The Permian Basin has thousands of unwanted dogs, says Dana Tinley, executive vice president of a local nonprofit Dog Rescue R Us, so every two weeks, a bus loaded with 100 canines heads northbound from Midland.
As luck would have it, there is a shortage of dogs for adoption in northern states such as Wisconsin and Illinois, even as far as Canada. So Dog Rescue R Us hires drivers to deliver the Permian Basin animals to shelters and rescue groups in the North.
“Everybody up north is trying to save Texas dogs because we’re drowning here,” Tinley told Petroplex News.
Since it was founded in 2019, Dog Rescue R Us has saved 12,000 canines from being euthanized. Many of those were in the Odessa animal shelter, which has been able to greatly reduce the number of dogs it euthanizes by working with the nonprofit group, said Tinley.
“The ones that are killed are extremely feral or they have been hit by cars and have to be put out of their misery,” she said. “They wouldn’t have made it to the vet.”
A rescue group in Canada takes many of the pit bulls from Texas. Dog Rescue R Us delivers them to the Canadian group in Idaho.
“They love pit bulls up there,” Tinley said. “They know that they are amazing dogs.”
Tinley founded the organization in part because there were so many abandoned dogs in West Texas.
“It was just a really bad situation here,” she said. “I just felt that I was supposed to do this. Every day I get up and feel like this is what I am supposed to be doing.”
The organization is funded largely by donations, and the group tries to help pet owners keep their animals whenever possible.
“We will get them dog food, shots, microchips, we’ll help them get their dog to the vet,” Tinley said.
In addition to working with the Odessa Animal Shelter, volunteers are constantly scanning social media, hoping to rescue dogs before they end up in shelters.
“If there is a post on Facebook and someone says a dog wandered up to their house or they found that had been hit by a car, we find the money, we get them well and then we transport them up North,” Tinley said.
So far, the group has not developed a relationship with the city of Midland Animal Services.
“Midland Animal Services greatly appreciates the dedicated support and involvement of all the rescue organizations and partnerships,” the agency said in an email statement to Petroplex News.
In an average month, the Midland shelter holds about 245 dogs, the city said. Normally, about 43 of the pets are returned to their owners each month, 76 are adopted and 27 are transferred to rescue groups. About 64 are euthanized.
“We are working diligently to reduce this number,” Animal Services said. “Although we strive to be no-kill, euthanizing is a necessary service for some sick, injured and aggressive animals.”
Despite the economic problems from COVID-19, donations have continued to come in to fund the work of Dog Rescue R Us.
“I have to say that we have truly been blessed,” Tinley said. “It has been harder to get the money but it has shown up.”