Two More Spared Euthanasia In Georgia Shelter 

 Once Again, SQSPCA

Saves Dogs From Lebanon

COOPERSTOWN – The Susquehanna Animal Shelter has once again opened its doors to dogs from Beirut, Lebanon, where the 13 animals faced violence, torture and starvation.

“We first partnered with Animals Lebanon in the winter of 2019, when LVT Sara Haddad and I traveled overseas – all expenses paid by Animals Lebanon – to bring traumatized dogs home to Otsego County,” said Stacie Haynes, executive director.

“These dogs are suffering horribly, and the circumstances are right for us to take them in and find them loving homes.”

Animals Lebanon takes in dogs from the streets of Beirut, where culture norms do not see them as pets. According to Haynes, dogs in Lebanon are beaten, shot and poisoned, and misinformation about transmittal of the virus from dogs and cats to humans have made conditions even worse.

“I feel tremendous empathy for the dogs arriving from Animals Lebanon. These dogs were rescued after being shot, dragged behind a truck and then hit by another car, and dumped onto the streets by families unable to care for their family pets anymore,” recounted Linda Nealon, and SQSPCA volunteer.

Because of an uptick in dog adoptions, 15 kennels were empty at the shelter. The dogs arrived yesterday, and the Delaware Valley Humane Society, also experiencing a shortage of dogs in recent months, has partnered with the SQSPCA in sheltering and adopting out the Lebanon rescues.

Additionally, local dog advocate Kim Condon reached out to the SQSPCA in hopes the shelter would have space to help save Boomer and Wagner, both scheduled for euthanasia at theGordon County Animal Control Shelter in Georgia in July.

“The Gordon County Animal Control Shelter is in a sad and unfortunate position of being overwhelmed with dogs,” said Haynes. “Unlike us, they do not have the luxury to not euthanize due to space constraints. Because Boomer and Wagner had been at their shelter the longest, they had no choice.”

Condon and the SQSPCA organized a rescue network to pull Boomer and Wagner from the Georga shelter and bring them to the SQSPCA, where they are available for adoption. Both are friendly; Boomer is a three-year-old American pit bull terrier mix. Wagner is a three-year-old an Australian cattle dog.