Freedom Ride: Working to save canine lives – San Angelo Standard Times

Yfat Yossifor , San Angelo Standard-Times 1:43 p.m. CT March 5, 2017

Tom Vaccarella, owner of S.A.F.E. K9 Transports, drives the truck with 58 dogs out of Lubbock en route to Washington. (Photo: Yfat Yossifor, San Angelo Standard-Times)Buy Photo

SAN ANGELO Tom Vaccarella pulled his truck into the Curry County Fairgrounds at about 6 p.m. It has been a long day of traveling, but the day is not over yet.

Vaccarella and his worker, Douglas Hardin, have special cargo in their truck 58 dogs that left Texas that morning en route to Washington.

Vaccarella is the owner of S.A.F.E. K9 Transports. His itinerary for Monday, Jan. 30, was to pick up the dogs for the second Freedom Ride of 2017; an effort to find homes for the dogs in other states.

I needed a job with meaning, something I could feel good about at the end of the day, he said.

Vaccarella was a diesel mechanic, and after 10 years on the job, he needed a change.

Ive always loved animals. I thought it would be good to help animals since they dont have a voice, they need us to help them, he said.

His day started at about 6 a.m. when he loaded up in his truck with freshly cleaned dog crates and headed out to his first stop.

At 10:30 a.m. he arrived at the Home Depot parking lot in San Angelo. Most of the dogs were waiting for him there with their foster parents from various rescue groups in the area.

At a stop along the drive, Vaccarella and Hardin checked on the dogs. They made sure the dogs were clean and healthy.

One of the dogs had gotten carsick. Vaccarella cleaned up the crate while gently talking to the dog.

Its going to be OK, youre going home, he told the dog.

He gave the dog a treat stuffed with medicine, and made sure to check of him frequently for the rest of the ride.

He made two more stops, one in Abilene, and another near Lubbock, to pick up the remaining dogs.

He has lived for 10 months in the shelter. We have taken him to every event, we fostered and have done all these things to try to get him adopted, said Donna Austin, president of Paws Pet Adoption in Plainview.

Plainview is such a hard place to adopt dogs out, so we have to ship him out, and I know he will get a home, she said. I know he will be happy, and that all that matters.

With his truck full, Vaccarellaheaded back on the highway toward Clovis, New Mexico.

The stop at the fairgrounds was to feed and walk the dogs before bedtime.

It takes a while but its all for their best interest. The dogs are happy and comfortable in there, Vaccarella said.

The truck is climate controlled,with a temperature gauge in the cab for Vaccarella to check while driving. At night, he sleeps in living quarters on the truck, so he is never far from the animals.

All the dogs ate before each dog had a chance to walk around the grassy area. Its a chance to stretch their legs, do their business and get one-on-one attention from the humans.

While Hardin walked a dog, Vaccarella sanitized the crate and replaced the pad on the bottom. When that dog was back in the crate, the duo moved on to the next dog.

Four hours later, the dogs were all settled back in their crates and Tom drove over to the nearest truck stop for the night.

The restaurant at the stop was already closed for the night. Without having dinner, Vaccarella and Hardin checked on the dogs one last time before all the occupants settled down for the night.

At 7 a.m. Vaccarella was already armed with coffee and a quick breakfast. He drove back over to the fairgrounds to use the grassy area for the dogs again.

He stood in the field with a fawn colored dog standing up its hind legs, hugging him. Vaccarella patted and scratched behind his ears.

You make each dog as happy as possible and treat them like they are your own, he said. At drop off, Ive had workers that tell me they want to take out a particular dog, say goodbye. Thats when you know you made a difference.

Like this guy, he just wants love and up there hopefully he will find it, Vaccarella said with his voice hitched with emotions.

Again, each dog was fed, walked and watered. The crates cleaned and the pads replaced.

58 dogs walks later, the truck pulled away and onto the highway to repeat the long day again.

To donate to Project Freedom Ride visit their fundraising page atwww.youcaring.com/projectfreedomride-763368

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Freedom Ride: Working to save canine lives - San Angelo Standard Times