Mount Vernon Mom Lends a Hand to Georgia Puppy Caravan

Mount Vernon resident Melissa Pascoe and her sister, Karen Talbot-LaSasso, are on a mission to save animals from "high-kill" shelters.

While other moms were sleeping in or enjoying breakfast in bed on Mother's Day, Talbot-LaSasso and her husband, Dante, met with Pascoe and her husband, Sean, and five volunteers to drop off seven dogs early that morning in an Alexandria parking lot near Springfield Mall. Talbot-LaSasso was in the midst of transporting 81 dogs from a high-kill shelter in Georgia to partnering no-kill animal shelters, foster homes, and rescue agencies on the East Coast.

Talbot-LaSasso is the founder of MOMS (Making Of Miracle Stories) Rescue, an animal rescue organization based in southern New Jersey. Each month, she makes the trek with a team of volunteers from New Jersey to Georgia to pick up rescued dogs from the shelter and drive them back up north. She has saved more than 600 dogs so far this year.

"We travel to a Third World country for animals every 30 days," Talbot-LaSasso said. "We brought back a dog who was shot last time. These are the type of stories we bring up from this town."

Four years ago, MOMS Rescue started as a PTA project for St. Joseph Elementary School in Hammonton, N.J., called Paws for a Cause. Talbot-LaSasso served as PTA president for the school and started the initiative to save animals and teach children the importance of adopting animals.

Talbot-LaSasso's 12-year-old son helped out with Paws for a Cause and is now the founder of the MOMS' Junior Division.

"All of the children at St. Joe's helped out," she recalled. "In two-and-a-half months we rescued 120 puppies and dogs. Every one of them got adopted by families."

A Family Affair

On Sunday, Pascoe and her husband took the seven dogs to Dorchester Humane in Maryland, a no-kill facility, while Talbot-LaSasso continued her journey north to meet with partnering no-kill animal facilities and drop off the remaining rescued dogs. All of the dogs are spayed or neutered and up-to-date on their shots, and they are already placed before they board the transport rig. The dogs will either be adopted from no-kill shelters, placed in foster care or in forever homes.

Pascoe became involved with MOMS Rescue three years ago, when Talbot-LaSasso approached her about writing and performing a song for a documentary called “Take Me Home: The Story of the Georgia Puppy Caravan.” Pascoe, who had been singing since she was a teenager, had never composed her own music but decided to give it a shot to help her sister. The documentary team loved the music so much that it became part of the soundtrack, said Pascoe.

“From that point on I have been an active member in the MOMS Rescue, supporting through direct sponsorship, transports, attending events where the documentary is being shown, and singing the music,” explained Pascoe.

Her sister has always loved animals, said Pascoe. At one point growing up, their family had five cats, two dogs, and four kids. Karen’s passion to help animals was contagious; Melissa, too, is an avid animal lover.

“Since we were kids, she would pick up any stray dog or cat and bring them home, where we would care for them until an owner came to get them or we just finally considered them ours,” recalled Pascoe.

“It was a zoo. Karen loved it.”

MOMS Teaches Kids to Make a Difference

Pascoe, a mom of four-year-old twins, teaches her children valuable life lessons through her volunteer work with MOMS Rescue. The biggest lessons she teaches her kids are: adopt pets from a local shelter, and that they can make a difference, no matter how big or small.

“We teach our children about the importance of civility, kindness to animals, and doing something that makes a difference in the lives of others, including animals who have no voice,” she said. “We teach our children to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to help others in need.”

Talbot-LaSasso calls it a "family movement," and is grateful that her family has been supportive of MOMS Rescue.

"The whole movement is based on children," Talbot-LaSasso added. "We give them the education, resources, and awareness to make changes."

MOMS Rescue will host the Amazing Grace Caravan from July 11 to July 16. The caravan honors Grace, a dog that survived the gas chamber in 2006 who then became the face of a law to ban the use of gas chambers in Georgia in 2010. The caravan will stop in Alexandria and Ashburn along the way. Well-wishers can visit the RV and bring donations of bags of dog food, towels, toys, blankets, or collars.