Puppy pipeline runs from Georgia northward to adoptive homes

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Dogs are flowing from Georgia to areas around Washington, D.C., with a high demand to adopt new pets.

Kim Williams of the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation of Arlington, Virginia, tells WMAZ-TV that the group has brought hundreds of dogs from Georgia shelters northward in recent months.

Some are even flying by plane, courtesy of the volunteer Pilots N Paws group.

The foundation discovered many rural shelters are struggling in the pandemic as facilities close and more families turn in their animals due to financial strain.

But professionals working from home near Washington are more amenable to taking on a new pet and are returning them at a lower rate than in previous years.