Meet Maxwell

Every day, dozens of dogs die in overcrowded shelters in less than a 5-hour radius to the Bay Area. These include purebreeds and little dogs, dogs that you wouldn't normally think would have a problem being adopted. But the reality is that especially in rural areas, dogs come into the shelters at an alarming rate yet there are rarely any adopters at all.

For most of these dogs, their only chance of survival is to be transported to more populated areas, where there are more potential adopters. Yet who does the transporting?

This past Saturday, a dedicated group of volunteers, people just like you and me, who have full-time jobs and families of their own and I'm sure a hundred other things they could spend their time doing, worked together to save over 30 dogs. Under the organization of one amazing coordinator named Jennie, 3 transporters split the drive between Bakersfield to Santa Rosa, over a 9-hour route. They picked up 3 dozen dogs from 5 different shelters and transported them to 4 cities where over a dozen rescues were waiting with open arms.


One of those lucky dogs was A843504 from Kern County Shelter in Bakersfield.


He has since been knighted Maxwell. I drove 50 minutes to pick this little guy up at one of the drop-off points of the transport. I scooped him up in my arms and put him in the backseat of the car. He was a little nervous and unsure of me but within 2 minutes, he was ready for a cuddle. Within 10 minutes, he had chewed off the harness I just put on him.

"Who me?"

Yes, you, you little stinker. That harness held memories. It was the first harness I ever bought for Popeye.

"Oh. Sorry."

You're not getting off so easily, mister. It's bath torture for you.


Not by my hands though. Remember Crazy Lady & Sugar? They fostered Pip until he was adopted.



They had so much fun, they asked to do it again. So where was I? Oh yeah . . .

"Torture."

"Is it over yet?"

"Uncle."

Crazy Lady & Sugar will be putting him through his paces until a good home is found for him.