Pilots N Paws - Fly me away: Pilots, volunteers unite to rescue animals

[Flaxbee]

Cross-posted in GD, where it's dropping like a stone b/c they're heartless bastards.

This may have been posted here before - but it's definitely an interesting group, and a happy story. Enjoy.

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/fly-me-away-pilots-volunteers-unite-to-rescue-animals

When animal rescuers found an emaciated German shepherd wandering the streets of Somerset, Ky., in December 2011, they knew the dog wouldn’t fare well in the overcrowded local shelter. Luckily, they found a German shepherd rescue group willing to care for the dog. The only problem? The group is based in Tampa, Fla.

Animal rescuers posted the dog’s story to the Pilots N Paws website, a place where rescuers, animal foster families and volunteer pilots coordinate life-saving relocations for animals in need.

Pilot Susan Delgado of Atlanta, Ga., saw the post and volunteered to fly to Kentucky to get the malnourished dog, who was full-grown but weighed only 35 pounds. Delgado didn’t have her own plane at the time, so she flew a rental to retrieve the dog and then drove him to Tampa after he spent a few days being spoiled at her Georgia home.

“He was just a gentle giant. If you told him to sit, he’d sit. He’d clearly been someone’s pet, but maybe they’d fallen upon hard times. He was just the most loveable dog,” Delgado said.

[talkingmime]

1. Reminds me of a certain light-tan tiger cat.

[Flaxbee]

4. Really? Sounds like a beautiful cat...

[talkingmime]

7. Oh, he is. And he's in good hands.

[Helen Reddy]

2. I would take

ALL unwanted critters if I could. They are so very special, without them my life would be less full.

Thank you Pilots!

[Flaxbee]

5. I know. If/when I get some acreage, I'm going to put up shelters for

any random creature that might need one -- and hopefully spay/neuter, and just provide a safe haven for feral cats. I'd love to take in dogs, too - hell, any creature that needed help - skunk, llama, whatever. Don't know how practical that is, but I'd like to make some of it happen.

[Helen Reddy]

8. I hear you.

A hapless critter would find someone as caring as you. They find me.

Practicality be damned! But making friends with local vets does not hurt.

[Demoiselle]

3. We picked up our rescue Pyrenees at a local airport...

..he'd come up from Alabama on a big dog bus, but there were others flying dogs in and flying them out of this same airport, so it made sense to use the airport as a meeting place. Human beans can be pretty special sometimes.

[Flaxbee]

6. a bus for big dogs? Or a big bus carrying dogs?

How's your Pyrenees these days? Such neat dogs...

[Demoiselle]

12. A big bus. Fitted out with many crates.

[Demoiselle]

13. He (Wilbur) is wonderful.

We named him Wilbur because he has a perpetually beWilbured look.
He's very very sweet, calm and lazy. We have (at last count) 5 cats, all of whom understand that they can walk all over him without fear of retribution. I am going to get him a friend very soon...he does beautifully with lady dogs, so I'll be looking for a lady to rescue.
Poor Wilbur is so sweet and peaceful that when a raccoon went after him in our backyard the other day, I had to beat the raccoon off with a stick. Wilbs just stood there and yelped.
Actually, raccoons are pretty fierce, and this one was hanging on to him pretty strongly, so he's not a total coward. Just confused by aggression.
I've been in love with these dogs forever.

[Helen Reddy]

9. Cool!

[bamademo]

10. Volunteered for Border Collie rescue for a while and worked with these folks.

Wonderful organization. I would get them out of kill shelters and foster until transport was arranged.

[Helen Reddy]

11. You are an angel!

Thank you!