Locals band together to give last chance to dogs

Rebecca Harshman might have majored in elementary education, but she’s built quite the career in “animal rescue midwoofery.”

The retired Montevallo Elementary schoolteacher has loved dogs as long as she can remember, picking up strays on the side of the road as often as she came across them.

During one such pickup, Harshman found an abandoned and pregnant cocker spaniel-Great Pyrenees mix. Understanding the capacity-filled, low-budget realities of many shelters in rural Alabama, she knew that sending the puppies there was not an option. Seven puppies and one PetFinder post later, Harshman and the entire litter were on a Delta flight making their way to a shelter in Conway, New Hampshire.

“Particularly in the Northeast, states have strict spay-neuter laws, and they are just so unaccustomed to seeing puppies,” said Harshman. “And if they hear that puppies are coming to a shelter in their area, my goodness, they camp out for it like they are waiting for tickets to a Beatles concert!” 

Still, at that time and expense, Harshman knew she couldn’t pull off such elaborate rescues on a regular basis. 

But the chronic need staring her in the face on nearly every commute home just wouldn’t leave her conscience. 

Tapping into her personal savings, Harshman began Alabama Rescue Relay. 

The nonprofit organization serves all Alabama counties and focuses on safely transporting unwanted dogs to areas of the country where pet adoption demand exists.

Despite a lean volunteer staff of less than 10 and a fleet that consists solely of personal vehicles, Alabama Rescue Relay has transported more than 2,000 dogs from rural Alabama this year alone. 

Since January 1, Chace Lake residents and Alabama Rescue Relay volunteers Eric Taylor and Gale Sittig have logged more than 20,000 miles in dog transportation travel on their Dodge Mini Caravan. 

“We just got the bug to get involved with this, and once we started, that was it,” said Taylor, a retired attorney from Florida who learned about the rescue network from another area shelter. 

Once dogs are identified (often via drop-offs at shelters or veterinary clinics), volunteers with the rural shelters and Alabama Rescue Relay identify a shelter or rescue group willing to accept it, and then maps out the pickup and drop-off points into 60-mile routes. Local routes are handled during weekdays, and longer routes run on the weekends.

For longer, more complex routes, Alabama Rescue Relay often engages with fellow nonprofit organization Pilots N Paws, which allows them to tap into a network of volunteer pilots and plane owners willing to assist with animal transport and rescue. 

The existing group includes volunteers from Hoover, Homewood, Cahaba Heights and Trussville, though they are always seeking to expand the network. Over the Mountain residents who are interested in volunteering with Alabama Rescue Relay are encouraged to visit alabamarescuerelay.org. 

Those interested in driving rescue/delivery runs must fill out paperwork and provide a reference. Drivers must be accompanied by an experienced volunteer before they are permitted to handle the trip alone.

“We’re fortunate to have built a good reputation with rescue groups and shelters from South Florida to MN,” said Harshman, adding that many breed-specific rescues will ask her to add a particular dog to one of ARR’s transports. “I’m thankful that we’ve found a way to help the animals who might otherwise be forgotten.”