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Thousands of Chihuahuas and other small homeless dogs from Los
Angeles have successfully been adopted into Utah homes, thanks
to a special, two-year cooperative program between the
Jason Heigl Foundation,
Best
Friends LA and the
Humane
Society of Utah.
Animal shelters and puppy mills have overrun Southern California with small dogs in recent years
and to avoid having to euthanize the surplus, pups are regularly sent to
Utah in the hope of finding permanent homes for the animals
where small dogs are in greater demand.
Since the
program began in 2008, some 2,000 dogs have been rescued,
finding their "forever homes" in the Beehive State. According to
the Humane Society's rescue coordinator, Jessica Almeida,
"People were on waiting lists to adopt dogs we didn't have. So
we started this program in 2008, and now we take about 30 dogs
every two weeks. I hope that by offering adoptable small dogs,
we are affecting the number of dogs purchased from pet stores
and newspaper ads and putting a dent in the demand from puppy
mills."
Almeida initially contacted Robin Harmon, the adoption manager
for Best Friends Los Angeles, which obtained a grant from the
Jason Heigl Foundation to cover the cost of transporting
dogs to Utah. Thirty dogs are driven from California in a van
and meet Humane Society personnel in a St. George park for the
transfer. The dogs are then taken to Salt Lake for a chance at a
new life.
Harmon said the exchange program with the Humane Society "is
very rewarding. It's a lot of hard work, but you can save lives.
I know they're going to good homes in Salt Lake. It's a
wonderful feeling. Your heart is so happy these dogs are off to
a wonderful new life."
No one is happier to see these small dogs get a chance at a new
life than Lance Hunter, the animal-control manager of Los
Angeles County's Baldwin Park Shelter.
"This has
picked up the morale of our staff … having these volunteers come
in and work their magic, taking the animals to find homes and be
wonderful companions."
Humane
Society of Utah spokesman Carl Arky said it's unclear why
Salt Lake has a high demand for smaller dogs. He speculates the
reason may be that more people are moving into apartments or
homes with small yards these days and therefore favor smaller
canines.
Katherine is currently on maternity leave from Grey's Anatomy,
spending time with her new baby daughter Naleigh. The family
have been enjoying a break away from the pressures of Hollywood
in rural Utah, where Katie owns a property.
Arky
added that Katherine attended an animal-adoption event in Park
City last week, "at the Petco there, she quietly and without any
fanfare played for a long time with some of the dogs before
making a donation and leaving."
To find
our more information on how you can help visit the
Jason Heigl Foundation. |
