CLEARFIELD – Three dogs enjoyed happy holidays and face a bright new year, thanks to a legion of volunteers including two Clearfield women who transported them from Tennessee to Connecticut last month.
Valerie Swales and Annie Livergood, members of the Mountain Laurel Kennel Club, took the Grove City to DuBois leg of the relay that originated in Nashville to deliver Max and Pete, both Brittanies, and Rosie, a Brittany and English Setter mix, to their new homes.
“It was the most awesome thing I’ve ever done. It was incredible,” Swales said of the adventure.
The pair became involved in the effort the way many projects begin, via an e-mail. Club members often make electronic appeal for help, information or to announce volunteer opportunities, she explained.
“This started with an e-mail from Shari Trythall, who recently joined the club. She wondered if we ever got involved with projects like this. I was on the phone as soon as I saw the message,” she said.
“This shows how powerful a tool the Internet can be. The transport relay was organized by a rescue group in the Nashville area and the woman coordinating the trip didn’t know Shari. But the information was passed on and on and it resulted in a happy ending,” she continued.
While there was little time for relay volunteers to chat, Swales said they learned Pete was on his way to a foster home in Lawrenceville, Rosie to a foster home in East Granby, CT, and Max to his forever home in Bridgeport, CT.
Aside from discovering upholstery cleaner costs $12 at a truck stop after one of the dogs had an accident in the back of Swales’ Jeep, the trip was a breeze, she said.
“The rescue people have a schedule and they know what they’re doing. It was smooth and easy. It was also the coolest thing ever. I hope I get the chance to do more,” she added.