Calvin's Ride on the Underground Railroad

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It ends like this. A happy dog with a happy new owner. A picture taken in the yard of the foster family, who tearfully hands him over to his new family. Without the selfless dedication of dozens of volunteers along the "Underground Railroad of Shelter Dogs", this picture never would've been taken. 

One month ago, this could have been him. He was waiting in  Monongalia County Canine Shelter, West Virginia when a woman I will never meet, who works with northern rescue groups found him and scooped him up. He was cowering on the floor of his cage and even though she didn't know where he'd go, she brought him to her home to await a northern foster home. This is where the "Underground Railroad" of Shelter Dogs kicked it. A New Jersey-based group, called Roger's Rescues got involved and agreed to foster him until he could find his forever home. 


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A veterinarian I'll never know, from Paw Prints Veterinary Clinic in West Virginia, along with a team of technicians, neutered, heartworm tested, vaccinated and dewormed him. 

This was the first picture I saw of him, in his cone, after the neuter.

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After recovering from his surgery, volunteers drove him and other dogs, in a van similar to this one, over 400 miles from West Virginia to Flemington, NJ, where he met his foster mom, Beth. She had visited my home the week prior to for a home visit, part of the application process for Roger's Rescue.  

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This is Beth, walking him after he got out of the transport van. She brought him to her home, so she could evaluate him. He was her 43rd foster dog. Foster families are an integral part of this process as they end up intimately knowing their foster dogs' temperaments, emotional "baggage" and unique characteristics. When they connect with potential adoptive families, they are able to describe these dogs to them. These foster families never know how long their commitment is doing to be to these dogs and if he was hard to place, she would have cared for him for as long as it took, to find him a home. 

A volunteer created a "Dogster" webpage for him to further advertise his arrival in the NJ area. Thousands of similar profiles, powered by PetFinder, exist for other adoptable dogs, waiting in foster homes and shelters. 

This is where I was brought in. Beth invited me, Jasper, Guapo and the kids to her home, to meet him last week. I knew right away, just like I did with Jasper, so many years ago, that he was to be my next forever dog. 

As I fall more deeply in love with him, my gratitude for the people that helped him along the way, will also grow. I don't know how "normal" it is for them to be part of this process, but I will never forget the sacrifices you made in time and resources to complete this story.

• Thank you to the staff of the shelter in West Virginia, who are doing the best they can with the limited resources they have, to find homes for the animals in their care. 
  

• Thank you to the woman who found him in the shelter and the people in her life that support her in this mission to bring scared, disoriented dogs into her home.
  

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• Thank you to the volunteers who drive the transport vans, enduring barking, frequent stops for walking dogs and cleaning dirty cages. 
  

• Thank you to the veterinary hospital for setting aside supplies, staff time and expertise to treat these shelter dogs, preparing them for a healthy life with their new family. 
  

• Thank you to Roger's Rescue for your streamlined, efficient application process. Thank you to Jennifer, who spent an hour of her time with me on a phone interview, helping to fine-tune the type of dog I was looking for.
  

And finally, thank you to Beth, for allowing her 43rd foster dog to become our new Once-In-A-Lifetime Dog. 

Has your rescue dog ridden the Underground Railroad? Who would you like to thank and why?

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