STERLING, Mass. - Dogs and cats took an almost 16-hour drive from Georgia in search of a better life. 

"We see a lot of good pups that just haven't been given the opportunity to be real dogs," Kendel Burdeaux said. 

Burdeaux is in the business of second chances. She works at Sterling Animal Shelter where rescue transports full of animals arrive almost every other week.

"They will pull them from the city shelters if they are getting full and put them in foster homes," Burdeaux said. "Once they are old enough and got enough shots, they come to us."

They mostly come from down South where shelters are overloaded with animals and not enough space. 

"There are too many pets for the amount of people that want them. Most of the city shelters down there are what we call 'open intake', meaning if you bring them a pet, they have to take it," Burdeaux said. "Well, once you run out of kennels and have no one to take the pet, there's not a lot of options for what happens next." 

What You Need To Know

  • Sterling Animal Shelter takes in rescue transports of animals
  • Most rescues come from down south where shelters are overcrowded
  • If there is no kennel space for the animals, they will most likely be killed
  • The animals stay in Sterling until they are adopted 

Burdeaux is in charge of coordinating shelter space so Central Massachusetts can be their next option.

"The most exciting part about my job is tagging them and saying 'Yes, the animal can come to us'," Burdeaux said. "'Please send it.'"

The animals will stay in Sterling until they are adopted. Up here, its a pretty quick turnaround for both dogs and cats.

"When you see them leave the property and you know it is a good fit and you know their little life is just beginning," Burdeaux said. "It's hard not to get emotional over that."

Burdeaux said she's human and, of course, finds herself attached to animals all the time, but knows as soon as one leaves, there's another one right behind it.