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It's Ernie! Friendly Basset Hound Mix is 25,000th Dog on PetSmart Charities’® Rescue Waggin’® Vehicle!

Ernie faced euthanasia at overcrowded shelter in Tennessee; finds loving new family in Kansas City, Mo., thanks to lifesaving program

(PHOENIX) – PetSmart Charities’ innovative Rescue Waggin’ program is celebrating its 5th Anniversary – and the milestone of 25,000 dogs’ lives saved!

The honor of being the 25,000th dog transported, and then adopted, goes to a lovable Basset hound mix named Ernie who took the ‘ride of his life’ in February 2009. His journey began in Fayetteville, Tenn., where he was surrendered to the local shelter. For nearly four weeks he waited – but no one expressed any interest in adopting him. As the shelter filled up with other homeless dogs, space to house Ernie began to slip away. Luckily, the Fayetteville/Lincoln Animal Shelter had joined the Rescue Waggin’ program so dogs and puppies in need of homes, but out of time, could get a second chance.

On February 19 – nearly five years to the day that the first PetSmart Charities’ Rescue Waggin’ hit the road – a Rescue Waggin’ transport truck rolled into town. Like 24,999 dogs before him, Ernie boarded the truck to take his lifesaving trek. With its precious canine cargo on board, the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle traveled west and then north, stopping at the Wayside Waifs shelter in Kansas City, Mo. As an approved "destination shelter" in the Rescue Waggin’ program, Wayside Waifs has a strong adoption program and, when kennel space is available, takes in dogs and puppies from other shelters that have reached capacity.

Jenny Brown, communication manager at Wayside Waifs, remembers when Ernie arrived.

He was one of about 20 dogs on the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle that day, and the last to be unloaded. Right away, his happy‐go‐lucky personality was evident, she said. Brown clearly recalls how his tail never stopped wagging, except when he rolled over for a belly rub.

"He was very, very happy and a good little trooper," Brown added. "He’s one of those dogs who just seemed to know he was getting a second chance … you could tell that he knew everything was going to be OK."

Once up for adoption at Wayside Waifs, it didn’t take long for Ernie to capture the hearts of dog lovers Heather Ratteree and Philip Cole. The couple spotted him on February 21 and took him home February 25. Cole remembers how Ernie’s wonderful personality began to shine the very moment they took him out of his kennel.

"When we walked him down the kennel aisle by all the other barking dogs, he didn’t bark at all. He was so calm and confident," Cole added. "Then we took him into the play area and he started playing with toys. He just seemed so happy and so relaxed. After about five minutes, Heather and I looked at each other and said, ‘yeah, we’re going to get him.’ We just knew he was the right one."

The little dog whose life was saved is now brightening their lives every day.

"He makes us laugh," Cole said. "He is just wonderful."

^{About PetSmart Charities, Inc.}

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues, and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities has funded more than $87 million in grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations and, through its in-store adoption program, has helped save the lives of more than 3.5 million pets in the United States. To learn more about how PetSmart Charities is working to help find a lifelong, loving home for every pet, visit www.petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS.