Robin Shover founded the Shelburne-based non-profit in 2014 and has since rescued over 3,000 dogs.

By Ace Sheehan, for the Community News Service

In her 20 years of rescuing dogs, Robin Shover says she’s never seen so many needing a home.

“It is such an epidemic that people don’t even understand how bad it is, especially right now,” she said.

Animals across the U.S. are experiencing longer stays in shelters, according to the group Shelter Animals Count.

Shover is the founder of Passion 4 Paws, a Shelburne-based, volunteer-run rescue nonprofit. She said a variety of factors are responsible for the increase.

“I think it’s due to the inflation of mental health and people just not being accountable for their commitments,” she said.

After personally rescuing dogs for 10 years, Shover started Passion 4 Paws in 2014. Since then, she said the organization has rescued over 3,000 dogs.

Passion 4 Paws relies on volunteers willing to help, whether by fostering dogs or transporting them.

The group partners with shelters in areas like Greenville, South Carolina, to bring dogs to Vermont. Volunteers agree to transport them, and dogs typically live with foster families until they can find a permanent home.

However, with the recent influx of dogs and growing financial constraints for many families, it’s hard to find foster homes for every dog. Some stay at local boarding facilities.

Donations are crucial to funding and caring for the dogs, Shover said. Several local partners help fund the group’s work; other donations come from small and large fundraisers, like one held at Burlington Country Club earlier this year.

“The bar is high, but we know we can do it. Our community has been amazing, and they love us,” Shover said.

“There’s not a job in this world I could choose that would be more rewarding than this one,” said Morgan McCuin, vice president of Passion 4 Paws.

McCuin joined Passion 4 Paws after adopting a dog with the group’s help in her junior year of college just a few years ago. From there, she became more involved in fostering and running the organization’s website and Facebook page.

Adoptions are the highlight of the rescue operation. Passion 4 Paws held an adoption event on Nov. 17 at Heritage Toyota in South Burlington, where four dogs were adopted.

For McCuin, events like these make the work so rewarding.

“I also love the adoption events,” McCuin said. “We do this big clap, and Robin is in charge of our big clap every time a dog gets adopted. It’s my favorite thing.”

McCuin said it’s hard not to fall in love and take home each dog herself. She currently has six dogs staying with her. Out of the eight dogs she has fostered, she has “failed” three times and adopted them.

McCuin and Shover said the past year has been tough, with the group struggling to raise enough money to save the influx of new dogs.

For Shover, every dog counts.

“The most rewarding part of rescue is saving one life,” she said. “Even when we’re full, if we think that we can stretch the boundaries a little bit to save one more life, we do it because that’s why we do it.”

People interested in fostering or dog sitting can find the application here, and those interested in adopting a pup can view available dogs online and apply here.

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Shelburne News