By Carole Crossman
It appears that the opinion piece titled “Concerned about the trend of importing dogs” that ran in the October 8, 2015, issue of The Valley Reporter has stirred up many positive responses from readers.
I am quite pleased by the impressive support from adopters of rescue dogs and other citizens who realize the value of rescue work. Though the local rescue organization, For the Love of Dogs/Vermont Dog Rescue, was not mentioned directly in the article, our adopters speak for us and for rescues around the state. They have spoken of the way the local rescue, For the Love of Dogs/Vermont Dog Rescue, processes adoptions: screening applicants carefully, doing vet checks and home visits. In addition, we are registered with the Department of Agriculture and scrutinized by the state vet's office as we should be. Our rescue operates professionally bringing healthy dogs into Vermont homes. See our website for our policies and facts: www.vermontdogrescue.com.
The transport of dogs from the South has been practiced by the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) and various local shelters for years. The HSUS has worked tirelessly to promote spay/neuter in the South, but has never fully reached a successful outcome. For some reason, much to our disappointment, the southern citizenry has not met the expectations. Until we all embrace spay/neuter and refuse to buy dogs from “puppy mills” and retail dog shops, we will continue to have an overpopulation of dogs and thus have to euthanize four million to five million dogs in this country every year. Rescues organizations bring dogs from the South and other areas with high-kill shelters to save lives. Most rescues hope that this trend will someday end with education and successful spay/neuter programs.
The letters sent to the editor have covered the topic in detail. Our organization, For the Love of Dogs/Vermont Dog Rescue, wants to express our gratitude to those Valley residents and beyond who support not only our work but the work of all rescue organizations. We would also like to thank Mad River Veterinary Service, Dr. Karen Anderson. She has given graciously of her time to assist us with vetting our rescue dogs. Dr. Anderson, in conjunction with our organization, has also helped Mad River Valley individual pet owners, who may have fallen on hard times, with regular checkups, spay/neuter or other medical problems.
We have a small group of dedicated volunteers. We are very grateful to this dedicated group whose mission is to save as many dogs as we can and place them into loving homes in Vermont.
www.vermontdogrescue.com is our website. Please visit and perhaps think about volunteering, fostering or adopting.
Crossman is the local adoption coordinator for Vermont Dog Rescue. She lives in Warren.
