The Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society successfully sent off 21 dogs to Augusta Regional SPCA in Staunton, Virginia. The transport was organized by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). This transport is the first of many and is a result of the new partnership between OLHS and ASPCA through the ASPCA Animal Relocation Initiative. The transport arrived at OLHS around 6 a.m. on Monday morning.

What the partnership entails

ASPCA works with many animal shelters all around the country. OLHS has been designated as a “source shelter,” which means that ASPCA will visit OLHS once every two weeks to transport animals out of OLHS and into a destination shelter somewhere else in the country.

Why it’s important

This partnership greatly helps reduce OLHS’s population and overcrowding issues and gets animals into loving homes in other parts in the country. The southeast in general faces giant problems with animal overpopulation, most of which stems from the lack of spay/neuter laws and education. By transporting animals into other parts of the country, OLHS can get these pets into loving homes much sooner than in Mississippi.
How OLHS got the partnership
The ASPCA Animal Relocation Initiative transports animals from source shelters to destination shelters. Getting approved for the program has 3 steps: a phone interview, a written application, and a site visit from ASPCA representatives. OLHS passed the phone interview on March 2nd, submitted the written application on March 3rd, and hosted the site visit with ASPCA shelter inspection team on March 13th. The three ASPCA representatives were Karen Walsh, Dr. Brian DiGagni, and Jesse Winters. Upon the site visit, ASPCA told OLHS that the shelter is in great condition, is being run efficiently and effectively, and would be a great source shelter for the Animal Relocation Initiative. After implementing a few small improvements suggested by ASPCA, OLHS was approved on April 16th to participate as a source shelter in the Animal Relocation Initiative.
Shelter improvements implemented
After the last step of the approval process—the site visit—the ASPCA transport team gave OLHS a short list of small improvements to be made to finalize the approval. These improvements included vaccinating each and every animal upon intake, scrubbing the outdoor puppy runs with a new cleaning solution, adding additional external and internal parasite treatments, and replacing the old carpeted cat towers in the catio with new, disinfectable ones. (https://secure.givelively.org/donate/oxford-lafayette-humane-society-inc/olhscatiofixerupper)
Future transports through the partnership
OLHS’s next transport with ASPCA will be on May 21st. That transport will be going to Brandywine Valley SPCA in West Chester, PA. It will also be arriving at OLHS at 6 a.m. that morning. OLHS hopes to be partnered with a destination shelter needing cats in June to get feline friends transported as well.

Walter Lyle and the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society
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