Good Samaritan Support = Safe, healthy dogs

Stray dogs who turn up in some of our most depressed communities are often saved from the streets by community residents – residents who can’t always afford pricey vet care costs. These Good Sams understand that shelters are overcrowded and many surrendered pit bulls never leave. Keeping dogs healthy and out of crowded shelters is going to require that animal advocates support Good Sams and acknowledge the important role they play in helping street strays. By providing free and low cost vet care and training help, we can keep more dogs out of shelters. (And yes, it’s still important to file a Found Dog report to city shelters. In most cities, this can be done without surrendering the dog to crowded kennels).

The photo shows Oakland resident Travis, who sought out a neuter and shots for his little street stray at one of our outreach events. He fell for the pup and hoped to keep him or place him with friends rather than risk the uncertainty of our overcrowded city shelter. We offered to stay in touch and will do our best to create an opening for him if everything falls through. Good Samaritans provide an incredible service to lost and abandoned dogs, no matter how thin their wallet may be.