Dog Sent To UES ASPCA Is 100k Pet Rescued From Rural Shelters

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A van full of dogs rescued from rural shelters without the resources to care from them arrived Thursday afternoon at the Upper East Side's ASPCA adoption center. Inside was Apple, a small 3-month-old Dachshund mix who is the 100,000th pet rescued as part of an ASPCA initiative launched five years ago to bring animals from rural areas to larger shelters in big cities.

Apple was found wandering the streets of Starkville, Mississippi and taken in to the local Oktibbeha County Humane Society, ASPCA president Matt Bershadker said Thursday. When it became clear that the shelter would not be able to adopt Apple locally, she began the 1,105-mile journey to New York City.

After settling in for a few days, Apple and the 19 other dogs delivered to the Upper East Side shelter will be available for adoption. The relocation program likely saved all the dogs from euthanasia, Bershadker said. A dog found wandering the same street as Apple, a Chihuahua named Curry, also arrived in New York City on Thursday.

"This is 100,000 animals that without this program would very likely have been euthanized. And Apple represents all those lives that were saved, and quite frankly all the lives that will be saved as we continue to invest and grow this program," the ASPCA president said.

The ASPCA's relocation program works with 90 local "source shelters" across the United States and has 50 "destination shelters," including the Upper East Side. Of more than 40,000 animals relocated last year about 400 were brought to New York. The program has three routes covering the Western United States, the Midwest and the East Coast.

The program not only allows the ASPCA to save animals from euthanasia, but also lessens the burden on local shelters, so they can focus on solving the root causes of animal homelessness in their communities. Bershadker described animal homelessness as a "geographical" problem and said that many parts of the United States are not up-to-date when it comes to spaying and neutering animals or pet retention efforts.

"We saw an incredible need to move animals from areas of the country where they are at risk of euthanasia simply because they were born there, and bring them to areas where they will certainly find a loving home," Bershadker said Thursday.