Our primary purpose is to facilitate the pull and transport of dogs from shelters in the south for other rescue groups. Our primary focus are the pets at the Athens Clarke County Animal Control. We have an established relationship with this shelter and the local volunteers. We have a procedure in place which allows us to pull the dogs, board them, have them properly vetted and then transported. We arrange our own transport runs. We DO NOT pull dogs without a rescue or foster lined up. To work in this manner is a recipe for disaster. We monitor the shelter activities and which dogs may have a lesser chance of being adopted. We then cross post them far and wide. We are often contacted well in advance by groups we have pre-approved in regards to certain dogs. If these dogs are not adopted locally and are in need of assistance then we are poised and ready to act quickly. All but one of the dogs listed on our "Saved Dogs" page are Athens CCAC dogs.

On rare occassions we have pulled dogs for direct adopters. Although this is not exactly what we choose to do, the results have been very positive. For both rescues and private adopters we require references PRIOR to the pull. There are far to many unethical humans on the loose for us to take chances on an animals safety. We have run right down to the wire on dogs due to having references to be verified. The main goal of rescue is to save a life, not move them from one bad situation to another.

If you would like to be pre-approved to work with us, even before a dog that you would like to help comes up, we require three references. One must be a veterinarian. If you are a rescue group we require a reference from another group you have worked with, your vet, and would also like one from someone you have adopted a dog to (preferably more than one reference in this catagory). For private adopters, a vet reference is essential and two other references whom are not closely related to you. We do have an adoption application that we will send you as well as an adoption agreement for you prior to taking the dog into your home. Renters must provide a landlord reference and a home check will be completed for all applicants.

In late October 2009, I laid eyes on one of the most pathetic little dogs I had ever seen. A tiny waif of pup who looked like a skeleton. In fact, the staff at Athens Clarke County Animal Control had dubbed her "Skeletora". This young dog was picked up as road kill and found to be still alive. She was brought back to animal control where it was assumed she would die, most likely from malnutrition. This poor dog was so frightened that she nipped an animal control officer and was placed in quarantine. Here her name was shortened to Nora. All I can figure is that there must have been a pretty strong will to live in this dog as not only did she not die, she rallied hard. After a few weeks at animal control, Nora went from an unfathomable weight of 11 pounds to 21 pounds. Still, she was very frightened and no one showed any interest in her. The AC officers and volunteers tried to help Nora but soon her time was up. She had another strike against her... Nora was a Georgia Black Dog. Black dogs are notoriously the hardest to place as they just do not stand out in shelter full of what might be flashier dogs. Nora being distrustful of humans certainly was not winning her any points towards Miss Congeniality. The photo above was what I could not get out of my head. There was something in those eyes. At that moment I made a committment to Nora that I would not let her be another forgotten Georgia Black Dog.

Nora made her way to me in New York on October 28, 2009. Across many miles and with many caring transporters, this little dog continued to experience human kindness. As the transport progressed and the emails with updates came in, it became apparent that Nora would indeed be able to trust humans and that she could rise above her misfortune.