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11/21/2012 05:00 AM

Pet Pointers: Animals set to be euthanized saved by Helping Hounds

On any given day, more than 10,000 dogs are euthanized in the United States. But some escape euthanasia to find loving homes with the help of a network of volunteers. Today we’ll learn more about these transportation networks in this edition of Pet Pointers.

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At 8 a.m. on a chilly Saturday morning, an animal transport truck from Alabama rolls into the parking lot of Helping Hounds Rescue in Dewitt, New York, carrying 20 dogs and puppies who were saved from southern gas chambers to be adopted by families in Upstate New York. Founder of Pets LLC Kyle Peterson tells us because demand is so high for this service, what was a hobby has become his full-time job.

Peterson said, "We run a transport every week almost year round from the southeast to the northeast. We transport about five to six thousand animals a year."

Helping Hounds board member Tracy Romano tells us they work with rescues in other states because the need for good homes is so great across the country.

Romano said, "The southern shelters are just so overwhelmed with dogs. The euthanasia rates down there is just so sad. We get lists everyday of mommies and babies, the whole litter being put down. The volunteers down there are dog lovers, they are desperate to get these dogs out the door."

Even with multiple transports happening simultaneously each week, for every dog that is saved there are still more waiting their turn to catch a ride to a new home.