Freedom Train... how I spent my weekend

It's Saturday, the weekend before Memorial Day. I'm standing in a parking lot in Newark, Delaware right next to the entrance to I-95. My husband and I are ignoring the strange looks some employees of the store next to the parking lot are giving us as we get out to stretch our legs after the hour's journey here. There's one other car in the parking lot although we're right on time. I start fussing with the backseat making it more comfortable for our traveler we're here to pick up. After a few minutes the woman in the other car gets out and we both stare into the distance as if willing the caravan to arrive.
Moments later an SUV pulls into the parking lot. They park near us and three adults get out, they come around to the back of their car and release the travelers from their holding area.
Each person has a dog on a leash, now released from their traveling kennel. The dogs pull and tug at their leashes excited to see one another again but more excited to investigate their new surroundings. It's like they can smell the hundreds of dogs who have stopped here on this "Freedom Train" the weekends before this one. These dogs are on their way north from the southern states, making their way from kill shelters to rescue organizations all the way up the East Coast. These "Freedom Train" transports occur nearly every weekend, all over the country. The idea is fairly new to me but it's been going on for a time. It's a wave of rescue which allows pets from other states to be transported into areas where pets have a better likelihood of being adopted and rescued. All adoptions and rescue transfers which occur during transport are set up in advance before the pets are even pulled from the kill shelter.
I'm a little apprehensive when I realize the dog we're taking is a little larger than I was expecting. I was so excited to volunteer I didn't realize how big 45 pounds could be! The person handing her off to us spoke very gently to her and when I saw how sweet she was leaning against my husband's legs just asking to be loved and petted, I couldn't help falling in love with her.
I was nervous the entire way home knowing we needed to keep her separate from our dogs since the stress of the journey might have made her less than enthusiastic to meet new friends. Brooke, our dog for the night, sat in the backseat with my husband her new best friend. She leaned on him and panted until the air conditioning got going and then she looked out the window before putting her head down to rest.
We arrived home in record time. I had my husband take Brooke into the backyard so I could set up her crate in our den and block off the stairs from our dogs. I shouldn't have bothered. Brooke is a border collie mix, who was very curious. However, I have one full breed Jack Russell Terrier and a JRT/Chihuahua mix (from Safe Haven Puppy Rescue in Bamberg, SC) they definitely take the cake when it comes to enterprising and curious. Needless to say my dogs had the gate down and were begging to be let into the yard in about 5 minutes flat. Our beagle who usually waits until the Terror.... I mean, Terrier Twins get the mischief out of the way before reaping the benefits, came moseying down a few minutes later. I had everyone in the backyard where my husband had already checked Brooke for ticks and fleas. The Terror Twins greeted Brooke like a new member of the family and even our cautious beagle allowed herself to be sniffed for identification purposes, Our full JRT brought her ball over and dropped it for Brooke to play with, we had no idea she would love to play fetch but Brooke took to it like a duck to water.
After wearing everyone out we brought Brooke in first to let her eat and drink her fill. My husband accidentally let our one dog in before Brooke was finished, there was some growling on her end because she was still hungry and some yelling on my end (at the hubby, not the dogs). She finally finished up, and we let our dogs in. I had made sure to put out a soft blanket on the floor along with the normal 3 dog beds. Our dogs took up their various spots on the couches and dog beds while Brooke choose to sprawl out on the floor instead of in her crate. She seemed to enjoy hanging out with what we affectionately call "the pack." Everyone was given treats and just relaxed which was a wonderful way to end a crazy day.
While laying on the couch petting Brooke's head which was always within reach, I realized how skinny she really was, I spared a few moments thoughts on what had happened to her before she'd come into our lives. Even though I knew I would only have her for a night, I knew she would be headed to a better place giving her a better opportunity than what was behind her. As I pet her and looked into her eyes, it struck me how nervous I had been about handing this 45 pound dog who turned out to be a true sweetie, I was just as much a stranger to her as she was to me. I pet her and promised her softly she would have a better chance at the rescue, I thanked her for letting us keep her for one night and I promised I would never forget her.
The next morning, I was up bright and early. I took Brooke out by herself and played ball with her so she would get some one on one time and be tired since she had a little further to go on her journey today. We fed her, offered her water and let her go to the bathroom one last time before we loaded her in the car. We drove her a few minutes away from our house to the meeting place next to the Blue Route in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Much like the night before there were drivers up bright and early Sunday morning prepared to drive the next leg to hand off the dogs again to transport them to their final destinations in upstate NY or the New England region.
As we loaded Brooke into the car which would take her onward to the rest of her journey and said our goodbyes, I looked around and felt a kinship with the others in the parking lot. I didn't know anyone else but I felt connected to them in a way I haven't felt connected before, we were all working towards a common goal. Maybe right now we can't save every single dog and cat, but we have to try. Because for the dogs we do save it makes a difference. It's like the Starfish Story, every starfish the little boy threw back into ocean made a different to that starfish.  Like how it made a difference to Brooke.
Thank you to all who participate in rescue, whether you donate, crosspost, transport or open your home even for one night for a pet on the Freedom Train, the little part you play is the difference between life and death.

The Starfish Story

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, What are you doing?

The youth replied, Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die.

Son, the man said, don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can't make a difference!

 After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said
I made a difference for that one.