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Photos: Home for Good Dog Rescue Adoption Event at the Summit Village Green

Kathleen — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:27:59 +0000

Click Here To See A Slide Show Of Great Pictures From This PNP Flyway!

By Barbara Rybolt
Email the author
on May 18, 2013 at 5:05 PM, updated May 18, 2013 at 5:06 PM

SUMMIT — Dozens of dogs needing new homes were available for adoption on Saturday on the Village Green.

Most of the dogs had only been in the state since Thursday, May 16, when they arrived at Morristown Airport.

Home for Good Dog Rescue had coordinated a three-plane fly-in with Pilots N Paws and about 30 rescue dogs arrived at Morristown Airport that day. They went home with their foster families and arrived in Summit in the morning.

The event was open for only a few minutes when the first adoption took place, quickly followed by another.

Normandie Koenig of Madison had been waiting a long time for her dog, Bentley, who was rescued from Crawfordville, Ga. He had been chained to a tree stump with a cable wire and was without shelter at his home. Home for Good Dog Rescue was alerted and an anonymous donor gave $1,000 to speed his recovery. He was given a crate at his new home, received medical treatment and was neutered and, five months after first being discovered, was brought up from Georgia to his new mom, Normandie.

A bake sale helped raise funds for three junior members of Home for Good Dog Rescue to travel to Georgia from June 25 to 30. The three, Katie Chirichella of Berkeley Heights, Lily Husek of Chatham and Samantha Moreland of New Providence, will fly to Atlanta, then drive around Georgia visiting the high kill shelters. Each of the juniors will help to vaccinate, clean, teach to walk on a leash, and feed the dog of their choice. The organization will commit to saving those dogs and will arrange for them to be brought up to New Jersey.

Visit Home for Good Dog Rescue at its website and fill out an application to adopt before the next adoption event.

More Union County news: NJ.com/union • Twitter

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Mama Cat With Babies & Mama Dog With Babies

Tanya — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:18:13 +0000

A shelter in North Carolina was overfull as it had been unable to send animals north since Hurricane Sandy made a mess of the northeast. As the northest started to dry out, a group of 4 pilots came together to transport nearly 2 dozen animals.

MaryBeth took the first leg from Elizabethtown, NC to KXSA (Tappahanock, VA) with 21 cats and dogs (they’re still trying to figure out if it was 21 or 22). Matt Jessel met her at KXSA and brought all the animals to Frederick, MD (KFDK)

At KFDK, Matt met 2 flights — Bruce and Avery who took the 13 dogs up to Rhonda Island and Melvin who took the 8-9 cats to New Jersey.

A whole new crew of animals have a chance at new homes.

Midwest Menagerie

Tanya — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:15:29 +0000

PNP pilot David Tan wastes no avgas when he puts his hard earned money in the gas tank. He coordinated two separate PnP missions into one and helped 5 furry friends. Sam Taylor and Josh Jakobe each flew a leg to make it all come together.

Josh Jakobe with Raul

Stray Dog Ranch in Marietta, OK needed to send two hound mix puppies and a chiweenie pup to fosters in the Minneapolis area. The two hound mix pups were found in a drainpipe and nursed back to health at Stray Dog Ranch. Jessica Jakobe coordinated the transport. Sam Taylor picked up the three pups on Saturday the 27th in Oklahoma and flew them to Kansas City. They stayed there with Jessica overnight, and on the morning of the 28th, her brother Josh flew the pups to Ames, IA. David picked up the three pups in Ames and flew them to Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prarie, MN. Buster and Raul, the hound mixes, went to Pet Project Rescue, and Rusty the chiweenie to Panda’s Pets Animal Rescue. They will be fostered until adopted.

David had also been working with Patricia Armstrong of Animal Adoption Network in Indianapolis to get two of her former foster cats, Lexi and Avery, back to her from Duluth, MN. The adopter was losing her home to foreclosure and had to give up the two cats. One of them was missing a hind leg, and would not survive a shelter. Pat managed to arrange ground transportation to Flying Cloud from Duluth on the same day, and the kitties were waiting for David when he dropped off the three pups. David flew Lexi and Avery to his home field in Middleton, WI where they had a chance to stretch their legs. David’s wife Nancy joined him, and they continued with Lexi and Avery to Indianapolis. Pat will put them up for adoption again.

