VALDOSTA — A trial run at the Humane Society of Valdosta-Lowndes County was observably paw-sitively purr-fect Saturday.

Eleven cats were transported to the Atlanta Humane Society early Sunday morning, but before staffers took them to their destination, a practice run was held at the society.

Volunteers loaded up the cats into carriers and into a trailer that would later take them to Atlanta.

Equipped with heating and air-conditioning, vents, hot and cold water, a water hose for cleaning and pods for dogs and cats of any size, the $33,000 trailer was funded with donations, according to society members.

It was the vision of William Whitesell’s grandfather that helped develop the idea for a trailer, according to society members. Whitesell is a board member for the Humane Society.

“He provided the funding for it, and it was his love of animals, in general, that inspired it,” he said. “It was his vision in helping animals, and in that process, we decided this would be a great use of the funds.”

The sides of the trailer can be raised upwards to reveal any cats or dogs in the plexiglass pods. The Humane Society can use it for adoption events, said Emily Smith, director of operations for the Humane Society.

“We can take it to a location, or we can take it to a park, or the stadium here in town and lift up the sides and people can actually walk through the trailer if they need to,” she said. “Or they can see the animals from the outside.”

The purpose of transporting cats and dogs to other shelters is to minimize euthanasia, Smith said.

“We are pulling from high-risk Lowndes County Animal Shelter because if they get overcrowded, they are forced to euthanize so that they can make space for new intakes,” she said. “We’re trying to prevent that from happening.”

By taking cats to other no-kill facilities in state and out of state, the Humane Society is helping to create space in the local shelter, Smith said.

Once the shelter gets overcrowded, she said there’s no other alternative but to euthanize animals that have been there longer.

Transporting, rescuing and adopting out these animals relieves some of the pressure as the animal shelter becomes overcrowded, Smith said.

“That’s how we can prevent that euthanasia, and hopefully we’ll be able to see the euthanasia rate drop dramatically this year,” she said.

The Humane Society received the trailer last May and has used it to transport 16 dogs in January.

Through partnerships with other organizations, some of the dogs will be going to Canada to be adopted, according to the society.

Tim Hill, volunteer transport lead, will drive the trailer up Interstate 75 to Atlanta while Smith will ride shotgun. He believes volunteering is the ultimate service work.

Not only is the Humane Society assisting with the euthanasia problem, but it is helping dogs and cats be adopted in areas where there may be none to adopt, according to society members.

“There are people out there that need animals, that want animals,” Hill said. “It’s proven that an animal is a great source of companionship that can alleviate a lot of the problems that people have. At the end of the day, these animals can solve those problems for them.”

The Humane Society accepts donations by visiting humanesocietyofvaldosta.org; emailing info@humanesocietyofvaldosta.org; or calling (229) 247-3266. 

Amanda M. Usher is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1274.