Duke needed to get from Long Island to New Jersey — fast!
Long Island Bulldog Rescue, an Alliance Participating Organization (APO), pulled the Olde English Bulldogge from the Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) Brooklyn shelter in May, and needed to get him to his new foster family in Fort Lee as quickly as possible. Once there, Duke would begin a wonderful new life — first in training with his K9 Soldiers Battle Buddy foster family to become a companion for a recently returned U.S. veteran, and then on to live permanently with his new hero. Quite a happy ending for a dog whose former owners gave him up to the shelter because of his allergies!
Like thousands of homeless animals from AC&C shelters, Duke’s exhilarating journey began with a ride on a Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals Wheels of Hope transport van. Last year, more than 8,400 dogs and cats were delivered to new beginnings on our vans. Wheels of Hope is one of our most effective programs for saving lives, and each day that those vans move, so do we: closer to our goal of ensuring that all healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters find homes.
Wheels of Hope transports fill a critical need: to get animals out of crowded city shelters quickly. Timely transports reduce the number of cats and dogs killed for lack of space at the shelter, and also lessen the risk of these animals contracting upper respiratory infection, kennel cough, or other illnesses that can spread swiftly throughout a shelter. Avoiding illness reduces both the animals’ suffering and the veterinary bills for the non-profit rescue groups that care for them until they are placed into new homes.
Wheels of Hope supplements the resources of the Mayor’s Alliance rescue groups and shelters, and allows them to focus on what they do best: finding caring, permanent homes for the animals. Transport costs, including the vehicles themselves, maintenance, fuel, insurance, licensing, and the salaries of our dedicated drivers, are borne by the Mayor’s Alliance.
Two Mayor’s Alliance staff transport coordinators who work closely with AC&C New Hope Coordinators (AC&C staff members who coordinate transfers of AC&C animals to their New Hope adoption partners) and a team of Mayor’s Alliance drivers ensure that the vans are rolling seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Since the first van hit the road in 2005, the fleet has logged more than 1.5 million miles, and transported more than 25,000 cats, dogs, and other animals on the next leg of their journey to permanent new homes!
How You Can Help
Now we need your help to keep our Wheels turning every day. The cost of fuel, tolls, and other expenses to maintain a fleet of four vans continues to rise. Your tax-deductible donation of $25, $50, $100, or more will help fuel our efforts and give a life-saving lift to more homeless animals just waiting for what might be the most important ride of their life!
Take it from Duke — it’s an investment he would bet his life on!
