Earlier this month we talked about recognizing one of the shelter’s transport volunteers.  What is a transport volunteer, you ask?  Simply, it is someone willing to take a dog or cat (or perhaps as many of them as will fit in their vehicle) from the shelter to another location.  Often, those locations are other animal rescue organizations that have agreed to let the animal be transferred from the custody of Bastrop County Animal Services into their care.  

The two reasons this is most often done is to obtain medical services for an injured animal from an organization with the capacity to provide it, or to get an adoptable animal out of the Bastrop shelter to make room for the many animals coming in.  Sometimes other organizations have more room, because they are larger organizations and/or have more turnover through adoptions.   Sometimes they have special medical teams – for example, Austin Pets Alive has the ability to take dogs infected with parvovirus and give them the intensive care they need.

Shelter Pet Safety Net also helps get medical care for shelter animals, for the animals that are not able to go to other rescue organizations in time to take care of their needs.  There have been times that SPSN pays for the initial diagnostic visit to a veterinarian, and the animal is later able to be transferred to another organization for more medical care.  There are some amazing organizations in the area that help the shelter out.  One of them is Pearl’s Place, in Temple, TX, which has done some wonderful rehabilitations.

So, back to transport volunteers.  They literally save lives.  If a dog or cat cannot get to the medical care it needs, or a place where it can stay awaiting adoption, it does not have a chance.  If you would like to participate, all you need is a vehicle.  Contact the shelter if you are interested!