PULASKI CO., Va. – In Pulaski County, the animal shelter is in a code red alert, meaning they cannot take any more dogs or cats because they are completely full.
When Virginia-Maryland Veterinary students in Blacksburg heard this, there was a call to action and students came to the shelter to foster the dogs that were set to be euthanized.
“When [the shelter] runs out of cages, they have to make that decision for whoever was there the longest,” said Amelia Aiken, a third-year vet student at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Aiken knew she had to do something to help.
“Kind of as a last-ditch effort, I messaged my vet school class to see if anyone was able to foster,” said Aiken. “I thought we would maybe be able to get one or two to foster till they found a home so they wouldn’t have to be euthanized that day.”
But what happened after her call for help surprised everyone.
“Slowly, one at a time, my classmates started to show up,” said Aiken. “A couple hours later all eight of them were fostered.”
I talked to some of the students who came to action and said it was something they did not even have to think about.
“I think it was just knowing that that was real,” said Ellie Niesz, a third year veterinary student. “That they were on the euthanasia list. I was like like okay, we have to go get them now.”
“That text kind of came through and we looked at each other at the kitchen table and we were like, ‘So are we leaving right now?’” said Jordan Fantasia and Hannah Trebour.
The fosters said they have been pleasantly surprised at how well the dogs behave.
“He is perfect, he has all the best qualities that labs have,” said Niesz.
“He has really impressed us,” said Trebour and Fantasia. “Every single day. He has been incredible.”
If you would like to adopt one of these dogs or see who is available, you can apply here.