Road to Second Chance

Behind every transported rescue animal is a community working together to create a pet’s new beginning.

Written by Lena Anderson  |  Illustrated by Bryan Nigh

Ladybird had every reason not to trust people.

The hound-heeler mix had been shot in the back leg and left injured in  a field before making her way into rescue. Yet when volunteers picked her up, she leaned into the care they offered.

“Here is this precious soul who was brutally injured by a human, but still trusted us,” said Oxford rescue volunteer Moni Simpson. “Animals are too good for us. We really don’t deserve them.”

Ladybird eventually found her forever home, but her story wasn’t the result of a single rescue organization or one act of kindness. It took an entire network.

Every year, thousands of dogs and cats leave Mississippi through carefully coordinated transport programs that connect Southern shelters and rescue groups with adoption organizations in Northern states. Along the way, animals pass through the hands of veterinarians, foster families, volunteer drivers, shelter staff and rescue coordinators before arriving at families waiting to welcome them home.

“The reasons for surrender vary,” said Carlin Curtis, who helps coordinate transports in north Mississippi. “Many animals are owner surrenders because of moving or financial difficulties, but the majority are found as strays.”

Once accepted into a rescue program, animals receive medical care, vaccinations and a behavioral evaluation before moving into foster homes for two to three weeks. During that time, volunteers learn each animal’s personality while providing a safe, temporary place to recover and prepare for the next leg of the journey.

“Fosters play the most crucial role,” Curtis said. “Without fosters, we cannot say ‘yes’ to animals in need.”

Unlike long-term fostering, transport fosters know that their commitment is temporary from the beginning.

“Most fosters keep the animals for about two weeks,” Simpson said. “All supplies are provided, and they have the ease of knowing a date when the animal will be transported. There’s no indefinite fostering, which can be incredibly stressful.”

Behind the scenes, each transport requires careful coordination. Rescue teams arrange veterinary care, recruit foster families, organize volunteer drivers, complete medical documentation and work closely with receiving rescue organizations.

For more than 20 years, Wright-Way Rescue has partnered with rescue organizations across Mississippi. The partnership exists because communities across the country face very different challenges.

“Southern communities often struggle with pet overpopulation, fewer access-to-care resources and larger numbers of stray animals,” said Christy Anderson of Wright-Way Rescue. “In the North, shelters generally have fewer adoptable animals available to meet community demand. Transport partnerships help bridge that gap.”

Each year, Wright-Way rescues between 4,000 and 7,000 animals, with roughly 70% arriving through transport partnerships. In many cases, the adoption process begins before the animals ever leave Mississippi.

“When we say yes to an animal, we begin immediately advertising them for adoption,” Anderson said. “Anywhere from 40% to 60% of the animals have homes to look forward to before even arriving.”

That efficiency creates space to save even more animals.

“Our rescue partners have played an incredibly valuable role in decreasing the high euthanasia rates in the South,” Curtis said. “Space is in high demand within Southern shelters.”

Successful transport depends on more than simply finding room in another shelter. It requires trusted partnerships between organizations that share the same standards of care.

“It’s extremely important for shelters in the South to not blindly load dogs on a van without knowledge of where they’re going,” Curtis said. “Ensuring they’re going to be cared for and ensuring vetting is completed isn’t a goal — it’s the standard.”

For Anderson, those partnerships are what make the system work.

“These partnerships are true collaborations,” she said. “Southern shelters work tirelessly to care for animals despite limited resources, while Northern organizations provide additional capacity through adoption programs. Neither side could accomplish the same level of lifesaving alone.”

For Simpson, however, the impact is measured one animal at a time.

Years ago, she fostered two dogs that had been scheduled for euthanasia because of overcrowding. Both became permanent members of her family after what she jokingly calls “foster failures.”

“They both had so much life to live,” Simpson said. “And it was almost cut short for a completely preventable reason.”

Every transport tells a similar story. It begins with an unwanted or homeless animal in Mississippi. It continues through a network of people willing to open their homes, volunteer their time, and work together across state lines. More often than not, it ends with a family waiting hundreds of miles away.

“It’s such a symbiotic relationship,” Simpson said. “The more people that foster for a week or two, the more animals can be saved.”

Want to Help?

Consider Becoming a Foster

Many transport programs rely on short-term foster families to provide a safe place for animals while they wait for their journey to a forever home. Reach out to these local shelters and rescue organizations to learn more about fostering opportunities:

Oxford Animal Resource Center

662-234-3981 | oxfordarc.org

9 Lives Animal Rescue

662-202-4587 | ninelivescatrescue.com

Lafayette County Animal Shelter

662-506-2461 | lafayettehumanesociety.org

Second Chance Animal Alliance

662-714-0147 | www.secondchancewv.org