions where they can have a chance to start over with new families.
Connie Durkee (who works in IDA's Northwest office in Portland, Ore.) recently had an adventure on the road with her sister and 23 dogs. The siblings did a relay, meeting a transport from Waveland, Miss. to Denver, Colo. and drove all the way from Denver to Portland, making stops along the way in Seattle and at Bainbridge Island, Wash. Here is the story of that trip as told in Connie's own words.
In April, I was lucky enough to participate in another transport of animals from Waveland, Miss. This time our destination was the Pacific Northwest.
My sister Peggy had been wanting to help me transport animals from Mississippi for some time, and since we were coming to her neck of the woods this time, she was able to come with me. The plan was for us to meet the transport in Denver, Colo., and take 23 dogs with us (five of whom were newborn pups from a loving, friendly pit bull mix who gave birth while on the road).
When we arrived in Denver at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April 25th, the van from the first part of the transport had just pulled in. They were in the process of walking the dogs and cleaning cages. We jumped in to help and after 2 hours of walking and cleaning, we had transferred all 23 of the dogs into our cargo van. By 6:00 p.m., we had hit the road headed first for Seattle, Wash. and then to Portland, Ore.
All of the dogs were loving and friendly and settled down as it got dark. We drove all night through Colorado, Wyoming and into Montana. We arrived in Bozeman, Mont. at 6:30 a.m., just as the sun was coming up. We stopped at a roomy rest area and proceeded to walk everyone and give them some food and water. All of the dogs were in good spirits and had fun watching each other take their turn on their walk. It was quite a circus.
We hit the road again. When approaching Missoula, Mont., we smelled that smell…someone had had an accident! (That only happened once the whole trip). Time for an emergency stop! We found an isolated side road and pulled off. After we got the culprit all cleaned up, we decided it was a good time to walk everyone and then head straight through to Seattle. So, we walked and watered everyone. Let me tell you, this is not easy work. I remember my sister saying, "this is harder than I thought it would be." But, these dogs were so happy and so worth all the hard work that we just laughed and hit the road again.
We pulled into Seattle around 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Fifteen of the dogs were going to Furry Tale Farm Rescue on Bainbridge Island and the other eight to Dandelion Dog Rescue based in Forks, Wash. We had made arrangements to meet up with a volunteer from Dandelion Dog Rescue in Seattle before boarding the ferry for Bainbridge Island. When waiting in line for the ferry, all the dogs were excited and barking quite a bit. If you've ever waited in line for a ferry in Seattle, you know that you're surrounded by cars. People were starting to stare at us, wondering what we had going on in that cargo van. We struck up a conversation with several different groups of people and let them visit the dogs. It was comical!
We pulled in to Furry Tale Farm Rescue around 9:30 p.m. and proceeded to unload the dogs. There were big enclosures for the dogs and they were having so much fun, running and playing with each other. They had been on this transport for a long time and were ready to let loose. It was heartwarming to see them having such a good time. After getting through all the paperwork and putting all the dogs to bed, Peggy and I headed out to find a motel. One little dog, a male boxer mix, left with us headed to Portland.
By the time we hit the pillow Friday night, we had been up for 41 hours straight. Needless to say, we were ready for a good night's sleep. It was rewarding to know we had delivered our precious cargo safe and sound and that they had a chance at a new life in secure, loving homes. My sister and I would both do it again in a heartbeat!
Here's what my sister had to say about her experience:
"This was the most rewarding trip I have ever been on. The way the dogs settled down on the road, rarely soiled their crates and their patience gives me a whole new respect for the species. I had never interacted with pit bulls before and I was a little apprehensive, especially when we found out one of them had a brand new litter of puppies, but I fell in love with both of them. They are very special.
We became so attached to all of the dogs that it was very hard leaving them at their new shelters, but we could tell they were in good hands. Seeing them out of their crates - running, leaping and completely out of control with joy - was something I will never forget. I am very grateful for the experience. Thank you IDA, and everyone else involved, for your dedication, energy, time and funds to save these wonderful animals! They deserve it so much!"
Connie Durkee
IDA Northwest
Portland, Oregon
We need funds to continue our relief work. As an illustration of the financial resources needed to rescue animals, rental of a vehicle and gas for one week costs upwards of $1000. Please contribute to IDA's hurricane relief fund when making your end of the year donations. To donate, send checks made payable to IDA with a note reading "for hurricane relief" to In Defense of Animals, 3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901. Click here and scroll down to donate online using your credit card.