This month, the ASPCA Animal Relocation Team hit a huge milestone when we transported our 30,000th animal, a blue heeler-mix puppy named Gene, to a shelter where he would have a better chance of finding a loving home. 

Year-round, the Relocation Team works tirelessly to transport animals from "source shelters" in areas where the homeless pet population is high, to "destination shelters" in communities with a greater demand for adoptable animals. The team’s goal for 2018 was to get to 30,000 animals transported, but no one expected to hit that number with months still left in the year. To date, the Relocation Team has transported 32,698 animals throughout the country through four different routes on both coasts and through the Midwest.

Though Gene was the milestone pup, he was just one of 25 dogs who made the 700-mile, two day journey from Mississippi to Wisconsin. Before he was chosen for transport, he’d been found as a stray with six of his brothers and sisters. Gene and his transport buddies were festively greeted for their ride by an ASPCA driver who wore a party hat for the special occasion. 

After his arrival, adorable Gene quickly found loving adopters and went to his new home—proving the long journey to be well worth it. 

“The Relocation Team is proud to have reached this significant milestone," said Lou Guyton, Senior Director of the ASPCA Relocation Team. "We are grateful to all of our colleagues who helped us achieve this great success!”

The Relocation Team doesn’t have any plans of slowing down. As we gear up for 2019, we’ll continue efforts to save more lives and help more animals find loving homes.