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Jun 9, 2009 5:48 pm US/Central
Rescue Shelter Saves 20 Dogs From Being Euthanized
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
North Texas animal shelters have seen dogs dropped off in record numbers because of the struggling economy. However, there is a glimmer of hope for almost two dozen former family pets.
If dogs could smile, they'd be smiling all the way to Wharton, Texas.
That's because the folks from Smiling Dog Farms arrived at an Arlington animal shelter to rescue twenty dogs from the growing list of those slated to be euthanized in the next week.
"We've kept these dogs from dying," said Jay Hellerich, executive director of the non-profit sanctuary near Houston. "We feel all dogs have a right to live. We don't make distinction between this one's cute and this one's not. We're now seeing wave after wave of dogs entering the shelters. As soon as we get several into adoptive families out the back door, there's another wave coming in the front."
Hellerich said only one thing is holding him back from saving every dog on the list. "The good news is I have all room in the world for these animals. The bad news is I don't have the funding."
Smiling Dog Farms is a national non-profit organization based in Texas, operating in 33 states and Puerto Rico.
It fills the gap between breed-specific rescue operations and other adoption agencies, giving what Hellerich calls "unadoptable dogs" a safe place to wait it out until a permanent placement is found.
"You hear people say in the rescue world, 'You can't save 'em all.' That's not true," Hellerich emphasized. "I can save them all... if I have enough money."
Volunteers say almost 40 dogs have been saved so far. Twenty more will be picked up Wednesday.
For more information on how to help or to contact Smiling Dog Farms, go to
www.smilingdogfarms.org or
smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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