Pennsylvania animal rescue gives dogs on euthanasia list in Texas a second chance
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — An animal rescue in Pennsylvania is trying to save as many dogs as it can from the euthanasia list at an animal shelter in Texas.
It's a race against time to find fosters or adopters in Western Pennsylvania, and Bark About It Rescue is not giving up on these canines in need.
The rescue said a 1-year-old lab mix named Alina was set to be euthanized after 2 p.m. on Wednesday at BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions in Houston. It is a municipal shelter that cannot close its intake. Alina and two other puppies, sweet Rin Tin Tin and happy Polo, were all saved just in time.
"We've pulled 172 dogs to date, and that's been in a year's time," said Katelynn Mickey, president of Bark About It Rescue.
All those dogs are still alive because Bark About It Rescue gave them a second chance at life.
"We work with a lot of great volunteers at BARC and they kind of send us dogs that they're in love with. And they say, 'Hey, is there any way, you guys can pull this dog?' And if we can make it happen, we do," said Mickey, who lives in Somerset.
A 5-year-old pitty, Nicole, will be on the kill list on Thursday. Many cats and dogs in kill shelters are euthanized for space, with overpopulation at all-time highs.
"Depending on the day, sometimes there's 30 on the list," Mickey said.
Mickey said the rescue has had close calls when pulling a dog off the list, and sadly, pups they couldn't get by the deadline. The rescue does its best to get the word out on Facebook and Instagram.
"A lot of them are really last minute because we typically can't pull a lot without having a plan for them in Pennsylvania," Mickey said.
Several dogs the rescue has recently saved are being fostered in Texas until a foster steps up in Western Pennsylvania. At the same time, around 30 foster pups in temporary homes in the Pittsburgh area are waiting to be adopted.
Cheyenna Pelligreno, applications director for the rescue, fostered Luther in her Bellevue home for three months after he was almost euthanized.
"It's definitely very rewarding. I loved being able to give him a nice home while he got to find his forever home, and he is with his forever home now," Pelligreno said.
For this rescue, it's all about giving dogs a good life after they experience a rough one.
"Seeing them go into a happy home, going and getting 'pup cup,' going to the park, whatever it is. It just makes it worth it to put all that time and energy into it," Mickey said.
"Knowing that we're like their last hope for them to get a loving home. And I think knowing that most of the dogs that go to BARC were somebody's pet at one point and they were just failed by humans, I'm just trying to make up for all the bad humans out there," Pelligreno said.
Pelligreno said if you've ever thought about fostering, now is the time to do it because rescues desperately need more fosters. And for them, that's often the determining factor if they can pull a dog off the kill list. You can fill out applications to foster, foster-to-adopt applications or volunteer on Bark About It Rescue's website.