Somerville Resident Helps Save Dogs and Cats

"Every minute counts" when trying to rescue a dog, according to Somerville resident Katie Montgomery. There's always "a rush to get the dogs out of the shelter."

Many of those shelters are in Southern states, where a general lack of spaying and neutering laws has led to a dog overpopulation problem, she said, describing the method in which many shelters still euthanize stray dogs, packing them into a metal box, gassing them to death, then packing more dogs into the box to be gassed.

It's one of the reasons Montgomery, 32, has worked and volunteered for animal rescues since her college days, serving as assistant director at one shelter.

It's also why she and Megan Saucier, 32, from Hull, recently started their own rescue: Survivor Tails.

Survivor Tails is new, having begun operations in March. The organization has already rescued 14 dogs, according to Montgomery, and it's actively looking for foster homes and people to adopt more dogs and cats. It has no shelter facility or offices and is run entirely by volunteers.

Hard Work

The work involved in starting up a rescue has been "really amazing and rewarding and stressful," Montgomery said. "One of the things we wanted to do was lay a good foundation" before getting started.

Logistically, rescuing a dog, especially from a state down South, isn't easy. Rescue organizations need to arrange and pay for a quarantine, transportation, vaccinations, a behavior assessment, and spaying and neutering. That's before finding a home for the animal, usually a temporary foster home at first.

Survivor Tails has a team of foster coordinators, adoption coordinators, volunteer coordinators and event and fundraising coordinators, Montgomery said.

Unlike some rescues, Survivor Tails doesn't "pull" dogs from Southern shelters until a foster home is lined up here in Massachusetts, she said. The organization also works with two shelters—Chester County Animal Control in South Carolina and Spalding County Animal Shelter in Georgia—that are "trusted partners," she said.

Focusing on At-Risk Animals

Those shelters alert a network of rescue organizations, including Survivor Tails, when an animal is particularly at risk. 

"A lot of it happens on Facebook," Montgomery said. Word spreads from shelters to rescue organizations, which search for homes in their communities. Dogs who don't find homes are at risk of being put down.

Despite the organization's youth, Survivor Tails is pushing forward quickly. Its 501(c)3 tax status is being processed and could be approved next month, and on Sept. 8 it's holding a large golf tournament benefit at the Merrimack Valley Golf Club. The Patriots Cheerleaders will be there.

Montgomery said the organization's main goal at the moment is to secure foster homes and adoptions.

Typically, animals stay in a foster home from a few weeks to a few months.

Of course, foster families often decide to keep the dogs and cats they've rescued, because they've become emotionally attached.

Those are called "foster failures" Montgomery said.

Learn More

You can learn more about the organization by visiting survivortails.org or facebook.com/SurvivorTails. 

Updated photos of animals up for adoption are posted to the Facebook page. You can also call (617) 383-PETS (7387) or email info@survivortails.org.