Animal rescues are unevenly distributed around the country. Some areas have more animals than shelter space while others have excess space. Many overcrowded shelters ship highly adoptable animals to other areas of the country. Some breed or exotic rescues ship animals cross-country direct to a forever home.

If you'll be travelling for the holidays this year, considering volunteering to take an animal with you. If you're driving, you may get direct care of the animal.

If you're flying, you may still be able to help. Some rescues use frequent flyer miles to send animals to new homes, but in the US, they can't fly unaccompanied. The rescue MUST have someone sign for them as baggage. So if you volunteer as the fly along, all you have to do is sign for the animals as baggage and the sending and receiving rescues with handle the drop off and pick up. You won't have to manhandle crates or anything.

Call your local rescues and see if any of them have animals they need shipped... or have been approached by another shelter to take animals, but have no way to transport them. Your route may not match up, but you'll never know if you don't ask!

If you have a favorite breed of dog (example: border collies) or are a fan of an exotic pet (example: parrots) they're even more likely to be looking for people to transport an animal crosscountry. Check in with them and you may end up with an animal riding shotgun as you travel for the holidays.

Can you drive a trailer? Don't forget that large animals are often the most difficult to place because most shelters don't have space for a horse or pig. So when one comes into the local pound, they need someone that can drive a trailer to a farm sanctuary. If you know how to drive a trailer, make it clear you can do so!


And it will give you something AWESOME to talk about with your relatives over dinner. Driving 300 miles to Mom's with a border collie riding shotgun or trailering a former race horse to a new farm will probably top any other story at the table.