link to original story with more pictures

ALLISON RIDGWAY Special to The Examiner

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 5:23:41 EDT PM

Development and Sustainability co-ordinator Kate Siena handles Porter, a male snapping turtle, whose fractures have stabilized but is still in critical condition on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre on Erskine Ave. in Peterborough. Pilot Rick Woodall volunteered to fly the injured turtles including a female Blanding’s turtle from Sarnia to the Peterborough Airport Saturday. Bill Mallett of Port Franks, Ont, contacted the trauma centre after finding the severely injured snapping turtle. He drove the turtle to Heaven’s Wildlife Rescue, a turtle triage centre in Sarnia. Clifford Skarstedt/Peterborough Examiner/QMI AGENCY

Rick Woodall was at home in Windsor last Saturday watching sports with friends when he got the call.

It was urgent.

A turtle was in trouble.

The 14-pound snapping turtle had been hit by a car on a busy highway in Sarnia. Its skull was fractured in at least four places and it was losing blood. While folks at Heaven’s Wildlife Rescue in Sarnia had stabilized the turtle and given it pain medication, it would have to be taken to the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre for its jaw to be properly set.

“That poor turtle,” says Peggy Jenkins, owner of Heaven’s Rescue, as she remembers getting the call from a man unsure what to do with the injured turtle he’d just found on the road near his house. “It was in extremely bad condition. We knew we’d have to do the transfer to the Trauma Centre, but we didn’t have anyone who could make that long drive from Sarnia to Peterborough.”

So, Woodall jumped into his plane and headed out into the cold, blustery night.

It was the first time a turtle had ever flown in Woodall’s small, homemade airplane. He signed up for Pilots N Paws only a few months ago, expecting to help the nationwide organization of pilots transport injured dogs and other more commonplace creatures to animal hospitals throughout Ontario.

He’d never expected to have a turtle as a passenger.

He had a quick 20-minute flight from Windsor to Sarnia. Once there, Jenkins helped Woodall pack the snapping turtle into his plane, along with another turtle that’d also been injured on a highway a little earlier.

He flew them to Peterborough, where they were welcomed into the Turtle Trauma Centre by Kate Siena, fundraising co-ordinator for the organization that rescues and cares for injured turtles.

“Every spring, female turtles wake from hibernation and have to cross busy roads to nest and lay their eggs near water,” explains Siena. “Many turtles don’t make it. They get hit by cars and killed. Around seven out of eight species of turtle are at risk right now of going extinct.”

Only one in every 100 young turtles makes it to adulthood. Because most species of turtle take around 20 years to breed, it takes more than 200 eggs and 20 years to replace just one turtle killed by a car.

The turtles are not the only ones in trouble, however. The number of turtles at the trauma centre has doubled since last winter, when it was caring for 213. Many of the turtles cannot be released until they are fully healed, which can take many months. Space at the centre is running short.

“This place is one of Peterborough’s treasures,” she says. “We should be fighting to keep it going and to keep it here.”

Both turtles are recovering well. The snapping turtle will soon have its jaw set using wire, and staff hope to release it next spring. Until then, it resides at the centre, wrapped in bandages and lounging on a wet towel. It will be well taken care of.

From Windsor, to Sarnia, to Peterborough, many people have come together to help these turtles, and they’ll continue to help whenever another turtle finds itself in trouble, they say.

“It’s just a nice little story,” says Woodwall. “It’s a nice story about a bunch of nice people getting together to try to do some good in the world.”

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.

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

Billings and his first pilot, Jeff Spencer, leaving Corinth, MS.

Jeff Spencer flew from Corinth to Bowling Green, KY where he met Jeff May. Jeff Spencer is an experienced PNP pilot who has flown many four legged creatures, but for Jeff May…it was his first! I think he fell in love with Billings and the thrill of helping a little dog out.

Arriving in Jeff May’s Cessna into Cincinnati.

