'We weep with joy:' How a small volunteer group helps rescue Louisville's lost dogs

Meaghan Thomas spends almost 20 hours a week in the streets of Louisville trying to catch loose or lost dogs.

She's part of a volunteer group that calls themselves Dogs on the Run 502. And though the team is small, it successfully tracks down dozens of dogs and helps them to safety each week — keeping many out of the city's overcrowded shelter by returning them to their owners or finding them a temporary place to stay.

Tara Bassett , a former meteorologist, founded the group several years ago but has been recusing dogs for more than 25 years. She said part of what inspired her to do the work was helping a friend find their lost pet.

"I searched for four days and found (the dog) only after she'd been hit on the expressway and required a $13,000 fundraising effort and six months of rehab to give her another six quality years of life," Bassett said.

Now, Bassett, Thomas and other volunteers will catch sometimes more than 20 dogs per week.

Thomas, a local business owner, said she joined the group last fall because she constantly saw dogs that needed help in her neighborhood, including ones that would get stuck in Waterfront Park near the Ohio River.

Members learn of dogs that need help through phone calls and Facebook groups dedicated to posting stray animals.

To catch a dog, Thomas said she’ll use Vienna sausages to coax it, then secure it with a slip leash. After getting the dog to safety, Thomas said she will check if it is microchipped — the best way to return the dog to its owner.

When a volunteer finds a dog that is not microchipped, Thomas said they will register it at Louisville Metro Animal Services and try to find a foster family, though volunteers sometimes step up to foster the dog. If the group can't find a foster family, Thomas said the dog will be dropped off at LMAS as the last resort, because they don’t want to burden the department that's already overcrowded with animals.

The group also attempts to reduce the number of loose dogs by informing people how to keep their pets safe on social media through the hashtag #snipchiptagcontain.

Snip: Make sure to spay and neuter your dogs.

Chip: Make sure your dog has a microchip so it can be returned if lost.

Tag: Make sure your dog wears a collar and tag with your contact information.

Contain: Make sure outdoor areas, such as a backyard, are secure so your dog doesn't escape.

To help spread the message, Thomas said volunteers pass out supplies that the group bought or received by donation.

"We give out harnesses and collars to people that don't have them when we see that, which frankly is a lot," Thomas said. "I usually give out 10 to 15 harnesses a day."

Thomas said volunteers will also refer dog owners to Pit Bulls of St. Francis Dog Rescue , a nonprofit and foster-based dog rescue in Louisville that helps get dogs into a low cost spay and neuter program.

Bassett said even though it sometimes take hours to track down a dog, the successes always make the effort worth it.

"When we catch a dog ... and we loaded it in our cars, and we know that it's going someplace to get to some safety, we weep with joy," Bassett said.

Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at @hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'We weep with joy:' How a small volunteer group helps rescue Louisville's lost dogs