About Us

About Our Rescue
Get InvolvedHow It works
Since 1994

Saving Animals & Finding Homes

Our History

Alabama Rescue Relay (ARR) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the transportation of Alabama shelter and rescue dogs to out of state rescue partners in the Midwest and FL. These puppies and dogs would likely never be adopted in Alabama and many would face euthanasia due to the overcrowding of local shelters if not moved to our out-of-state rescue partners. We arrange for out-of-state receiving partner rescues to intake, alter, and put them up for adoption as well as transport them.

We typically work with the shelters in small Alabama towns like these:

Animal Tails Rescue – Luverne, AL
Bibb Co Pound – Brent, AL
Bigbee Humane Society – Demopolis, AL
Bullock Co HS – Union Springs, AL
Calhoun Co Animal Shelter – Anniston, AL
Chilton Co HS – Clanton, AL
Choctaw Co Animal Shelter – Butler, AL
Clarke Co Animal Shelter – Grove Hill, AL
Etowah Co Animal Shelter – Piedmont, AL
Greenville Animal Shelter – Greenville, AL
Hale Co Animal Shelter – Greensboro, AL
Monroe County Animal Shelter- Monroeville. AL
Paws Crossed Rescue – Brewton, AL
Sylacauga Animal Shelter – Sylacauga, AL

 Bigger dogs go to FL via van ground transport and most of the puppies are flown by volunteer pilots. We also have ground transports going to Minnesota. The dogs traveling to Minnesota have a relay point in Deerfield, IL. After a long overnight drive, they are met by a volunteer team at dawn where the pups get walked and fed. Relay drivers take over driving the van on to Minnesota. When they return, they Alabama driver takes the van back to base.

Rescued Animals

Adopted Pets

Dollars Raised

Volunteers

What Drives Us

Our Mission

We believe that every animal deserves  the chance to find a forever family. We are a volunteer group of compassionate people dedicated to saving animals from overcrowded Alabama shelters and to inspiring a community where the animal-human bond is celebrated and nurtured.

Adopt A Pet

Make a Donation

License a Pet

Save a Life

Why Adopt?

Each year, approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized

(390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats). The number of dogs and cats euthanized in U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 2.6 million in 2011. This decline can be partially explained by an increase in the percentage of animals adopted and an increase in the number of stray animals successfully returned to their owners.

56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized.

More cats are euthanized than dogs because they are more likely to enter a shelter without any owner identification. Only 15.8 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.

83% of the 4.6 million cats and dogs that entered US shelters were saved in 2021.

Sadly, 355,000 cats and dogs needlessly died.

Five states account for half of all cats and dogs killed in the US.

The five states in which the most animals are being killed are California (100,239), Texas (96,707), North Carolina (47,652), Florida (45,503) and Louisiana (32,150). Collectively, these states account for 52% of the animals killed in U.S. shelters during 2019.

 

In 2021, nearly 14,690 dogs and cats were killed in animal shelters across Alabama,

but together with your help, we’re changing that.

Team

Our Volunteers

Mike Young

Co Founder

Rebecca Harshman

Co Founder

Jane Doe

Lead Volunteer