Yes, there’s a puppy in that pilot’s lap and yes, they are in the air – but this is not just any flight.
Although this plane has room to seat lots of people, it’s cargo is of a different, but precious, variety. The pilot in this picture is transporting shelter pets from kill shelters to no-kill shelters in other areas of the country where loving families are waiting to adopt them.
These pilots volunteer their time, expertise and airplanes to save countless lives. In our book they are heroes in every sense of the word.
Wings of Rescue, a non-profit organization formed in 2013, coordinates flights for transporting at-risk pets across the country with the help of donations and a team of volunteer pilots. At the time of this post, they’ve saved close to 29,000 pets from being euthanized!
But, why are these pets considered to be in danger? The reason is sad but simple: it’s a matter of supply and demand.
In many parts of the country, such as in Southern California, the number of incoming shelter pets, or supply, is extremely high, resulting in overcrowding in already underfunded shelters. However, the demand for shelter pets is no where near the supply in these areas, and so euthanasia is very common. It is tragic, as these are healthy, adoptable pets with many years of love left to give.
So it would seem simple – solve the problem by transporting these pets to areas where there is more demand. The limitation here, of course, is that funding the transportation of these animals across the country, whether by ground or by air, costs money. Even with all the volunteer man-power, there are the costs of fuel, insurance, supplies and other factors. These organizations must continuously fundraise for each trip.
You Can Help! Here’s How:
Besides a direct donation, there is one other awesome way to help. Enter our newly launched Second Chance Movement ™ program. For each item purchased from this new product line, you’ll fund a specific number of miles of air and ground transport costs, effectively moving shelters animals from danger to safety.
The Second Chance Movement donates travel miles for every product in the Second Chance Movement collection to charities, in partnership with GreaterGood.org, that facilitate the transportation of adoptable pets from areas of low-demand to areas of high-demand. Many of these innocent pets are on death row and would have been euthanized in just a few days if they were not rescued.
Your support will help organizations like Wings of Rescue and others transport these precious cats and dogs to safety, literally unlocking a second chance for each innocent animal!
