The Canine Underground Railroad

My son has had an interest in the Civil Rights movement for a while.  Whether it's Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks or other heroes, he's had me read and re-read about them.  He takes an interest in this subject and I don't mind supporting his curiosity in understanding historical injustice.

There is a different form of "Underground Railroad" that I deal with on a daily basis.  It's obviously not as serious as the commonly known underground railroad of over 150 years ago.  But it does exist.

Every day, I see multiple dogs that have come up from the South.  Be it Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Alabama or Texas.  The Northeast of the USA actually has a shortage of rescue dogs.  I know a lot of people who wanted to rescue a dog but found it very difficult to do, so just bought one from a breeder instead.  I know people who have adopted dogs from Korea and the Caribbean.

The population of dogs in the Northeast is largely spayed and neutered.  There aren't many dogs in shelters here that are a breed people want to adopt (small dogs or labs or golden retrievers).  Many people and their landlords have a bias against Pit Bulls and Pit Bull-type dogs.

Overnight, most days of the week, there are trucks that come up from the south bringing puppies, adult dogs and even some senior dogs for people to rescue.  Some of the rescues are great.  Some are possibly a little more dubious.  Some actually make money off of the process.  Some of the dogs are healthy, some are not, some bring infectious disease, especially heartworm disease.  I'm all about rescuing dogs.  I think it's great these dogs get a second chance in a place where they will be spayed and neutered and vaccinated and not struggling to make it in the wild.  Ever

yone should have an awareness though, that sometimes these dogs are not healthy and could come with additional cost and care that were not discussed, either because the rescue was not aware, or because of other issues come up.

A statistic that is interesting is that 100,000 dogs a year from Oklahoma and Texas go to Colorado.

A case of canine rabies was reported in the United States in a dog that was brought from a farm in South Korea to the U.S.

Be educated when you adopt a dog that is not local.  Consider adopting from your local shelter.