In September National Pyr agreed to rent a kennel building at a boarding place in Springfield, Ohio we used in the past. The Springfield location was convenient for dogs coming up from the South as well as dogs coming in from Ohio. The kennel owner wanted to lease a portion of the property as he is getting older and sees retirement within reach. For us, leasing the kennel building became a necessity with the number of shelter dogs coming in and the owner surrenders we have been asked to take.
We are always overloaded with dogs at the end of the summer and this year was no exception. What is different this year, is that the dogs keep coming. Here we are at the end of October and six more dogs from Tennessee came up on transport to Springfield last week. We started off in September with five dogs for the trial run and now the kennels are full. Two dogs have been adopted from the kennel so far, two dogs have gone to foster homes and three more have places to go when their vetting is complete. We currently have ten dogs in Springfield in addition to the 160 dogs we have in foster homes east of the Mississippi.
The kennel has brought in new volunteers, like Connie (right). We really appreciate the help with dog walking, feeding, watering, cleanup and leash training. Just being there is a great help with socializing the dogs. Anyone interested in helping can email Steve, our kennel manager. According to Steve, some of the dogs like it there so much, they don’t want to leave! We know that for all of them, this is a huge step up from where they’ve been. Failed LGDs Bobbie and Billy were within minutes of being shot when we got them from their owner.
The kennel has helped ease some of the congestion but does not rule out the need for fosters. As the dogs get assessed and vetted, our goal is to move them into foster homes if not to adopters, so they can spend time in a home environment and the kennel can accommodate the new dogs coming in. Please consider fostering a Pyr.
We want to thank everyone on Facebook who donated to getting our kennel up and running. Some people donated items for the dogs and others helped with the cost of building improvements. We still have a few items on our wishlist but having a place for more of our dogs is a wish come true in itself.
