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

By Barbara Rybolt 
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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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By Sara Jane Pohlman/News-Sentinel Staff Writer | 0 comments

Millie the terrier is held on a leash by pilot Bill Stigile at an airport in Redding after a two-hour flight on Saturday, April 27, 2013. Stigile volunteers with Pilots N Paws, an organization dedicated to saving shelter animals from euthanasia.

Millie, a scruffy black terrier in need of a bath, let out a whine that could barely be heard over the roar of the propeller. Pilot Bill Stigile turned away from a panoramic view of the Central Valley to reassure the dog serving as his co-pilot on this critical journey.

“It’s OK, girl,” he said. “We’re nearly there.”

During the week, Stigile is an insurance salesman who lives in Woodbridge. But on the weekends, he saves lives.

Stigile was one of 29 pilots flying a mission of mercy earlier this month in the California skies to save dozens of dogs from being put to sleep in a South Los Angeles animal shelter.

They are all members of Pilots N Paws, a national organization dedicated to transporting rescued animals by air.

Last weekend, 68 dogs needed a lift from Long Beach to Seattle. Homeless animals were relying on strangers with planes and vans to rescue them.

The mission: Rescued dogs would be transported from Southern California to the Fresno-Yosemite airport, where Stigile and others would swoop down, pick them up and take them to Redding. From Redding, the animals would be driven to Washington and dispersed to new homes. The 1,160-mile passage would take long hours, a logistical scramble and confident flying. Stigile and his fellow pilots were ready.

 

Pilots saving lives

Pilots N Paws started in 2008 when animal lover Debi Boies of South Carolina convinced her pilot friend Jon Wehrenberg to help her rescue a Doberman. The dog was set to be euthanized in Florida, but an animal shelter in South Carolina had room. Wehrenberg flew to Florida, picked up the Dobie and took him up north to a new home.

Boies knew spay and neuter programs were working well in many parts of the country, but in some states, homeless pets were dying needlessly.

Pilots N Paws connects volunteer private pilots with rescue groups and animal shelters to saves dogs, cats, and any other animal that can be transported by air.

The Unites States Humane Society estimates that at least 3 million cats and dogs were euthanized in 2012. Volunteer pilots like Stigile saved 12,000 animals from near-certain death.

Sometimes, the animal-loving pilots respond to a major emergency.

Hundreds of people lost their jobs and homes when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill devastated the Gulf Coast in 2010. Pilots N Paws converged and saved 171 animals when their families had to give them up.

Most rescues are simple: one or two dogs from a crowded shelter, a rescue group with room to spare, and a pilot willing to spend the time and gas money.

Dream job turns to volunteer work

When Stigile first earned his pilot’s license, he had no plans of transporting shelter dogs.

Stigile left his three-year service in the Army in 1965, just before his unit was deployed to Vietnam. He had dreams of being a military pilot, but his security clearance was too high. His superiors would not risk having someone with delicate information shot down in enemy territory.

Ten years later, he got a pilot’s license on his own. His instructor helped him use money from Veteran’s Assistance to get a commercial rating.

But by then, pilots with combat experience were returning from Vietnam, and Stigile couldn’t get a job with an airline.

Today, he works for Colonial Life selling insurance, and takes his 1976 Grumman American four-seater plane out for joyrides. It’s an agile, light aircraft, capable of higher speeds than a Cessna or Piper due to its construction.

Pilot Bill Stigile prepares for takeoff at the Lodi Airport on Saturday, April 27, 2013. He will spend the day flying rescued dogs across California.

Bold red stripes run down each side, flanked by black-and-white checkered wings. Stigile keeps it at the Lodi Airport and has flown as far as Brownsville, Texas.

Two years ago, a friend told him about Pilots N Paws. Stigile instantly thought of the two rescued dogs waiting for him at his home in the Wine Country neighborhood of Woodbridge: Cody, a border collie adopted from the Stockton Animal Shelter, and Miles, a Labrador-dachshund mix Stigile and his wife Jo Ann adopted through People Assisting the Lodi Shelter.