Billings is now in a warm home, getting some good food, and great attention from his foster mom, Peggy.

Any questions whether or not Billings is in good hands? Didn’t think so.

Karon Stewart, Midwest Regional Director
Eskie Rescuers United

Airborne Rescue Endangered Pets fly to Freedom AP

by: TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press

GREENVILLE, Ala. (AP) — On a recent June day, Jeff Bennett flew his four-seat plane from the mangrove-dotted Florida Keys, past some angry thunder clouds to the fertile hills of Greenville, Ala. His mission: to save 23 dogs destined for death row.

Bennett, a 53-year-old retired businessman, donates his time, fuel and plane to Pilots N Paws, a South Carolina-based charity that enlists small plane pilots to transport animals from overcrowded shelters that have high euthanasia rates to foster homes, rescue groups and less-crowded shelters that don’t kill the animals.

Bennett’s been airlifting animals for more than 3 years. Bennett is a dog lover; he has four of his own, including one that he adopted after a flight.

He’s carried mostly dogs, some cats, the occasional snake and once, a potbellied pig – earning his small Cirrus aircraft the nickname “All Species Airways” around the Pilots N Paws community.

But this month was special. On the Greenville trip, Bennett picked up his 1,000th animal.

Pilot Jeff Bennett holding the lucky 1,000th animal transported by him!

“This is a mile marker,” said Bennett, who had a pointy party hat decorated with pirates picked out for the special canine.

It’s a number few of Pilots N Paws’ 2,800 volunteer pilots reach, said Deborah Boies, the group’s president and co-founder.

“We have only one other pilot who has accomplished that goal,” said Boies. “It’s extremely unique. He is truly one of the most dedicated people to Pilots N Paws.”

The dogs arrived soon after Bennett landed at the small, one-runway airport. They were in two vans, crowded into cages. Some barked and others trembled with fear. A small army of volunteers stood by to help Bennett transfer the dogs into his empty crates.

“OK everybody, if one of the dogs gets loose, don’t chase it, get down on the ground and just call it to you,” said Rebecca Harshman, a volunteer in Alabama who fosters dogs and helps ferry animals to the airport if a Pilots N Paws flight arrives.

One by one, paperwork was checked, photos were snapped with Bennett in front of the plane and then the dogs were loaded into a crate and into the plane. Bennett had taken out two of his plane’s four seats to accommodate all the dogs; even then, an extra puppy had to ride on the lap of a reporter back to Florida.

It was decided that Rex, a floppy-eared, mixed-breed puppy was Bennett’s 1,000th animal. He kissed the pup’s snout and hugged him tight.

Soon after, the plane took off, bound for Florida.

The dogs barked during the ascent, then grew quiet. Bennett stopped in Lakeland and Naples to unload the dogs, who were greeted by new volunteers that would give them new homes.

Link to original story:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PILOTS_AND_PAWS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Link to AP video:

http://youtu.be/yCkIJeDfUOA

Hello everyone. Today is the day! “Dog Is My Copilot”, the new Pilots N Paws book, is now officially on sale! In it, author Patrick Regan tells the story behind PNP and shares two-dozen rescue stories submitted by pilots, rescue volunteers, and PNP members like you.

 We want to celebrate the day by sharing another project that Patrick has been working on—a video preview of the book. In just a few minutes, this film captures the soaring spirit of the book in an amazing, exciting, emotional way. As in the book, he’s featured lots of our pilots and ground volunteers along with footage of some of our “miracle dogs” in action. Trust me, you’re going to love it.

 Watch the film. Buy the book. And please share, share, share! Thanks for helping us celebrate this great day.

Just click on this link to get your copy! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449407609?ie=UTF8&tag=pinpa-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1449407609

Chip, our coverboy , is in the book !

Pilot Jeff Bennett has been busy this Christmas! 11 Dogs and one 13 foot python? YIKES, as always, thank you Jeff!