Transport Guidelines

The following guidelines are in place to ensure the safety of all FFT animals on transport. As a transport driver, you are expected to strictly follow each guideline. These are lengthy but thorough in order to ensure both passenger and driver safety! If you have any questions about any guideline or about volunteering with FFT please email us at FurbabyFreedomTransport@gmail.com

Thank you!

Non-Negotiable

These items are STRICTLY enforced!

For PARVO prevention:

·      Puppies 6 months & under MUST be crated.

·      You MUST wear medical gloves when handling puppies & change those gloves when getting ready to handle pups from a different litter. (Also, do NOT pet an adult dog & then handle pups without the gloves.)

·      Never mix puppies from different litters in a crate. Only littermates may be crated together. They will be listed on the run sheet as a group.

·      Puppies can NOT be put on the ground. They must be transferred from crate to crate. Some people think that making puppies go in their crate is cruel, but this is to protect them from Parvo, a virus that is even crueler. It is permissible to put them in an x-pen with plastic covering the ground. Plastic must be changed between litters.

 For puppies and kittens:

• No animal including puppies and kittens may be fed on transport. This is to prevent vomiting and diarrhea which can cause an animal to becoming dehydrated while on transport.
• While food and treats are not allowed it is critical to make sure that every puppy and kitten gets proper nutrition while on transport. At every stop marked on the runsheet each one noted should be getting Nutrical. Please do not forget, read the runsheet or ask the monitor if you are confused or have questions.
• Nutrical: Squeeze a bit on your gloved finger and if the puppy or kitten will not lick it off, rub it on the roof of their mouth. Be sure to have changed gloves if you are handling different litters of puppies or kittens. The younger animals need to eat every couple of hours to survive. They can quickly become hypoglycemic and that can easily turn in to an emergency.
• Be sure to note how the puppies and kittens are acting. It they are lethargic at all, especially after getting Nutrical, please call the day's monitor immediately! Transporting is stressful on all animals but babies in particular.
• Overnighters of puppies or kittens need to make sure all animals are fed a small meal prior to heading off for transport in the morning to ensure their safety.

 For adults:

• Dogs under 25 lbs must be crated. Small breed dogs are more skittish & are at a greater risk of running away.
• Crating is always preferred. Any dog not crated MUST be tethered. (Tethering means tying the leash to something immovable in the car such as the drop down handles over the window, headrest, etc.
• No more than 2 tethered dogs are allowed in a vehicle for safety reasons. They are required to be separated (ie: one in the front seat, one in the backseat) again for safety. 

For all animals:

• Paperwork MUST be handed off to the driver that has the animal. It is important the paperwork stay with the animal in case he/she needs go to the emergency vet or the police ask for it.
• Best practice is to hand off the paperwork BEFORE your passengers to make sure all appropriate papers stay with the passengers.

Before Heading Out

Protect your pets. Make sure your personal pets are up-to-date on shots & on flea & tick preventative. All animals on transport are up-to-date on shots, but please remember they are coming from a shelter. Not all have been treated for fleas & ticks (due to costs) & any animal coming from a shelter environment may be harboring a virus.

To protect your pets do not bring them with you when driving. This will protect them from potential viruses, fleas & ticks. In addition, your focus needs to be on the shelter dogs who, due to stress on the transport, may be a flight risk or more prone to snap at other dogs. Please do not take animals from other shelters at the same time either and try and do two runs at once.

You must have a cell phone; even if you don’t need to call another driver, they may need to call you. They may be late or having car problems.

You may need to relay information quickly to other drivers or the Monitor. If you get into an 

accident you may need help quickly for your passengers and yourself. Make sure your cell phone is charged & on the entire day of the run in case of early/late arrivals or questions. Check e-mails frequently the day of the run – there could be last-minute changes or information from the monitor, other drivers, or overnighter. (Make sure the Transport Coordinator has the email where you can be reached on the weekends.)

