HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 08-15 MN dog rescuers look beyond border for homeless dogs WOODBURY BULLETIN8/16/2016 MN dog rescuers look beyond border for homeless dogs I Woodbury Bulletin
MN dog rescuers look beyond border for
homeless dogs
By Youssef Rddad on Aug 15, 2016 at 1:05 p.m.
As dog -friendly Minnesota finds it has plenty of support for placing rescued dogs into homes,
some animal rescuers are now turning to other states to ensure those homeless animals
share a similar fate.
On Saturday, Maplewood -based nonprofit MN PAWS hosted a dog adoption event at Valley
Creek Mall in Woodbury. Many of the dogs came from southern states because organizers
said finding homes for dogs in those states is often difficult and placement rates and
conditions lag behind Minnesota.
Nationally, pet adoption rates have increased significantly in the past decade with 91 percent
of homeless animals finding a home last year, up from a 61 percent placement rate, or a 39
percent euthanasia rate, in 2006, according to the Humane Society.
MN PAWS, which stands for Minnesota Progressive Animal Welfare Society, found homes
for 75 dogs last year and is expected to place even more animals into homes this year,
according to Emily Vega, the group's vice-president.
When MN PAWS started, many of the local Minnesotan shelters turned away the group
because they had enough adoption sponsors for local dogs.
The group then decided to expanded its radius and eventually began partnering with a group
from Tennessee, which recently built a new shelter for homeless animals.
Vega said the previous site was a landfill and those working the site euthanized animals
every week. Vega added that programs to help spay and neuter animals is also lacking in the
area.
"It's a different world down there," she said. "It's like going back in time 20 or 30 years."
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8/16/2016 MN dog rescuers look beyond border for homeless dogs I Woodbury Bulletin
As a small organization, Vega said MN PAWS focuses more on finding the right homes for
dog than the amount number of dogs it places into homes.
"We take careful care of where the dogs end up," Vega said. "We don't want them to be
returned to us, and we don't want them to be unwanted again."
Sarah Sicheneder of Minneapolis also attended Saturday's event with her foster dog
Brenna, an energetic one -year-old black lab.
She's fostered several dogs in the past, and said groups like MN PAWS offer some relief
for foster parents because of the strong vetting process and detailed application they
require for prospective owners.
MN PAWS is also owned by a local veterinarian, so they are able to take in puppies like
Zhuri, who will need surgery because of a heart murmur in the coming weeks.
Zhuri was the only survivor in her litter after authorities found her tied to a lawnmower
without food or water in Tennessee. "We wanted to give her a chance," Vega said.
Though larger shelters like the Humane Society have reduced the need to euthanize as
many animals than in the past, some say homeless animals in rural areas are still have
trouble finding homes compared to urban areas.
"The Twin Cities has a passionate and well-developed rescue community, which allows our
many local rescues to take in homeless dogs that are at risk of euthanasia in other areas,
such as northern Minnesota and southern states," said Ali Javaris, the founder and CEO of
Sidewalk Dog media, which offers resources for Minnesota dog -lovers and advocates for
state rescues and shelters.
Javaris added that dogs living in shelters, as well as dogs that come from other states, are
typically healthy, and misconceptions about rescue dogs' health or behavior tends to be
misplaced.
Vega expressed a similar point, and said Minnesota has a culture for rescuing animals that
exists less in rural areas in the South where dogs are valued more for breeding and
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8/16/2016 MN dog rescuers look beyond border for homeless dogs I Woodbury Bulletin
hunting over companionship.
"I think in Minnesota, you're more likely to ask where did you rescue your dog versus
where did you buy your dog," Vega said.
After Saturday's event, one kitten found a home and three other dogs have meetings this
week with owners who already own dogs.
If the dogs get along, Vega said, they will likely be placed in those homes.
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