Remembering Pilot David Wentz

debi — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 13:55:14 +0000

It is with great sadness that we share with you that one of our very kind and dedicated pilots, David Wentz, lost his life this past week due to a plane crash.

David doing one of the things he loved best, flying….

The Pilots N Paws community is extremely saddened to learn of David’s passing. He extended his kindness to rescue animals in need and enriched the lives of the people who met him. We are blessed to have known him and extend our sympathy to his family and all who had the honor of knowing this truly special person.

His memorial service is today and our PNP family is extremely proud to honor Dave for his generous spirit and for making many life saving rescue flights. We do not know how or why this happened, he was not on a rescue flight but one returning to his new home in Savannah where he recently accepted a new job position working for Gulfstream. God speed David and we know that you are watching over all above as you did here on earth. Please take a minute to let his family and friends know how much he meant to our community.

http://www.hayworth-miller.com/?action=1&value=12&obituaries_action=5&obituaryid=132250

Check Out The Video From When Pilots N Paws Aired On The Today Show October 13

debi — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:59:58 +0000

Pilots and Paws: Group saves lives of unwanted pets

With no home, and no one locally willing to adopt, some unwanted cuddle canines would be put to death if not for a team of aviators who connect unwanted animals with those who want a dog. “If it fits, I’ll fly it,” pilot Jeff Bennett said. NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports.

Flying To A New Life: PILOTS DONATE TIME AND PLANES TO TRANSPORT ANIMALS

debi — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:28:44 +0000

BY VIRGINIA BRIDGES, CORRESPONDENT

Published: Sep 27, 2012 07:22 PM
Modified: Sep 27, 2012 07:24 PM

Sammy, a 90-pound yellow Labrador retriever with a broad head and a busy tail, lived in his forever home for nearly six years – until the baby came.

Sammy, 6, greets volunteer Pilot N Paws pilot Rick Gutlon. Becky Davis, right, says her final goodbye to her dog at an airport in Smithfield. Sammy and two other dogs were transported from Smithfield to New Hampshire via Gutlon and two other pilots he met through the Pilots N Paws network. The dogs were taken to a New Hampshire rescue shelter, where they will be kept until they are adopted.

Someone dropped off Tucker and Jasmine, two black Lab puppies, at the Wayne County animal shelter about two months ago.

On the second Sunday in September, the three dogs waited at a Smithfield airport for a plane to fly them to a new chance.

Durham resident Rick Gutlon would fly the first leg of the 525 nautical mile journey from Smithfield to New Hampshire. He is one of about 3,000 pilots in 49 states who volunteer for the Pilots N Paws network, which has transported more than 10,000 rescue animals since the South Carolina-based nonprofit was founded in 2008.

Pilots and rescue organizations meet and organize trips through pilotsnpaws.org in an effort to move dogs and cats facing euthanasia to homes and shelters that have room.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates U.S. animal shelters care for 6 to 8 million dogs and cats every year; about half are euthanized.

This weekend, pilots and other volunteers plan to participate in Pilots N Paw’s fourth annual rescue flyaway. The event aims to raise awareness and to relocate about 300 North Carolina dogs to shelters and fosters from Florida to New Jersey and Ohio.

An early start

For Gutlon, the Sept. 9 trip started with weather updates at 4 a.m.

By 7:15 a.m. Gutlon had prepared, loaded and pulled his four-seater plane from its shelter at Lake Ridge Airport on East Geer Street near Falls Lake.

The 1964 Cessna 172 Skyhawk’s blue stripes on the white plane were polished and its windshield cleaned. Gutlon taxied the plane to a smooth take off from a bumpy grass runway to head toward Johnston County.

“The air is smooth as silk,” he said.

About 30 minutes later, Gutlon landed in Smithfield, where Sammy, Tucker and Jasmine waited in the parking lot.

Sammy’s owner Sandy Davis’ face was wet with tears. “It is very complicated for us,” said Davis, who had Sammy and two other dogs when she gave birth to a son in April. “We had more on our plate than we could handle.”

Since the baby was born, Davis said she and her husband couldn’t give the dogs as much attention as they needed.