Familiarize yourself with the run sheet and passengers. The intro will have important passenger specific directions. Print it out and take it with you on the run – pictures (if available) of all passengers and detailed information will be included with the run sheet. Don’t want to print the whole run sheet? Then cut and paste the leg before yours, your leg, and the one after yours. Make sure you also have the Monitor's phone number.

• ·       MAKE SURE YOUR CRATES ARE CLEAN & SANITIZED BEFORE EACH TRANSPORT! If you do back to back transports with other organizations please make sure you have time in between runs to properly clean crates with bleach, seal up any bowl or blankets, etc.
• ·       If you have extra crates you can bring, please do so. You may need to separate a pup or the dogs/pups may not fit. (Sometimes dogs/pups are bigger than listed on the run sheet b/c pups grow & dogs can fill out.)
• ·       If you do not have crates, please contact other drivers to see if you can borrow some –other drivers are usually happy to let you borrow crates if they are returned in a timely fashion and have been bleached after the transport. Any driver unable to obtain crates will only be able to carry 1-2 tethered dogs.
• ·     NEVER, forward or crosspost a final run sheet. Also please do not “borrow” drivers’ email addresses and start copying them on urgent animal situations without their permission. Many drivers are not necessarily rescuers & therefore are not an appropriate target audience. Please be kind and protect everyone’s privacy.

Transferring Passengers

·       Plan on arriving at the meeting location 10 minutes early in order to help with the transfer. If a driver is driving multiple legs, they may be early. This will be noted on the final runsheet. Please have your crates set up & ready to use. Have water ready to offer to the animals

·       PAPERWORK AND MEDICATION, ETC. IS TO BE HANDED OFF FIRST – BEFORE THE ANIMALS – to insure it is not forgotten.

·       Be VERY careful when transferring dogs to insure they don’t get away from you or try to run out the car door before you have a good grip on them. Any dog not crated must be tethered (tied) to something in the vehicle (such as the headrest or drop down handle), so that when you open the door, the dog cannot run away.

·       Please do not leave leashes or slip leads on the dogs when they are crated. The leash or lead can get tangled around a limb and hurt and possibly strangle them. When opening the crate to get the dog out, be sure to block the crate doorway with your body as you put the leash &/or slip lead on the dog. DO THIS BEFORE getting him/her out.

·       When possible, please use a clip on leash on the dog’s collar AND a slip lead to lessen the chance of the dog getting away from you. ALWAYS put the loop-handle of the leash &/or slip lead over your hand & on your wrist & grip the stem of the leash/lead with your hand. This secures the leash on your wrist so it is harder for the dog to pull away or keeps the leash in your hand if you fall or lose your balance.

·       Only one dog should be taken out of a vehicle at a time (unless there are multiple people to help) while the others remain safely contained in the vehicle. Dogs MUST be on a leash or slip leash during transfer and must NEVER be taken out of the vehicle off leash.

·       Do not leave tethered dogs in a vehicle with a door, window, or sunroof open. (Scared dogs can get through the tiniest of openings!) If they pull their leash loose, they can run away. If it is summer, please keep the AC going in the car during the transfer to reduce the chance of the dogs & pups overheating.

·       Please have poop bags available and clean up after the dogs – also try to keep them away from each other's feces.

·       Try to keep the dogs away from each other during transfer to lower the chance of spreading disease and/or fighting – transport is stressful for an animal so never let your guard down. The Transport Coordinator will let you know who can be crated &/or tethered together.

·       Puppies under the age of six months should never touch the ground to cut down on the spread of disease. (Their immune systems are very vulnerable and most transfer locations are common areas where many, many dogs have been.) If you must put the puppies down to potty, etc., lay down a large area of plastic covering inside an x-pen or play pen and then throw away the ground covering afterwards. If you cannot lay down a groundcover to protect them from infection, transfer them to the next crate and let them do their business there. (This sounds harsh, but remember these pups have been in crates at the shelter.)

