The Journey Home

100 dogs – 10 hours to a second chance

“Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not…
…We’ll whether the weather,
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!”

Two days delayed in our journey home we were finally ready to roll. We arrived first at Rambelaine kennels where 38 dogs had been housed at no charge to SOHS while we had waited out the dangerous stormy driving conditions. Even at 7am there was a small army of ARF volunteers waiting to help us load. The media was also waiting. They have covered the SOHS Saving Train rescues on all three of its trips to the Fresno area. Reporters from both radio and TV stations were asking why this many people would go to this much effort for 100 dogs. The answer is very simple: What is a life worth? These 100 dogs have a second chance at life and the opportunity to have a home and family.

One reporter and cameraman seemed perplexed and puzzled by the whole energetic scene. Then they moved to the rear of the Saving Train bus and filmed the back which features a larger-than-life photo of “Siluk,” a dog who came to SOHS on the Saving Train. Below the dog are graphics in big bold red letters – Please Spay and Neuter – Help Save lives! The cameraman turned to me and said that the sign would be the "lead-in” and the ending for the story. At that moment it became apparent that he understood the magnitude of 70,000 animals euthanized in one city, most for no other reason than the fact that they had no home.

Loading the bus is one giant jigsaw puzzle of a challenge comprised of portable kennels. Larger and medium-sized dogs must be loaded first because their kennels will be surrounded by carefully stacked crates of small dogs that are bungied together, and to the inside walls of the bus. Every trip we learn or try something new to make procedures work more efficiently. Dogs in the kennels were grouped with dogs they would share a kennel with when they were back at SOHS. Most kennels had three or four (a few had more) dogs in them. We then headed to ARF to load up the other 50+ dogs. The media was also waiting there. The Clovis Police Department brought us 5 that they had been holding for us. A fight broke out in the back of the bus so all of the portable kennels had to be pulled to solve the problem. An intact male decided to assert his authority over his kennelmates and so he had to be removed to keep the peace. Only two dogs got a little “snarky” and had to ride in individual crates because of their attitude. They had transitioned into a heightened state of arousal and agitation from the stress of all of the activity and commotion.

The loading process had taken just under three hours. All dogs were safely aboard and after hugs goodbye we headed out. I am always asked what it is like to ride in a vehicle with barking dogs for hours at a time. There is raucous barking and yapping for about 20 minutes and then it just subsides. I do not know if the dogs are calmed and lulled into sleep by the rolling motion while traveling down the road or whether a sense of survival and acceptance kicks in. It always seems as if they know that they have been “saved.” There is usually one lone yapper or mournful yowler that occasionally lets out a cry but for the most part the ride home was relatively peaceful. Poop happens, and that is part of any rescue even on trips only 45 minutes away, and so is motion sickness. The puppies were all isolated in the separate Humane Society van. Needless to say, puppies are pooping machines so our vehicle was a tad on the stinky side by Sacramento, but you just get used to it. Some brave dogs “held it” until we reached SOHS!

Snow was piled high on the sides of I-5 near Dunsmuir but there was none on the roads. The deluge of heavy wet snow that had closed the freeway had melted. However, when we were fueling up in Mount Shasta, we came across a man who was purchasing food to take to his family, currently living in a motel because the roof on their house had caved in from the weight of the snow. In the midst of personal trials and tribulations he thanked me for doing what we do. Wow!

We pulled into the SOHS parking lot at 8:45 pm. One hundred very weary four-legged travelers were off-loaded by a crew of volunteers and snuggled in their blankets with bellies full by 10 pm. There are usually a couple of escape artists, because our kennels were not designed to house small dogs. There were only two this time and they were housed in the adoption center. When I left around 11pm all was quiet… but the rescue in many respects was just beginning!