A Rescue Dog Adventure

Yesterday I completed my first volunteer assignment for the Dog Rescue Farm I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts. My "assignment if I chose to accept it" ( listen to the Mission Impossible music in the background) was to drive a cargo van to Fort Erie, cross into the USA and meet some folks in a park in Buffalo to pick up several dogs. Once situated into their crates and loaded onto the van I was to re-enter Canada and proceed to take the dogs to their new home at the Rescue Farm. These animals come from somewhere in Ohio and are basically strays who have been abandoned by their owners for a variety of reasons , none of which justifies their actions, in my opinion. As someone once said," we humans have domesticated dogs to the point where they are dependant on us for their survival and therefore we should take this responsibility very seriously." However I digress. Once I hit the US border I was ready for a series of questions about why I had all the empty crates in my van, where was I going and who was providing these dogs. Then I would be dinged with a charge for each empty crate which, apparently, was a fee to raise money for government coffers, "C'mon Barrack loosen up a bit and give the dogs a break". Anyhow, the customs and immigration officer did not seem to be aware of this rule and proceeded to let me through and even helped me with directions to my rendeavous spot. Ring one up for me! Once there I met up with the folks waiting to pick up dogs and finally the transporters from Ohio who were bringing the animals to the park. The first gentleman I met was my advocate and really helped me get through this, my first dog exchange of which I appreciated very much, believe me. I was impressed by his thoughtful care for animals as his SUV with empty cages was sitting idling with the air conditioning on to keep the vehicle cool for his upcoming guests. It was 34 celcius outside. Each cage had a cushion or padding in it as well as some dog treats . He also brought lots of water and bowls to let all of the dogs (ended up being 22) get a drink during the transfer stage. Once the two SUV's carrying the dogs from Ohio arrived the job was to get them sorted out, match up the paperwork (breed & health info, verification of rabies vaccinations, vet authorizations and general information about the animal) and then reload in our cars. In between the move from one vehicle to another each dog was allowed to have a drink of water and to have a brief walk in the park to stretch it's legs and do any business required. Once this was finished I had to get each one of "my" dogs into their new crate in my van and make sure they were secure. This was hard work and I was soaked with sweat when I was done. I also had two large scrapes on my arms from some of the cages that I had to maneuver around in the back of the van. I now had war wounds to flaunt! As I think about it now the people I met here were very unique for a lot of different reasons some of which would solicit a few laughs I'm sure, but the real neat thing was that none of us were being paid (other than costs) for putting in all of this time and effort for a few dogs and you just don't make fun of that. Next came the re-entry into Canada and I ended up being pulled over for inspection. After about 20 minutes I was on my way albeit with a distinct unpleasant odor in the vehicle. Because of the heat outside I had to keep the air conditioning on and of course the windows closed so eventually I became "one with the smell". So much for the old saying that dogs don't crap in their own surroundings. Eventually I returned to the Farm safely with a new adventure successfully completed and bragging rights to being an active volunteer not just a talker. What I did realize however was that my job was the easiest part, as now the folks at the dog camp had to absorb these dogs into their family, feed and care for them and hopefully find a home for each one. I gain more respect for these people everytime I see them. Next time though I'm going to make sure each dog gets enough time walking during the transfer phase so I don't have to bring a mask and live with 2 hrs of delightful and aromatic odors permeating the vehicle.