Underground Railroad Dog - Cat Rescue Brings Pets to MN

To Jimmie Williams, the pickup truck looked like salvation on wheels.

"There they are! I can see 'em!" he shouted as the truck pulled into a parking lot.

Out tumbled three dogs, bedraggled after their three-day journey. Saved from being euthanized in Kentucky, they sniffed around the legs of their rescuers, looking a little confused.

"I can't tell you how good this feels," said Williams, who was delighted to be adopting a rescued dog.

The trip was another small triumph for a new — and controversial — transportation system for animals.

In only a few years, the network has sprung up, saving thousands of dogs and cats from euthanasia in states that can't — or won't — support their own animal-welfare systems.

Supporters call it a new "underground railway." And like the transportation system that saved slaves in the 19th century, this one runs only one direction — from south to north.

It can involve truck caravans carrying up to 100 dogs. Or it can include a 900-mile airplane relay from Virginia to Minnesota to save a single cat, as happened June 25.

The flow into Minnesota is swelling rapidly — despite the fact that this state kills more than 20,000 of its own dogs and cats every year.

Read full story here.

After reading the story I read every comment to get a good idea of reactions. The following comment echoes my feelings but I can almost understand a few other well written, well thought out comments.

"It is immoral and unethical to transport animals to areas that are still euthanizing. It is wrong to bring in more animals when an area is saturated already with animals sitting in their shelters. These groups that do so are the problem, not the solution. It is their duty to serve their community first and they are failing to do so. Not having the "right" kinds of dogs for their "customers" is not an excuse. For every animal that is transported into the area and adopted, a shelter animal loses its life. Then these same groups will turn around and criticize the shelter for euthanizing when the blood is really on their hands for taking homes away. Disgusting, absolutely disgusting."

Read full story here.