Pilots N Paws leads one of the largest animal rescues in the U.S.
A few months ago, I became a member of the Board of Directors for an incredible animal rescue group, Pilots N Paws. The group facilitates animal rescue flights from pretty much anywhere to pretty much anywhere in the United States for animals who need a good loving home. Yesterday Pilots N Paws staged their annual FlyAway event and Rebecca and I were fortunate to be close enough that we could go and be a volunteer. It was truly a day I will never forget. These pilots, the shelters, the foster parents and my fellow members of the Board are some of the most amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of being associated with. What follows is the official press release along with some of my photos.
130 DOGS FLOWN OUT OF SOUTH CAROLINA TODAY IN ONE OF THE LARGEST ANIMAL RESCUES IN U.S. HISTORY
Florence, S.C. – Saturday morning, Sept. 17, at 6:30am, 130 dogs were delivered by their rescuers to 35 pilots and their planes waiting on the tarmac of the Florence Regional Airport. Shortly thereafter, they were in the air, heading to no-kill shelters around the United States. The mass rescue was organized by the national charity, Pilots N Paws, and was one of the biggest in U.S. history. The Memorial Rescue Flight was dedicated to the “Chesterfield 22” - 22 dogs needlessly shot to death in Chesterfield, South Carolina in March.
Pilots N Paws is a national program that gives animals a second chance one flight at a time. This unique program brings together planes, pilots and shelters to rescue and transport dogs (and other animals) from overcrowded shelters, relocating them to organizations committed to finding them homes.
Of the thousands of rescue flights Pilots N Paws has made since its inception, the 3rd Annual Awareness Rescue Flight is an acute reminder of why Pilots N Paws exists. In March of this year, Deborah Farhi, a volunteer with the Chesterfield County Animal Shelter in South Carolina, noticed many of the dogs in the shelter were missing. Upon questioning, shelter volunteers accused four local animal control officers of shooting 22 of the dogs in their care to death instead of euthanizing them through the approved, humane methods.
Shortly thereafter, Farhi uncovered 2 of these dogs, each shot in the head, from a shallow landfill across the street from the shelter. Sheriff Sam Parker, who oversees animal control, put all four officers on leave, and within weeks the state attorney general asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to begin investigating the allegations. Today, the case against Chesterfield County is still under investigation.
To honor the 22 animals who lost their lives in March, this year’s Memorial Rescue Flights brought together 50 pilots and their planes to save at least 130 dogs from several South Carolina counties, including Chesterfield. Other volunteer pilots across the country joined in the event by making a memorial rescue flight in their region of the country.
The rescue flights started at 8:00am at the Florence Regional Airport in South Carolina. Shelters from Chesterfield, Greenville, Spartanburg, Marlboro, Marion, Darlington, and Florence, South Carolina delivered dogs to the airport for flights to their new homes.
Pilots and Dogs landed at airports in Warrenton, VA, West Point, VA, Caldwell, NJ, Cochran, GA, Tampa, FL, Lakeland, FL, West Palm Beach, FL, and Naples, FL.
Two dedicated sponsors, Subaru and Petmate helped make today’s event possible.
For more information about the 3rd Annual Pilots N Paws Awareness Rescue Flights, please contact volunteer Jennifer Skiff at [email protected], (207) 266-2282.
About Pilots N Paws:
Since the program began in February 2008, pilots have donated their time, planes and fuel to fly thousands of dogs from shelters where they faced certain death due to overcrowded shelters and pet overpopulation due to lack of pet sterilization. Some areas of the country are more likely to have overcrowded shelters and limited adoption opportunities. At www.pilotsnpaws.org, pilots can learn about animals in need and work directly with shelters and rescue groups to coordinate transportation. More than 7,000 shelters and rescues, along with 2,000 volunteer pilots are registered on the site.