ABOUT US: We are a shelter/rescue/transport network that moves dogs and cats from shelters in WV and KY to rescues throughout the northeastern states. We also assist our member shelters by screening rescue applications for them (which avoids the redundancy of you having to submit applications to both the shelter and transport coordinator). If your application is approved, we can give you access to this network, which will also give you the ability to pull from more shelters within the network or transfer animals to other rescues in the network (if you are a southern rescue wanting to send animals north).
We will only transport from and to rescues and shelters that have completed this screening process.
- If you are a southern rescue wanting to send dogs north and you already work with some rescues that you would like us to help transport to, they must also submit this application if they are not already a member of our network.
- If you are a northern rescue currently pulling from southern rescues or shelters that we have not screened, then they must submit the application and be screened before we will transport from them.
- Non-member shelters located in the USA can also use this application for the purpose of having our screening team process it and provide the results to your shelter so you can make an informed decision about rescues you want to work with. To become a member of our transport network so we can help you move dogs & cats to rescues, you must be able to meet us in Hagerstown MD on Saturdays by 12:30 or hitch with a shelter that can do so. We transport between MD and New England weekly most of the year with stops in the states along the way.
We use a group site to communicate between the shelters and rescues. Approved organizations who have the ability to check email regularly are welcome to join this group. It is not a Facebook group, so you must use email to join. The shelters post their dogs/cats in need to the rescues via this group site.
We can also offer assistance with home visits throughout the northeast via the rescues and drivers in our network.
An independent volunteer screening team reviews/processes the application and checks the references and then sends it back to the transport coordinator and shelter you are applying to pull from. They do work full-time day jobs so this process can take several days to (rarely) a week to complete depending on how quickly your references respond to them. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Notifying your references in advance helps to speed up the process.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SENDING ORGANIZATIONS (shelters and foster-based rescues): All sending organizations must ensure all animals they are sending on our transports are healthy prior to boarding the transport. If a dog coughs, has funky looking stool, or is vomiting even on the morning of the transport, you must hold them back, get treatment, and assign them to another transport once they are healthy. We do not knowingly transport anything communicable to other animals. We will transport dogs with Demodex as long as the vet has certed they are healthy enough for transport and the receiving organization is aware of the condition and agreed to continue treatment and assume the cost for that. Sending organizations must treat all passengers for internal and external parasites (including worms, coccidia, giardia, fleas, lice and ticks) prior to assigning them to a transport date. Fecal test must be negative before boarding our transports. Any dog aged 6 months or older must have a 4DX test to check for heartworms and tick-related diseases.
In order to send dogs to Pennsylvania-based rescues, your organization must have the Pennsylvania Out of State Dealer License and renew it annually. You can join our network without it, but will not be able to transfer any dogs to rescues, shelters, or adopters residing in the state of Pennsylvania until you get this license. Legally, PA-based rescues cannot pull from unlicensed sending orgs.
If you are a SENDING organization looking to transfer animals out to other rescues in our network, you MUST have a pet portal site (RescueGroups, Petfinder, AdoptAPet) where our rescues can view your pets. Many of our rescues do not use Facebook regularly, so only posting on Facebook will not allow you entrance into our network. RescueGroups is highly recommended as it allows you to track all of your animals, adopters, fosters, volunteers, and supporters plus it will also export to about 40 other sites (including AdoptAPet and Petfinder but you need to register for those sites to export to them) while you only have to maintain one listing inside RescueGroups. All three sites are free but you will have to submit information from your vet and/or proof of your 501(c)(3) to get these sites. If your primary focus is to transfer out to other rescues, in RescueGroups you can specify in the header or footer that the animal is available to rescue only to deter adopter inquiries. RescueGroups rocks! Definitely get it. You maintain one pet list in there and it exports them all over the place. If your application is approved, our network's founder can help you get set up with RescueGroups and show you how to use it effectively.
To use our transport network, you must be able to get your animals to Hagerstown MD by 12:50 pm on Saturdays (either driving them yourself or hitching with one of our other southern orgs somewhere along I-64, I-79, I-81 or I-68). From Hagerstown, we can move them to any of our rescues between MD and New England at no charge to you. There are some hitching options available depending on what sending orgs are transporting, but some weeks you may have to make that trip yourself.
Via this application, you will be giving us your vetting price list for rescues. Rescues are expected to reimburse you for basic vetting according to that price list (spay/neuter, rabies, distemper combo, 4DX, fecal, wormer, flea/tick, health certificate) unless you notify them that the animal is sponsored. Price must be confirmed with the rescue via email prior to the animal being loaded onto our transports. If you encounter any issues with a rescue not reimbursing you in a timely manner, contact our network's founder and they will intervene to help resolve the situation.