By Renee Worthing

Staff Writer

Four-year-old Arlo, an English pointer and a refugee from Georgia, is enjoying a dog’s life in West Kennebunk.

Arlo came to Maine from a sanctuary in a rural Georgia county where nearly 100 dogs lived on 12 acres of land. After a neighbor complained, the owner lost her homeowners insurance and was forced to close her sanctuary and find homes for the dogs.

Sue Richardson said Arlo, who has been with her family for less than two weeks, had never been in a house and didn’t know how to act indoors. She said he bounded over furniture.

“He went from a wild child to a couch potato,” Richardson said. “He loves car rides, too.”

But, Arlo won’t live with the Richardsons forever. His stay at the Richardson home is temporary.

The Richardsons are part of Lucky Pup Rescue, a non-profit network of foster homes throughout Maine.

Richardson said Lucky Pup Rescue began when a co-worker, Janet Wendle, knew of a dog that needed a home and someone looking for a dog.  The matchmaking evolved into Lucky Pup Rescue last September. Since January, 43 dogs have been fostered and adopted, Richardson said. The dogs come from all over, she said.

“Many come from the south, especially Arkansas and Tennessee,” Richardson said.

She said shelters in the southern states are overfilled and many of the dogs are at risk of being euthanized if they are at the shelter too long.

Dogs in the south are not treated as family members, she said. Instead, the dogs are “lawn ornaments.”

“They are tied up outside and someone tosses food to them,” she said.

She said another problem is dogs are often not spayed or neutered.

The economy is also a factor, Richardson said.

“People are losing their homes and can’t take their dogs with them,” she said.

Lucky Pup coordinates with shelters in southern states. When a foster family is available, the dog is transported to New Hampshire.

Richardson said weekly trips are made from the southern states to New Hampshire.

“It’s a USDA-approved transport,” she said. “They have to stop and walk the dogs.”

The Peterson’s Express Transport Service (P.E.T.S.) vehicle is a converted horsetrailer, owned by Kyle and Pam Peterson of Cookeville, Tenn.

Each week, the Peterson’s take reservations from up to 40 rescue organizations, taking an average of 100 dogs from Arkansas and Tennessee to New England every week.

 “They leave every Thursday and arrive in New Hampshire on Saturday,” Richardson said.

P.E.T.S. makes numerous stops in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire where they deliver the dogs to their new owners or to organizations like Lucky Pup Rescue.

Richardson said it costs Lucky Pup Rescue $125 per dog to transport the dogs to New Hampshire.

Richardson said it’s a fun and emotional experience meeting the truck.

“Sometimes there are tears when someone is there to pick up a dog they adopted,” she said. “Some people wait a long time to get their dog.”

She said dogs must be medically cleared before they can ride P.E.T.S. Some dogs test positive for heart worms, which means they must undergo a time-consuming seriesof medications.

 People who adopt young puppies must wait until the puppies are at least 11 weeks old.

 The cost of the transport is recouped  from the adoption fee ofabout $250.

 “The adoption fee is more than the local shelter, but half of it is the transport fee,” she said.

Vet care and supplies account for the remainder of the adoption fee.

She said when the dogs are delivered to Lucky Pup’s network of foster homes, it takes a couple of weeks for dogs to acclimate to their new surroundings and often the dogs’ true personality doesn’t come out for a week or two, she said.

She said sometimes the dogs are afraid of men or are protective of food.

“We don’t know much about them at first,” Richardson said. “The foster families have the opportunity to assess the dogs’ social skills.”

Richardson said many of the dogs have a unique set of needs.

“They’re always a flight risk,” she said. “They have no reason to trust us.”

She said Lucky Pup Rescue is always looking for loving foster homes.

Prospective foster homes must also undergo a home visit to ensure the dog will be safe. The prospective foster family must agree to walk the dog and house it indoors.

She said some foster families specialize in fostering big dogs, while others prefer small or energetic dogs.

While many rescue organizations discourage families with young children from adoptinga dog, Richardson said it’s not  a problem at Lucky Pup Rescue.

Food, crates, leashes, bowls, vet care and other needs are provided by Lucky Pup Rescue.

Richardson said her husband, Craig, is the latest family member to “convert to fostering.”

“He never had a dog in his life,” she said. “He said we could try fostering one dog.”

The first dog the Richardsons took in was a boxer-mix who would lie on Craig Richardson’s feet, keeping them warm, and in the process, endeared herself to him.

“That was nine dogs ago,” Sue Richardson said.

She said they had three border collie pups in the house during February school break.

“They were everywhere,” she said with a laugh.

Richardson said the Kennebunk Animal Welfare Society invited Lucky Pup Rescue to participate in a “doggy Olympics”event later this year.

Lucky Pup Rescue also visits Pet Quarters and other venues where they can share their mission with others and recruit “forever families” as well as foster families.

The Richardson’s 13-year-old daughter Jenny plays a big role in Lucky Pup Rescue’s efforts.

She updates Lucky Pup Rescue’s Web site and also helps socialize the dogs that come into the Richardson home.

She said she enjoys getting to know the different breeds of dogs.

“It’s a fun way to have a dog and experience pet ownership,” Jenny said.

She said while it was hard to let the dogs go to their permanent home, she said it was good to know her family had done something to help the dog.

Lucky Pup Rescue is linked to www.petfinder.com. Photos and biographies for available dogs can be viewed on the Web site.

Sue Richardson said Lucky Pup Rescue accepts donations of old blankets and towels,leashes, bowls, puppy food and monetary donations.

Donations can be sent to Lucky Pup, 132 Goose Rocks Road, Kennebunkport, ME 04046

For moreinformation, email luckypuprescue@roadrunner.com or call 967-6058.