For years, groups of caring people in Georgia have dedicated themselves to rescuing animals from the overpopulated Georgia animal shelters, transporting the animals by land and by air to other parts of the country where families are awaiting a new pet to adopt. Despite their best efforts, most animals that enter Georgia animal shelters don't get out alive. "This is a problem everywhere. Our volunteers drive shelter animals from southern states to the Northeast every weekend. We've saved thousands but that's a small percentage when you consider the number of animals that need to be saved," explains Rhonda Sims, founder of Freedom Train Transports.

Karen LaSasso began working closely with rescuers in Georgia earlier this year when she established a special community outreach program called "Paws for a Cause" for the St. Joseph elementary school. This small scale rescue operation and awareness program by the St. Joseph elementary school students turned into a major life saving event for 120 puppies and dogs from Georgia. The dedicated moms and students wanted to continue the work they had started and formed The M.O.M.S. (Making of Miracle Stories) Rescue. "The MOMS Rescue was formed with our children to help bring awareness about the millions of homeless animals in our country. Our children are the rescuers of the future. Our students continue to be a voice for the voiceless," explains LaSasso. 

LaSasso and a team of animal rescue organizations are now embarking on an awareness campaign significantly larger than that of "Paws for a Cause." On August 19th, a caravan of vehicles will leave in the early hours from Lindenwold, NJ, on a two-day trek to Atlanta. Rest stops along the way will serve not only to give drivers a break, but to also spread awareness about animal welfare along the route in major cities such as Washington D.C., Richmond, Charlotte and Greenville. "With awareness comes solutions," says David York, Georgia Puppy Caravan volunteer and founder of Barking Hound Village Rescue. 

Forces for the animals of Georgia will not only come by ground but also by air. General aviation pilots who regularly volunteer their skills and resources to transport dogs and cats to safe havens with a nationwide organization called Animal Rescue Flights will be arriving to Peachtree Dekalb airport with dog food that has been collected in places as far as Pittsburgh, PA, and Tallahassee, FL. Between the flights and vehicles carrying food donations, it is expected that more than 22 tons of dog food will be brought to Atlanta that weekend. "In May, a Georgia shelter had to put 18 dogs and puppies down because they had no food to feed them," says Ann King of Save Our Pets Foodbank, "When we heard that, in only two days The M.O.M.S. Rescue, Animal Rescue Flights and others were able to collect 700 lbs of food for that shelter. We hope this new supply of food will help rural shelters in Georgia when they need it most."

While in Georgia, Caravan participants will visit the Chattooga animal shelter in Summerville, GA. This shelter has 19 runs and can hold a maximum of 38 animals at a time. With dogs and cats being dumped by residents on a daily basis, euthanization is required to make more space in the shelter. The Caravan will remove every single animal the day of their visit and for just one day since it opened, the shelter will be hauntingly quiet. "It's symbolic of how things could be if people would spay and neuter their pets," explains LaSasso, "The shelters could be empty."

To lend support to the effort to raise awareness, a gala event is being sponsored the last night by David York and the Barking Hound Village. Held at the Foundry at Puritan Mill, celebrities, government officials, the media and Caravan participants will highlight a positive future for the animals of Georgia. "We are very excited to have National Geographic and Rescue Ink as part of the Caravan and the gala event," says York. Featured on "Ellen" and in the New York Times, the group, which will stop at nothing within the bounds of the law to protect animals at risk, has a large following in the New York City metropolitan area. They are now taking their brand of animal welfare national to a new television series, Rescue Ink unleashed, set to premiere on NGC-US September 25, 2009, and around the world on NGC in 164 countries to over 305 million households in 34 languages. The group's first book, also titled 'Rescue Ink,' will be released by Viking September 21, 2009.

Tickets to the August 21st Welcome Celebration will be available to the general public for $25 and may be purchased through the Fulton County Animals Services website at http://www.fultonanimalservices.com/. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit shelter animals.

On Saturday morning, the Caravan will head back to New Jersey. Dogs, cats, puppies and kittens saved from Chattooga and other Georgia shelters will ride along, to be delivered to rescues that will find them new homes. Animal Rescue Flights pilots will fly back from Atlanta to their home airports in other states, dropping off shelter animals with rescue organizations along the way. The dog food will be stacked in warehouses, ready for immediate distribution. "We hope that the awareness the Georgia Puppy Caravan brings to Georgia will have a ripple effect," says LaSasso,"accelerating Georgia's progress towards more humane methods of euthanization and, even better, encouraging the government to fund a robust low cost spay/neuter program. When the Caravan leaves," she continues, "Georgia rescuers will still be there saving animals. We hope our visit to their state eventually makes their work easier."

For more details about the Georgia Puppy Caravan, visit www.GeorgiaPuppyCaravan.org.                   

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About The M.O.M.S. Rescue: What started as a community outreach program ('Paws for a Cause') for for the St. Joseph Elementary School in Hammonton, NJ, has now grown into a passionate organization led by Karen LaSasso and Lisa Adinolfi, consisting of moms and students focused on improving animal welfare. The Georgia Puppy Caravan is Karen's brainchild and she is putting countless hours into its organization. For more information about The M.O.M.S. (Making of Miracle Stories) Rescue, visit  http://www.themomsrescue.com/.

About Animal Rescue Flights (ARF): Animal Rescue Flights promotes, plans, and performs the transportation of animals from overcrowded shelters where they face certain death to other parts of the country where qualified families are waiting to adopt them. ARF was created by pilots who believe in the benefit of volunteering. Over 350 pilots across the nation are members of ARF and volunteer their time, skill and resources to helping save animals. There is never a fee of any kind, either to the sender or receiver of an animal flying with ARF. Julia Ryan, co-founder of ARF, is organizing all flight-related resources for the Caravan. For more information about ARF and how you can help, visit http://www.animalrescueflights.org/.

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