Jessica and Tom Catropa, of Monroe, were among a group of several families gathered in a commuter parking lot in Danbury on Saturday as the Rescue Road Trips transport truck arrived, carrying several dozen rescue dogs from Texas. The Catropas were waiting to meet Chloe, a 5-month-old lab mix. Her adoption was arranged through L.A.B. Rescue and Adoption Network of TX and CT, run by Suzanne Bristol of New Hartford. Some dogs were transported through other adoption groups, such as Shaggy Dogs Rescue in Houston. But all were headed to either permanent or foster homes. Rescue Road Trips, owned by Greg Mahle, of Zanesville, Ohio, makes the 4,200-mile week-long round trip from Ohio down south to Texas and up to Connecticut every two weeks to collect and deliver dogs to foster and adoptive families. A typical load carries 80 to 100 dogs, many from Houston’s East End, where “dog dumping” and a high kill rate at shelters are common. Mild winters and a lack of spay and neutering programs have created a stray and abandoned dog crisis in the southern states. Mahle, who has been transporting rescue dogs for ten years, stressed the importance of raising awareness of the problem to help find loving homes. “I started with a mini van and now have this large rig,” he said. “But there are still so many dogs in need.” To learn more about Rescue Road Trips, visit their website here. and visit L.A.B Rescue and Adoption Network of TX and CT’s Facebook page here.
DANBURY 01/25/14 Greg Mahle, of Zanesville, Ohio, (left) hands Chloe, a rescue dog, over to her new owner, Jessica Catropa, of Monroe, during a stop of Rescue Road Trips at a commuter parking lot off I-84 in Danbury Saturday. “We are so excited to get her and give her a safe, warm and loving home,” said Catropa. CLOE POISSON|cpoisson@courant.com