PAAS' Ride to Rescue To Transport 5,000th Dog to Colorado for Adoption

Homer is one lucky dog. Actually, he’s the 5,000th lucky dog.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the homeless stray from Stephens County will be transported to Colorado where he will be given a second chance to find a loving forever home.

Just like 4,999 dogs before him, Homer’s journey from being a lost rescue in Oklahoma to a certain future as a beloved adopted pet in Colorado is possible because he will be taking a Ride to Rescue, an outreach program of PAAS.

PAAS (Peaceful Animal Adoption Shelter) is a regional transport hub, organizing and coordinating a network of nonprofit rescues and shelters from 13 rural municipalities across Oklahoma that have partnered together to provide a solution for the problem of too many unwanted dogs in the state.

Rescues and shelters often have limited resources and more dogs than adopters. Ride to Rescue, PAAS’ out-of-state transport solution, provides unwanted, homeless dogs in Oklahoma the opportunity to be taken to Colorado where they have the best chance for adoption.

“There is massive dog overpopulation in rural Oklahoma. The best line of attack to meet this problem is out-of-state transfers,” said PAAS Executive Director Kay Stout. “I compare it to Grand Lake. When it rains, we open flood gates. It’s the same thing with out-of-state transfers. We have too many unwanted dogs here in Oklahoma, so we take the overflow to Colorado.”

Every Tuesday for the past 3 1/2 years, PAAS has transported 25 to 30 adoptable dogs collected from its partner rescues and shelters to the Dumb Friends League in Denver.

The overnight trip to the Dumb Friends League facility includes a stop at a dog park in Colby, Kansas, before continuing to Castle Rock, Colo., where the PAAS bus is met with 15-20 volunteers who greet the dogs, check their papers and, if they have been spayed or neutered, the dog is placed for adoption.

“We have fertilized and watered that dog park every Tuesday for 3 1/2 years,” Stout said. “We have the trip down to an art. The dogs do remarkably well.”

Every trip is worth the effort because all of the Ride to Rescue dogs have found forever homes.

“These are all adoptable dogs, ranging from great big Pyrenees down to little frou-frous,” Stout added. “They are healthy, socialized, adoptable dogs. Every dog has a rabies certificate and a health certificate from a veterinarian.”

By all accounts, Homer is a very adoptable dog. Picked up as a city stray in Stephens County and never reclaimed by his owner, Homer was on a 72-hour hold and facing being euthanized when he was rescued by one of PAAS’ partner shelters.

“A nice dog, social and friendly. This is a big boy trying to live in a little man’s world” was how a volunteer with that shelter describes Homer.

Because of his size, Homer has had a hard time fitting in and continually gets passed over. Recently, he was on a trial adoption but, sadly, was returned because the family’s mini-dachshunds wouldn’t accept him. The family said they hated to return Homer and made the comment that he was “the most affectionate dog” they have ever been around.

Homer was selected for transfer to Colorado because the volunteers and staff at the shelter “know he will get the home, love and training he needs to reach his full potential. This is a great young dog with all the makings of becoming a great adult dog.”

Stout credits the success of Ride to Rescue to the partnerships PAAS has formed with both the rescues and shelters who supply the dogs and the Dumb Friends League that finds homes for the animals.

“Our relationship with the Dumb Friends League has been the most wonderful partnership in the world,” Stout said. “We work closely with their staff and volunteers and are their most consistent transport.

“Everybody knows the protocols and procedures required by Dumb Friends League and chooses adoptable dogs that meet those standards.

“Ninety-five percent of the time, the dogs from one week’s transport have all been adopted before the next transport leaves for Colorado.”

When asked why Colorado is able to find homes for the unwanted dogs PAAS brings them, Stout cited the large and growing population of the Denver area as well as the fact that Colorado has a long and successful history of promoting the spaying or neutering of animals to the extent that there is actually a public need for adoptable dogs.

This Tuesday, PAAS’ Ride to Rescue will transport its 5,000th dog to Colorado. Next week, the bus will set off with adoptable dog No. 5,001. Upon completion of the Dumb Friends League’s new facility early next year, PAAS will begin doing two transports a week, helping even more unwanted dogs find their forever homes.

For more information about PAAS and Ride to Rescue, visit www.paasvinita.com or call (918) 256-7227. PAAS is located at 628 S. Wilson St., in Vinita, Okla.