Sammy, who takes medication to prevent seizures, needed more exercise. He started causing problems, such as getting into the trash and snapping at another dog, she said. For months Davis said she unsuccessfully searched for a place to surrender him.

“No thanks,” she was told again and again.

When Davis surrendered another dog back to the Johnston County Animal Protection League, representatives connected her to Joy Frannicola, who along with her husband runs a dog rescue operation at their Ruff Creek Ranch in Smithfield. Through Pilots N Paws, Frannicola has established a local network of pilots who regularly shuttle north the adoptable dogs she and others identify in local shelters.

Joy Frannicola, left, and Rick Gutlon walk out to Gutlon’s plane in Smithfield with Sammy. Sammy and two other dogs were transported from Smithfield to a rescue shelter in New Hampshire via Gutlon and two other pilots who met through the Pilots N Paws network.

“(Sammy) has two strikes against him. His age and his medical condition,” Frannicola said. “Luckily, I have contacts.”

One of the contacts, Lisa Borst, with Rosemont Labradors in Hinsdale, N.H., has helped Frannicola place more than 100 dogs, Frannicola said.

Buying time

After Jasmine and Tucker were dropped off at the Wayne County shelter in Goldsboro, a shelter worker found a foster home for the lab puppies – which had worms and were missing hair around their eyes and feet — to buy some time for the dogs to get into adoptable shape.

Sammy hangs out in the back seat of the plane on his way from Smithfield to Virginia.

The Wayne County animal shelter has a policy to euthanize dogs and cats after 14 days. Shelter director Vicki Falconer said they only euthanize animals if the shelter is full, and the animals who have been there the longest are pulled first.

In the last six months, the shelter has taken in 3,460 dogs and cats and euthanized 1,868.

At the airport, Jasmine and Tucker were placed in a crate in the back of the Gutlon’s plane. Sammy was hooked to a leash in the back seat.

Gutlon taxied the plane to another smooth take off headed towards West Point, Va.

Gutlon started flying in 2006, chasing a boyhood fascination with planes and flying. In March 2011 he enlisted himself and his plane, nicknamed Bella, in the Pilots N Paws mission to find homes for homeless dogs. He has since flown 23 rescue flights and transported 57 dogs.

Sandy Davis carries Jasmine to a crate in Pilots N Paws volunteer pilot Rick Gutlon’s plane. Gutlon holds the door open on left. Sammy and two other dogs were transported from Smithfield to a rescue shelter in New Hampshire via Gutlon and two other pilots who met through the Pilots N Paws network.

“It really gives you a mission for flying instead of going out for the $100 hamburger,” said Gutlon, an Information Technology consultant.

His four-legged passengers have included a mom and seven puppies; Rhodesian Ridgebacks; and a Dalmatian named Dolly, who was found outside a church with cigarette burns on her paws.

“I swear she absolutely knew we were there to save her,” Gutlon said.

Hard to say goodbye

Sammy didn’t seem to mind the plane ride. He panted a bit and slowly worked his head between the two front seats, looking for some love and reassurance from Gutlon.

“I have this wet nose right on my elbow,” Gutlon said. “It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this fellow.”

Turning to the dog, as much as possible in the small plane, he said, “What are we going to do with you?”

After a couple of hours, Gutlon landed and met Terry Friedman, 65, of New Jersey, and his “co-pilot/dog wrangler” Frank DiGennaro at a West Point, Va., airport.

“Looks like you’ve got a friend, Rick,” said Friedman, as he opened Gutlon’s door to help Sammy out of the plane.

“This is one of those trips where you know we saved a dog,” Gutlon said.

“It’s always like that,” Friedman said.

The dogs got a short walk and were loaded into two crates in Friedman’s Piper Saratoga.

Mike Wilt, a 49-year-old engineer who lives in New Hampshire, met Friedman and the dogs at an Old Bridge, N.J., airport around 1:30 p.m. Wilt flew the dogs to Keene, N.H.

“It was pretty uneventful,” he said about the flight.

Lisa Borst picked up the three dogs in Keene around 3 p.m. and drove them about 30 miles to her home in Hinsdale on a half-acre with a fenced in yard. New Hampshire requires the dogs to be quarantined for 48 hours, which Borst does at her facility, also called Rosemont Labradors.

