All Aboard! PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin® vehicle rolls into Grove, Oklahoma, to take puppies on life-saving ride
GROVE, OKLAHOMA (OCTOBER 19, 2014) – It’s official. The Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, begins their monthly transports as the newest shelter participant in PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® program – a national program that transports adoptable dogs and puppies from shelters in communities with significant pet populations to animal shelters where there is more adoption space and more opportunities for new homes.
On Tuesday, October 21 at 9 a.m. in the morning, a PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin’ vehicle will arrive at the Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake at 64301 East 290 Road to pick up 20 dogs and puppies for a life-saving ride to animal shelters in Wisconsin or Michigan.
The Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake has been preparing for months for this transport, which has included having staff certified in SAFER® behavior assessments – a method for evaluating canine behavior to ensure dogs transported to other communities are safe, friendly and ready for new homes.
“Our shelter had to go through a screening and training process before being accepted into the Rescue Waggin’ program,” says Stephanie Epps, Executive Director for the Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake. “We are very proud to be participating in a program that will help us save more lives in our own community.”
Every few weeks, The Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake will select adoptable dogs and puppies from their shelter for transport on the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle for a ride to their destination shelter and opportunities for new homes. Upon arrival at the new shelter, the dogs get 12-24 hours of ‘down time’ before getting a medical check-up, their spay/neuter surgery and then placement on the adoption floor.
“With three to four million pets still euthanized across the nation each year, we created the Rescue Waggin’ program to help shelters achieve their goals of getting more adoptable pets placed into good homes – wherever those homes may be,” says Jan Wilkins, Executive Director of PetSmart Charities. “Dogs that may stay longer than desirable at one shelter are generally adopted within a week of arriving at their new destination shelter.”
PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin’ program operates under professionally-developed industry standards for humane transport. As one of 75 shelter participants in the program, the Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake also will be eligible for grants, free training programs, and mentoring to improve shelter facilities and operations.
Since 2004, more than 75,000 dogs and puppies have been saved through the Rescue Waggin’ program. To learn more about Rescue Waggin’ program, as well as other programs that PetSmart Charities supports and creates, visit www.petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS.
For more information on Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake, call 918-786-7630 visit www.doitforthedogs.com.
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About Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake
The Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake (aka Humane Society of Grove and Grand Lake, Inc.) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, private animal shelter, in Grove, Oklahoma, established in 1984 and governed by a Board of Directors. Our goal is to provide a caring, safe, and loving environment for abused and abandoned dogs and cats in our community. We operate low-cost spay and neuter clinic for the public as a way to ensure all of our pets are sterilized before being adopted. We are not affiliated with any national group and we do not receive any city, state or federal government funding.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores and our sponsored adoption events. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter services that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, separate from PetSmart, Inc.
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