Pets from North Texas center take a trip to New York to find a loving, adopted home

There are plenty of folks out there who would love to care for dogs (and cats). Sometimes, all it takes is getting them connected.

That’s where the animal care center Humane Tomorrow comes in with their Love on Wheels program.

With more animals than there are people to care for, the program relocates some of those animals to ... New York.

Yes, New York. It seems they have more people than animals, and those folks are looking for pets to care for, said Stacy Smith, Executive Director of Humane Tomorrow. The nonprofit organization started in Flower Mound and now has a center in Argyle.

“We send dogs to New York because we have historically had more here than we can find homes for, and they are in high demand there,” Smith said.

Smith said the idea for Love on Wheels came from a seminar she attended where a trainer from upstate New York, Sue Sternberg, was amazed at all the adoptable dogs at a shelter in Oklahoma, where the seminar was being held.

“She said, ‘I could adopt all these dogs out in a week if we could just get them there,’” Smith recalled. “It stayed with me, and a few years later these programs started popping up around the country, and I decided to go for it. We were the first area transport relocation program in North Texas.”

Smith said the dogs they relocate come as far west as Mineral Wells and as far east as Tyler.

“We get the most dogs from East Texas,” she said. “That area still has a long way to go before they have their animal population under control.”

Humane Tomorrow has a local adoption program, and that program does take in dogs of all ages. Love on Wheels can only send dogs old enough to have at least two vaccines and be spayed/neutered.

“We do not send seniors to New York, either, as we feel the trip would be too hard on them. So typically, 5-7 years is the maximum age to go to New York,” she said.

The dogs are crated on a trailer for transportation. The trip takes a couple of days and the drivers stop to walk them every few hours. They leave on Thursday afternoon and arrive Saturday morning.

Love on Wheels has sent more than 3,400 dogs since 2013. Their friends in Wichita Falls, Underdog Express — a spin-off from Love on Wheels — has probably sent close to 3,000 by now as well, Smith said.

Humane connections

While Love on Wheels is a great program, Humane Tomorrow is about a lot more, Smith noted. They are dedicated to promoting a respectful, responsible, and compassionate relationship between animals and people. To that end, they have programs that include:

▪ Adopting dogs and cats locally, helping families pay for unexpected veterinary costs (a program called Flower’s Fund).

▪ Assisting with pet food or rental deposits to keep pets with the families who love them.

▪ Promoting empathy and compassion with youth groups, schools, etc.

▪ Advocating for stronger legislation protecting animals in Texas.

▪ And, of course, a spay/neuter program to help people be responsible pet owners.

The organization was originally the Flower Mound Humane Society, then Humane Society of Flower Mound, but in 2016 Smith said they wanted to move away from the idea of just being an adoption agency.

“We know that to make real change in the lives of animals and people, we have to start working toward building a better world for them,” she said. “The name Humane Tomorrow represents our ultimate goal, what we are striving for. We’re working today for a humane tomorrow.”

Persevering through COVID

Humane Tomorrow has approximately 100 volunteers who give anywhere from a few hours to almost full-time volunteer work.

And yes, like many places, COVID-19 has created a challenge in their mission, Smith said.

“COVID hit us hard, there’s no way to sugarcoat it,” she said. “ ... All of our major fundraisers for the year were canceled, and while we made up some of it, there is really no substitution for a big gala. ... Our fundraising was off by close to $50,000 last year, and it’s not looking much better this year yet. Luckily, we had funds in reserve that have kept us going, but it is tight.”

Smith said keeping volunteers safe was the first priority. In April they shut everything down and worked to come up with protocols that would let them move animals between shelters, vets, and fosters safely.

Love on Wheels was also forced to shut down for a while due to COVID restrictions on interstate travel.

“Once we started operating again we were pleasantly surprised to discover that everyone wanted to adopt animals now that they were working from home. Our adoption counselors were kept busy, which is always a good thing,” Smith said.

“I think everyone is feeling hopeful and more positive in general. I know I am, and I hope we can harness that good energy this year to build a more humane tomorrow.”