As of Friday, the dogs hadn’t been adopted, but they were adjusting to their new home. Families come from New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, seeking a four-legged member to add to their household.

“We have a significantly low number of stray dogs,” she said. “Zero to one percent.”

Tucker and Jasmine are adjusting to a life where they are welcomed by humans, Borst said.

“Tucker is already learning that, yes, you can come in the house. No one will yell at you,” Borst said. “I try to integrate them into the house because that builds value to an adopting family.”

Sammy prefers fetch over tag, and has been sunbathing, chewing on sticks and practicing his leash skills walking around the neighborhood.

“Right now he is really jealous because another dog has his ball that he wants me to throw for him,” she said.

Bridges: 919-564-9330

AVIATORS GIVE PUPPIES A SECOND CHANCE NBC NIGHTLY NEWS with Brian Williams

debi — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:57:30 +0000

A very special thank you to NBC News, Brian Williams, Kerry Sanders and Kim Cornett for your generous coverage of our mission! Pilot Jeff Bennett, you are an amazing and caring man, we are extremely proud of you and all of our pilots and volunteers who help animals in need.

Brian Williams for the Making a Difference Segment:

“Finally here tonight, the story of a rescue operation involving brave aviation fliers and real sacrifice, and it has nothing to do with terrorism or war fare or hostile territory. it has everything to do with finding good homes for animals who are not facing any life at all inside a shelter. NBC’s Kerry Sanders has more on the making a difference report.

Kerry Sanders: Today, it is Marianna Florida. Tomorrow, another rural American town. but always, there are dogs. adorable puppies, rescued from so-called kill shelters. With no home and no one locally willing to adopt, these wonderful canines would be put to death were it not for a team of aviators who connect unwanted animals with those who want a dog. The Pilots N Paws organization finds the animals, loads them up, and then it is off, piloting this load of puppies to Lakeland, Florida.

Pilot Jeff Bennett: They just lay down and go to sleeep during the flight.

Kerry Sanders: Just like a baby in the car.

Pilot Jeff Bennett: yes, just like a baby in a car!

Kerry Sanders: Less than two hours in the air, and the dogs are back on the ground. a last-minute flight that Jeff says was the only option.

Volunteer: You’re going to get a home quick.

Pilot Jeff Bennett: All of these dogs would have been put down if we had not taken them out.

Kerry Sanders: and so far you have rescued?

Pilot Jeff Bennett: with today’s transport, over 1900.

Kerry Sanders: with today’s flight the co-pilot, it is a dog, but sometimes, the mission grows.

Pilot Jeff Bennett: I have flown pigs, a falcon, rabbits , snakes, turtles, a kinkachu, lizards, chickens, cats, dogs…..

Kerry Sanders: so you’re all species airways?

Pilot Jeff Bennett: yes, if it fits, I will fly it.

Kerry Sanders: Pilots N Paws say they want to go out of business, the problem is they know tomorrow they will be needed again…….

Volunteer to Jeff: Thank you !

Pilot Jeff: no problem

Kerry Sanders: a happy ending?

Volunteer Jen Willsey: a happy ending and a new beginning. here we go. this is day one of a new life. (Adoption coordinator for A New Beginning Pet Rescue, Inc)

Kerry Sanders: a doggy underground in our nation’s airways,

Kerry Sanders, Lakeland, Florida.
Direct link to the original story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp/49366539/#49366539

Pilots N Paws flies into King & Queen, saves nearly 300 animals

debi — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:23:38 +0000

By Amy Jo MartinStaff Writer

2:42 p.m. EDT, October 2, 2012

Just as my “Paws and Listen” series was coming to an end, I received an email asking if I wanted to cover a program that saved hundreds of animals from being euthanized.

So, I spent this past weekend getting an exciting exclusive look at the Pilots N Paws program while in action in King & Queen County.

PilotsNPaws is an award-winning charitable flying animal rescue organization that transports approximately 12,000 animals every year.

Nearly 300 animals were lifted off of ‘death row’ in North Carolina on Saturday morning and flown to no-kill shelters, with the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport in King & Queen County serving as a changeover point.

