SITE CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED - SECTIONS AND FUNCTIONALITY ARE NOT COMPLETED... PLEASE REVISIT THIS SITE IN SUMMER 2004... THANK YOU!
Please visit PetFinder or Yahoo Groups to rescue or join a transport in the meantime. There are hundreds of rescue groups on Yahoo.

Rescue Transport Network was established in 2003 in response to a dog that was rescued from NJ from being PTS. The dog was abandoned when her owners moved away and left her in the house. Luckily the dog made it to a new forever home, but sadly only got to enjoy the love she so deserved for two short months before liver failure claimed her final days.

This transport network is designed to save as many animals of any species as possible. On this site you find resources for nationwide transports, animals needing rescues, available foster homes, and no-kill animal shelters. This site in no way is to be abused by spammers or people wishing to exploit needy animals. Our goal is to save every life possible and to educate the public about the unnecessary deaths of thousands of animals a year due to overpopulation. Please save at least one by rescuing an animal from an abusive situation, adopting from a high-kill animal shelter, or by participating in a rescue transport.

This site is currently under development. Thank you for stopping by. If you are interested in joining Rescue Transport Network, please contact us at marie@rescuetransport.com.

Below is MY ADVICE on how you can do more:

Written 12/28/2003

Dear Fellow Rescuers,

I am writing this with sadness, but in hopes that this will be able to help you help the animals more. I receive hundreds of emails from people asking me to help them place or find someone that will help dogs and cats that are in danger of being put to sleep. I am not affiliated with any shelter or rescue group, but rather only do rescue in my available free time. I am an individual that has been helping arrange transports, rescues, and adoptions of animals for the last three years. In three years I have learned so much and I want to share with all of you what I have learned. So many people say that one person cannot make a difference in the crusade to help animals, I say ask the scores of animals that did not get killed because I helped speak up for them. My personal soft spot is the dogs that people have given up on or that no one wants due to age.

Last week someone sent me an email about a blind male rottweiler that was deemed hopeless. The shelter wouldn't even put him out with the other animals for adoptions because he was blind and was missing one eye from obvious abuse. Besides that, he was said to be a very sweet, but sad and scared dog. They gave him two days by the time I received the email. Most people wouldn't even bother passing that message on to rescue groups because, like the shelter, people think cases like this are hopeless. Well, I forwarded his story and picture to about 20 Rott rescue groups in the surrounding states and they were going to rescue him, but it was too late. So many times I receive posts about specific breeds or mixes and most people think that it is enough to send it to just other people that read and post rescues on boards. I have found it best that if you do a little research and leg work, you CAN find someone somewhere that is willing to help where no one else wants to. If the original poster had forwarded this on to some Rott rescues, it may not have been too late for him. I found that if you direct cases to the correct rescue organizations, it is almost never too late.

Also, many people that are located in one state assume that if the animal is in another state there is nothing that they can do. I live in northern Illinois and have helped rescue, transport, and arrange transports and rescues for animals in NJ, KY, OK, IL, WI, and others. My first rescue case was of a dog that I read about in NJ that was going to be put to sleep because she was 12 and her owners moved away. Without any experience or knowledge, I made it my goal to save her life. I joined 25 rescue lists, posted messages, emailed shelters and rescue groups, and even went through people's membership information in the lists to see what states people were in and emailed them directly. The outcome was a transport of about 7 groups of people from NJ to IL that helped bring her here a couple of days before Christmas in 2002. She lived out her last few months with us before she passed away from liver failure. She was one of the best dogs I have ever known and I was grateful for the few days of work it took me to arrange the rescue for the two months she got to live with us. My husband and I drove to the OH border to pick her up and we would do it a hundred times over if we had to to be able to see her again. She and so many dogs are worth more than a few hours of your spare time.

If you see a dog (or other animal) in another state that touches your heart, do something about it. Don't just get sad and wish that you lived there so you could do something. YOU CAN! Go through PetFinder by state and find no-kill shelters and rescues and tell them the story. Chances are they will help or refer you to someone that can. CALL THEM!!! Don't ever rely solely on email. Sometimes email doesn't get checked everyday. Post to lists specifically for that area. I joined rescue lists in other states so that when things like that do happen, you have people in that area to turn to. Go to the ASPCA website and look up shelters and rescues by state and call them. Do a search on Google. Call breed specific, age specific, needs specific, etc. rescues. They usually have long lists of people that they can refer you to if they can't help. People in rescue are generally in it to rescue and will love to help if they can. If you call ten rescues and their full, don't get discouraged. Keep trying. I read about 15+ animals in southern Illinois that were going to be destroyed because all of the shelters were full. I called everywhere and was turned down by many people, but with persistence, all of the animals that could be were saved before it was too late. Some rescues took one dog, some took a couple and some took four or five and I ended up fostering one. So, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Even if you can't adopt anymore animals, consider short-term fostering, transporting, or arranging a transport or rescue. The animals will thank you. If you need more ideas or suggestions, please email me. I try to check my email regularly, but I have been dealing with an ill family member since August and sometimes am not available. So, like me, if your time is limited, at least do a little research and forward cases on to people that might be able to help. Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,
Marie Cummings
Barrington, IL