(Source: CBS4) 1 of 25 dogs being shipped to no-kill shelters outside of Miami-Dade County as part of the “Miami Dogs On The Move” program.
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – More than two dozen dogs are getting a new “leash” on life Thursday thanks to the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department’s “Miami Dogs on the Move Program.”
The program was created to transport dogs to no-kill shelters in other cities and states.
Thursday morning, 25 dogs were shipped out via truck as part of the program where they have a better chance of finding a forever family.
More than 15 thousand dogs per year are surrendered to Miami-Dade County Animal Services.
“We get about 71-percent of them adopted,” said Alex Muñoz, Director, Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department.
But the rest are either put down or taken to no-kill shelters like the 25 shipped out on Thursday.
“We’re looking for other avenues. We’d love get them all saved and this is one way of doing that,” said Muñoz.
The program, which started in November 2011, has saved more than 140 dogs.
With the help of Pawsitive 4 Life, a rescue group that fundraises for the rescue of pets from ASD, the department hopes to continuously expand the transfer program to eventually include the transfer of hundreds of pets per month.
“Anyway we can get them out and adopted is the goal,” said Miami-Dade Animal Services volunteer Melissa Sorokin.
“With up to 300-400 dogs at the shelter on any given day, the efforts of rescues and adoption cannot cover the sheer numbers of animals that the County shelter must take in,” said Muñoz. “We are thankful to these shelters for their great assistance: Peggy Adams Humane Society of West Palm Beach, Mountain Rottie Rescue of New York, PA Boxer Rescue of Pennsylvania and North Country Animal League of Vermont, who have all stepped up to take dogs from ASD.”
“I think the dogs we’re sending are great,” said Sorokin. “I mean there awesome dogs so I think they will get adopted.”
Each year, the shelter impounds 36,000 pets. The goal at Animal Services is to reunite lost pets with their families or find life-long homes for as many animals as possible.
For more information on how you can adopt a shelter pet, visit www.miamidade.gov/animals or call 311.