Thanks to the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association and Pilots N Paws, I was allowed to go along for the ride to New Jersey.

Sixty pilots were involved in moving cats and dogs from Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport (KEQY) in Monroe, North Carolina, to more than a dozen airports in several states, including: Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, and New York.

I tagged along with PilotsNPaws pilot Richard Lewis, Jr. on Saturday as he flew six puppies and one special needs dog to theEssex County Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey.

The animals arrived at the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport around 10:30 a.m. They were unloaded one by one, and handed to local volunteers at the airport, who walked them around the grassy areas and gave them plenty of love and attention.

This is when we finally learned a little about our furry passengers. The six puppies were lab mixes and all related, despite various coloring – some were tan, while others coal black.

At the airport, the PilotsNPaws organizers recorded the puppies’ names for the volunteers in New Jersey.

As it turned out, these puppies, Hermie, Ash, Reagan, Mango, Caper, and Buckles, as well as the older dog, Waylon, were considered “quarantined,” meaning that they had all their shots but had not been held in seclusion long enough to be considered safe to travel with the other animals.

After our dogs had been walked, we put them back in crates and got them ready for the 232 mile-long flight in Richard’s 1978 airplane (model R182).

At a mere two hours, the flight felt surprisingly fast, and all the puppies slept soundly in the plane, probably due to the vibration and noise, Richard said.

Waylon, on the other hand, was none too happy to be flying – after all, he had some damage to his legs, and it may have been uncomfortable to fly. After a little “baby talk” and attention, he lay down and watched out the window.

The moment that we landed at Essex County Airport, the animals started stirring, as if they knew it was their time to come home.

When I opened the “co-pilot” door, a crowd of what felt like hundreds screamed, “Welcome to New Jersey!” This crowd was complete with a cameraman from the New York/New Jersey CBS and a photographer for “The Record,” who were covering the event on their end.

Nine rescue groups, including Pet ResQ Inc. and Puppy Love Pet Rescue, welcomed us and started unloading our puppies.

Just like in King & Queen, volunteers put the animals on leashes and walked them. This time, though, they were fed, and boy, were they hungry!

There was sheer joy spread across the faces of each and every member of the rescue groups, both children and adults, as they handled the puppies, dogs, and cats that had arrived in several planes.

A woman named Linda drove into the airport and picked up Waylon, who I learned, had been in several shelters, and like the puppies, was set for euthanasia due to overcrowding.

Many of the volunteers thanked the pilots for their selflessness and goodwill, and promised that the animals will find good homes.

Richard admitted that like me, he is an animal lover, and enjoys helping PilotsNPaws.

We said goodbye to the puppies, knowing they were good hands, and got back on the plane about 20 minutes after we landed. Just as quickly as we arrived, we left. I watched out the window, as the crowd grew smaller.

A total of 75 dogs and cats were delivered in New Jersey that day and saved from euthanasia, thanks to generous pilots like Richard.

For more information on PilotsNPaws 2012, visit: pilotsnpaws.org.

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Pilots N Paws Pilots Give Hundreds Of Dogs Another Chance At Life

debi — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:16:35 +0000

FAUQUIER COUNTY, Va. (WUSA) — More than three hundred homeless dogs scheduled to be put to sleep are now flying high and on their ways to their forever homes thanks to efforts by a group of volunteer aviators known as Pilots N’ Paws.

Nearly 80 pilots participated in the rescue of dogs from high kill shelters in North Carolina. More than one hundred dogs were brought to Northern Virginia where several organizations have agreed to place the dogs in foster homes and shelters with no-kill pledges until the animals are adopted.

9News reporter Armando Trull has the story.

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/223526/158/Hundreds-Of-Dogs-Get-Another-Chance-At-Life-Thanks-To-Pilots

Kitties Fly, Too

Tanya — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:08:32 +0000

Oscar is an elderly kitty that needed to be transported from Greeley, CO to Omaha, NE.

Pilots Mary Ann Lane and Alex Toussaint led the charge with Chef David Edelstein of TeamPitAFul as Passenger Protector and support. It was their first kitty transport, but this old guy was the perfect passenger. He took quite willingly to the nice, plush Cirrus that was to be his air chariot.