Wag-N-Train volunteer gives countless
hours rescuing abused animals
By Ally Brotherson
Miss Sanpete 2019
9-10-2020
Editor’s Note: Give and Grow is a monthly article that will highlight the outstanding volunteers in Sanpete County and the organizations that are in need.
Wag-N-Train Dog Rescue, a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation, has been serving all of Sanpete County since 2002. They focus on pulling at-risk dogs from the six municipal pounds and moving them to bigger animal rescue centers.
Since the unincorporated areas of Sanpete County have no animal ordinances and no animal control, they also help many stray and injured dogs from those areas.
They have a small handful of active volunteers who help, but two outstanding volunteers handle the heavy lifting of day-to-day rescue operations. Tori Pack and her mom Vickie Shaw, both from Mt. Pleasant, have been volunteering since 2013 when someone dumped a purebred older Lab in front of Tori’s house. The dog was overbred, recently had puppies, had urine stains on her legs and tummy, and was bereft and confused.
Tori called Wag-N-Train, asking for help with the dog, which began a fantastic relationship. Tori and her mom expressed a desire to help. They learned all about rescue, how it works, and what it takes to save an animal’s life, then jumped in and have since been amazing assets to the lone co-founder, Jamee Wheelwright.
Tori and Vickie find time to volunteer countless hours every month to help stray, abused, abandoned, and/or injured animals. Wag-N-Train Dog Rescue would be lost without them.
Tori and Vickie have forged excellent relationships with animal control officers in all of the pounds. Once the 5-day hold for an unclaimed stray dog is over, the dog is evaluated in person (it always takes two people) to gage its basic health and disposition with other dogs and kids if possible. The dog is then networked through the Utah Shelter and Rescue Facebook page to other rescues throughout the state. When a rescue has room to take the dog, transport is arranged, and dogs are generally placed into foster homes. There the dogs get appropriate vet care, and then the search for a great family is on. People would be so surprised to know how much time and people it takes to rescue one dog. It takes a village, and there is a great rescue village in Utah.
Since Wag-N-Train has no physical facility, there are not as many volunteer opportunities that other rescues might have. They often need a temporary place for a dog to stay between being pulled from the pound and meeting a transport en route to another rescue.
They also need transport volunteers who can move dogs from the pound to a veterinary clinic, a temporary foster, or meet another transport within an hour or two from Sanpete. Since they help many Sanpete residents with funds, getting their pets spayed or neutered, and with emergency medical treatment, fundraising is also very helpful.
Thank you to Tori Pack, Vickie Shaw, and Jamee Wheelwright for making a difference in Sanpete County. Please consider making a difference by donating your time or money to their organization. Wag-N-Train Dog Rescue has a Facebook page, go “like” their page and help them spread their message. Jamee Wheelwright can be contacted directly at 851-9807.