·       If your child comes along with you on the transport, they should not walk the dogs or handle pups. Please understand that the dogs are stressed & could easily slip out of young, eager, well-intended hands. Children are welcome to come along & experience the joy of rescue but should be WELL SUPERVISED! Do not allow small children to hold puppies during the drive. We know they love each other but puppies are wiggly and accidents can happen.

·       Never allow a dog to ride on your lap when driving – most would love to ride there but safety first! (Think “deployed airbag!” They can kill small critters!)

·       NEVER transport a dog in the back of a pickup truck without a cap and it must have heat and AC!

Preventing Cross Contamination

·       If you are using a crate for the 1st time, it is best practice to sanitize it before using it.

·       After your leg, use a bleach solution (10% bleach to 90% water) to clean all crates. Please remember that this solution is only good for approximately 4 hours. After that, it decreases in its effectiveness. Do NOT use the pre-mixed bleach cleaners sold in stores. They are not as effective. You can also purchase veterinarian cleaning solutions such as Trifectant or Parvo-sol online or through your vet.

·       Any towels, blankets, etc. should be washed in hot water and a strong bleach solution.

·       You can protect your clothes from getting any viruses on them by using a towel between you & the pup. Like with the medical gloves, you need to change towels between litters. A lot of people also like to change clothes when coming home and keep them away from their personal pets.

·       Create a barrier between your crates (especially wire crates) by putting a sheet over the crate or put pieces of cardboard between your crates. This prevents pups/dogs from sneezing on each other or getting bodily fluids on each other. Cover your vehicle upholstery with a sheet or other protective covering whether transporting dogs in crates or tethered to prevent the spread of germ and soiling.

Sleepover Time -- Overnight Hosting

·       It is best practice NOT to have the dog(s)/pup(s) who are staying with you overnight intermingle with your pets. Any animal coming from any shelter could be harboring viruses, fleas, ticks or parasites. If you do allow them to intermingle, please introduce them slowly. Remember that transport animals may be stressed from the constant changes they have been through.

·       Do NOT just let a transport dog out in a fenced yard. You must be there to supervise the whole time. Flight risk dogs (shy or scared dogs who will be noted on the runsheet) should be on leash even in a fenced yard.

•      PUPPIES should NOT be put on the ground even in your back yard. They may carry parvo but not show any signs of being sick. This could contaminate your yard.
• ·       Puppies should be kept in a room with a tile or concrete floor that can be bleached before & after their stay. Do not keep them even briefly in a room with carpeting, wood flooring, or any porous
• ·       Please provide your overnight guest with dinner when you get them home & a light breakfast in the morning. (Please do not give a lot in the morning. Overfed animals get carsick which leads to dehydration.)  Please do not give them high-end store bought foods. It can be too rich for their stomachs & cause vomiting or diarrhea. Please provide a mid-level brand of food (such as Pedigree). To help entice a stressed dog to eat & to help with hydration, consider mixing dry & wet food. Of course, any dog would be very likely to LOVE a homemade meal of boiled chicken and white rice. (That is a good option given it is what we often feed dogs with digestive issues.)
• ·       The Transport Coordinator will try to let you know in advance if your guest needs medication.
• ·       Overnighters should arrive 20 minutes BEFORE the leg is scheduled to leave on Sunday morning. Give yourself time to load everyone up for the first leg.

Supplies to have on Hand While Transporting

·       Paper towels

·       Baby wipes

·       Disposable latex/nitrile (not rubber) gloves

·       10% bleach solution in a spray bottle

·       Nutrical – for puppies

·       Extra collars, leashes/slip leads

·       Plastic bags for poop duty

·       Water & disposable dishes for drinking (if you are leaving a water dish in their crate please do not use something they can destroy and eat.)

·       Newspaper, pee pads, and old towels or blankets

·       Extra crate (if possible) for quick transfer from a soiled crate (good for puppies!) or an unexpected health or behavioral issue that requires further separation

·       Pop top canned cheap, smelly dog or cat food to lure runaway dogs. Vienna sausages are also great for attracting run-away dogs.

Thank you for all of your help and dedication while volunteering with us! Without you these dogs and puppies would not make it to safety!