How dog swaps help animal rescues
“N”Not all dogs fit into the cookie cutter home. Not all dogs can be pets. But dogs can also enjoy their lives with other dogs, make friendships and attachments,” says Tracy Frank, Founder & Director of SARA Sanctuary.
SARA (Society for Animal Rescue and Adoption) is a rural no-kill sanctuary on 128 acres in Seguin, Texas. The sanctuary is finding solutions for the Texas pet overpopulation problem by relocating adoptable dogs to pet-friendly states who have dog shortages. In return, SARA takes on the tougher not-so-adoptable cases and swaps with rural Texas-friendly adoptable dogs with southern charm.
Fixin’ Texas
Texas still leads the nation with the most euthanized shelter pets at 125,000 in 2019. The city of Houston alone has 1 million dogs running loose, and has spay and neuter projects in place called Fixin’ Texas. Solving the Texas pet population is tiring, never-ending, relentless work though.
SARA Sanctuary’s Director Tracy Frank has been at animal rescue and adoption for 24 years, so she has a reliable network and partners with urban shelters in dog-friendly areas of the country.
North vs South
“The Chicago groups and others we work with are well-funded, over-staffed and there is a receptive public who knows how to treat animals. Much better than in south Texas. There’s actually a shortage of adoptable animals in the Midwest and other parts of the country,” says Tracy Frank.
“Our standard ‘trade’ deal is 12 for 1. We send 12 great dogs and they all get adopted right away. These are really great, very adoptable dogs. They get a lot of attention and go into foster homes, then permanent homes.”
“With the fosters, dogs who are not very socialized get to have more human time and interaction. They’re totally happy here in Texas. But it’s more of a dog pack kind of situation with us,” says Tracy. “We’ve sent over 250 dogs to other shelters in the last year and a half.”
Collaborations & Partnerships
Collaborations up north started about 7 years ago when Tracy agreed to take a dog named Tucker from Alive Rescue in Chicago.
“He’s still with us by the way. Tucker was being very aggressive and attacking and injuring people. We still have a great relationship with Alive Rescue. They all know each other up north. They’ve told other groups to reach out when they have problem dogs and cats. And now we ‘trade or swap’ every so often.”
SARA shares a similar mission with Fetching Tails Foundation. FTF is an Illinois-based non-breed specific rescue committed to saving dogs regardless of breed, age, and physical ability.
“We’ve been happy to team up with SARA and share something we’re both passionate about, rescuing animals. We both took on what was better suited for our rescues,” says Kristen Gottschalk, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Fetching Tails Foundation.
Tracy agrees that it’s a win-win-win. Win for the dogs and a win for both groups. “If shelters truly want to be no-kill, then they need an arrangement like ours: urban city shelters and rural country sanctuaries.”
“Not all dogs are going to fit into the cookie cutter home or small confinement. Not all dogs can be pets. Dogs can also enjoy their lives with other dogs, make friendships and attachments,” says SARA Sanctuary director.
“If incoming dogs can get along with other dogs, then they get to live in a communal environment with quality food and care. They all get to run and play. Often after the dogs decompress over time, they settle down and many can and are adopted from us.”
Illinois dogs Rockie, Bunkmate and now Batman were considered unadoptable for various reasons and are now living the country life in Texas.
“Batman is a special dog and will always be part of our family here at Fetching Tails. Letting him go was hard for us, but it was the best for him,” says Kristen who has been on the FTF transport teams several times.
Jeff Pizon was on the team that brought Batman to SARA in May. “Batman was my best friend at FTF. We spent a lot of time together. He is a wonderful, funny, goofy, loving dog. He loves car rides, belly rubs and long walks.”
Batman is at SARA is because he is reactive with strangers and has nipped a few people. He is strong on a leash and will pull when he encounters a stranger, says Jeff.
“When he warms up to you over a short time with treats and hellos, he is a kind loving dog. He is a great companion. He just has a tendency to bite at people he doesn’t know or trust,” says Jeff.
Tracy says, “I watched Batman running and happily playing this morning. Most dogs come here and are transformed. So many, actually, all of the dogs that have come to us under these circumstances have calmed down and been super happy with us. Many have gone on to be adopted, but even if they don’t, they have a great life.”
