Dog Rescue Transport: The Story of Getting "Phillie" to his Foster Home

Philiie the 12 year old Dachshund

On Saturday, May 2, I (Rob) met and helped transport a sweet 12 year old, brown smooth dachshund named Phillie on one leg of his massive trip from northern New Jersey to middle Tennessee.

Phillie was very calm. I noticed that his eyes are cloudy, so he either has cataracts, or can't see well. He did like the chicken treats I brought, though. I sensed that he was stressed, as he left his home of 12 years that morning, and for the first time EVER on a dog, I saw an actual TEAR roll down from his left eye. I sang to him and kept my hand on his neck and back through most of the trip to the next transporter.
  
 WHY WAS A 12 YEAR OLD ABANDONED IN OLD AGE? -
  Phillie began his journey near  Woodbridge,  NJ where Donna of Coast to Coast Dachshund rescue picked him up from his former pet parents. Phillie came from a home with a husband, wife and three small children. He was likely there his entire 12 years, and the family contacted the rescue and said that they couldn't handle caring for Phillie because of a new infant.

A good rider, just wondering why he was abandoned

A SAD, COMMON, RIDICULOUS EXCUSE - Both the Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues we work with get dogs almost WEEKLY from families who say they have small children and they "can't handle a dog anymore" or "the dog snapped at my toddler when the toddler smacked the dog."  (DUH - what would you expect a dog to do if a child or anyone tormented it? ) I always tell people "Get rid of the toddler and keep the dog. At least the dog will always be respectful of you."

Julie and Phillie

THE REQUEST FOR A RESCUE TO FOSTER - Phillie's new foster parent lives 874 miles away near Murfreesboro, Tennessee just southeast of Nashville. 

A LONG TRIP TO HIS FOSTER HOME -  That trip is a 13 hour drive and it was put done through a series of many volunteers who did it over weekend of May 2 and 3rd, and included an overnight stay in North Carolina. Some drivers even took three "legs" of the ride. Each leg is at least 60 miles, so some people volunteered to drive 3 hours each way (6 hours). The rescue person that coordinates this is Katie Wehner and she puts a LOT of work into organizing these types of runs WEEKLY, and usually they go from the south to the north.


MEETING JULIE AND PHILLIE / MY TRIP - Since Tom was dealing with getting his car fixed and having the driveway paved, I did the transport. - I met an awesome dog mom and rescuer named Julie Mead in White Marsh, MD and picked up Phillie. Julie has dogs and told me she bonded instantly with Phillie on her (2 leg)120 mile drive  from Newark, Delaware!

Rob and Phillie

White Marsh is located northeast of Baltimore, and I brought him from there, to Alexandria, VA, south of Washington, DC - so I had to deal with two cities of weekend traffic. The Baltimore traffic was moderate, and there were no issues fortunately. However, the "infamous" Baltimore / Washington Parkway was a traffic mess, so I went the long way around, down I-95 to the Washington, DC Beltway. From there, I picked up the parkway, which I "heard on the radio" was clear. Alas, it was not. ... there was traffic stopped.  I met Christina in Alexandria in the parking lot of a pre-designated hotel and Phillie drove with her to the next handoff destination in Richmond, Virginia. In total, my trip lasted 3 1/2 hours.

Phillie wondering what his foster home will be l

WHEN DID PHILLIE ARRIVE TO HIS FOSTER HOME? - One of the transporters in North Carolina kept Phillie overnight and resumed the trip on Sunday. Several more transporters worked to ensure that Phillie arrived at his new foster home. As you can see, it's a tremendous effort from a lot of people, all who do it for the love of precious dogs.

Christina off with Phillie

Katie left Richmond, VA with Phillie at 4pm ET