Fresno rescue dogs make trek to Seattle for Valentine’s Day

A few lucky rescue dogs are making their way from Fresno to the Pacific Northwest just in time for adoption on Valentine’s Day.

The Sweetheart Rescue Run takes five dogs from Fresno Humane Animal Services, which provides animal control services for Fresno County, and 10 other Fresno-area dogs to the Seattle-based Animal Debt Project rescue shelter through the Rescue Express, said Amanda Allen, community outreach coordinator.

The dogs were picked up by volunteers with Rescue Express at the Klein’s Truck Stop in northwest Fresno, near Herndon Avenue and Highway 99, on Saturday. They joined other animals picked up across the state by the Oregon-based nonprofit.

Rescue runs provided by organizations like Rescue Express allow homeless animals to be taken to other parts of the United States and Canada, where there are more homes looking for animals to adopt than their homeless animal population can provide.

“Some of our dogs would never make it out of our shelter alive if it weren’t for rescue runs like these,” Allen said.

Dogs taken on the rescue run are small breed dogs like Chihuahuas or terriers, Allen said. They’re certified as healthy and given vaccinations and microchips by a veterinarian before they join the run.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Fresno rescue dogs make trek to Seattle for Valentine’s Day."