Memorial Day 2000 Run

Memorial Day 2000 Rescue Run
Los Angeles to Seattle

Lazarus was picked up bright and early by Gail. His foster Mom, Chantal, sent along a very pretty blankie to accompany Lazarus and to give him a bit of comfort for this epic journey. She bid him goodbye, and off he went to meet the first driver on the trip, and to meet his traveling four legged companions.

The Miracle Transport of which I speak actually began on May 19th. I routinely send out information on Dalmatians in L.A. area shelters - impound number, available date, etc. and include photographs whenever I can. Sometime during the week of May 14th, I sent out an email containing this information on a dog who would later become known as Lazarus.

A Dalmatian rescue friend in WA State fell in love with Laz's picture and wrote to me on the afternoon of May 19th (the first day he was available). I drummed up someone (an ALL BREED RESCUE friend) to go down to the shelter and bail him out Saturday morning.

First thing Saturday morning, I called the shelter to make sure he hadn't been adopted. I was told he was "gone". Adopted? "No, gone." Apparently he'd had a hold on him for the Friday and they didn't show up, so they killed him Friday night. I was horrified! He was never actually available to the public. I sadly emailed my friend to tell her that her dog was dead. And I emailed a local (So. Cal.) rescue group with my outrage. The lady who routinely scouts the shelter in question mentioned the dog to the shelter manager and, lo and behold, he wasn't dead after all! Hence, the name Lazarus...the dog miraculously "raised from the dead."

A second ALL BREED rescue friend drove down first thing Tuesday to bail the boy out. Then my CHOW rescue friend braved hours of horrendous traffic with me on Thursday when I went to pick him up after neutering. And a lovely GOLDEN rescuer short-term fostered the very scared and horribly skinny little guy until I could get a run set up to transport him to his new home.

Throughout last week, (as you all know! ) I worked diligently on Lazarus' run. But it just wouldn't come together. The Memorial Day Weekend was killing me. No one was going to be home and if they were, they had plans. I'd never had to cancel a run before!

But by Friday afternoon, I had no choice but to cancel it. I was devastated. And then I learned his foster mom, having believed me that Laz would be going North on Saturday, had made plans to be out of town come Monday night (tonight). The run HAD to be back on!!

Throughout the evening I emailed everyone I could think of, asked friends of friends of friends if they knew anyone who could help. I got one missing leg filled. That left only one more. 135 miles. That was it. Friday night, at 10:06, I officially canceled the run. Poor scared Lazarus would have to spend 4 nights in a kennel.

I went outside with my dogs for their last pee, very depressed. After their good-night biscuits, I sat back down at the computer for one last group of emails. AND THERE IT WAS. An email from Laura Putzke of BEAGLE Rescue. She knew of someone in the area who could help - did I still need help there? YES!!!!

THE RUN WAS BACK ON! AGAIN! I emailed everyone involved and sent the first day's information to the first day's drivers...and went to bed at midnight feeling very uneasy. I hadn't gotten a confirmation from Leg One driver, and Laura (she'd gone to bed, I'm on the West Coast!) hadn't confirmed her friend could help.

At 4 a.m. I woke up with my heart pounding - with two possibly empty legs, dare I start this transport? I had no choice. Back to the computer. More instructional emails... (apparently I wasn't the only one involved not sleeping! LOL) and I left at 6:30 to pick up Lazarus from his foster mom.

At 7:15 I pulled up to the spot where I was to meet my Leg One Driver and the foster mom of Sweetie, a 13 week old deaf Dane puppy who was hitching a ride North with Lazarus. Sweetie and friends were there...Leg One driver wasn't. (She got there late, I later found out.)

I got on the pay phone across the street (naturally this was the weekend my cell went kaflooey!) and dialed the number of a possible Leg One driver I'd picked up from an email just that morning. I asked the kind lady who answered if she could do the leg. When? NOW!!!

Everything else is history. Because of Lazarus and the wonderful rescuers on the West Coast, SEVEN dogs made it to safety: Lazarus, Cheyenne (Liver Dal, 7 m.o.), Sweety, Moush & Megi (8 week old deaf dal pups), a Lhasa named Allspice and a Chihuahua mix named Jack!

Here in Los Angeles I got hands-on help from these rescuers: Chow, Golden and two All-Breed ladies.

The drivers consisted of:
Leg 1: Springer Spaniel
Leg 2. Dalmatian
Leg 3: Silky/Yorkie
Leg 4. & Overnight: Great Dane
Leg 5. Beagle
Leg 6. Weimeraner
Leg 7. Dalmatian
Leg 8. French Bulldog
Leg 9. Dalmatian
Leg 10. Lhasa/Shih Tzu/Special Needs
Side leg to bring Allspice to the transport: Senior Dog Rescue

What a wonderful statement of how we all work together for the good of the animals who need us. Lazarus' new mom has requested that his transport be called the Memorial Day 2000 Rescue Run...and it's dedicated to those animals who needed us who could not be saved. And God bless all of you for everything you DO do for them.