Flying around the state and saving dogs? Stigile signed up.

“He loves to fly. This is a good opportunity to use his flying skills for a good cause,” said Jo Ann Stigile. “Having the rescued dogs in our family is one of the best things we’ve ever done.”

He has piloted five dogs to safety. Last summer, a French bulldog from Paso Robles needed transport to Walla Walla, Wash., and Stigile signed on to take one leg of the trip. The pup sat happily in Jo Ann Stigile’s lap as the plane taxied along the runway. But at takeoff, the dog grew skittish.

“She looked out the window and watched the ground go away. She looked at my wife, then back at the ground, and bolted into her cage in back,” said Stigile, laughing. The dog was lulled to sleep by the plane’s vibrations until landing.

Getting the cargo

Stigile never knows what to expect. Some dogs fall right to sleep, while others will yap nervously throughout the flight. There might be vomit, or messes, or barking. It doesn’t matter. Stigile doesn’t ask for obedience-school standouts.

Just dogs that need help.

Stigile pilots his plane with a quiet confidence, as naturally as most adults drive a Toyota Camry.

With one hand steady on the steering column, he checked temperature gauges and the altimeter, adjusted some knobs and took note of a sophisticated GPS mounted to the left of the cockpit.

Cruising altitude is about 8,000 feet. That’s above crop-duster planes, but well under the jumbo jets flying into Sacramento International Airport.

Stigile prefers the calm, independent vibe at Lodi Airport, with no central tower demanding reports. But heading into Fresno, he had no choice but to check in with ground control.

“This is Grumman 1540 Romeo coming in for a landing,” he barked into a small microphone plugged into a bulky headset.

“1540 Romeo, you are cleared for landing. Follow the Cessna in,” said the voice from the ground.

Stigile eased up on the throttle and gently coasted down to the runway at 11 a.m., taxiing to a hangar resounding with barks.

Several other pilots had already checked in and were waiting inside for their furry cargo. But each dog coming in from Southern California needed food, water and a chance to water some bushes before curling back up in their crates.

The pilots waiting to fly to Redding watched the chaotic scene and swapped stories.

Pilots and volunteers take over the lobby of the Redding Airport with dog crates after planes carrying rescued dogs began arriving from Fresno on Saturday, April 27, 2013.

Bruce Hedlund is among the more experienced pilots, as an American Airlines retiree from San Andreas.

“I have two passions in life: flying and dogs. What better way to take a day to go flying (than to) get a dog that was probably going to be euthanized and take it to a forever home?” he said.

Single-prop planes weren’t the only aircraft coming in for a landing.

Evan Graham and Liz DeStaffany piloted a helicopter to bring in two dogs from Los Angeles.

“They were really well-behaved,” DeStaffany said. “There’s so many small dogs in the L.A. area. We wanted to help bring them north.”

Only nine or 10 pilots had volunteered for the second leg of the day, from Fresno to Redding. But 50 dogs needed to get there.

A volunteer pilot looks over a line of dog crates waiting for a ride to Redding from the Fresno Airport on Saturday, April 27, 2013.

A kind of triage unit formed in clusters. Dogs were carried in crates or walked on leashes and led to the staging area. Rows of plastic water bowls lined the floor, interspersed with small cups of kibble. Volunteers in pink Pilots N Paws T-shirts took turns leading dogs outside to relieve themselves, with each rescued canine’s papers in a back pocket.

When a dog was ready to go, his crate was moved near the door where outgoing pilots could scoop them up and start loading the planes. Nervous yelps echoed through the airy hangar as they waited.

Volunteer Betty Cochran was charged with getting the dogs back in their crates. After the freedom to stretch their legs, going back into the cramped, dark box wasn’t easy.

“They’re squished to live. That’s what we say,” she said.

Would there be enough pilots?

Pam and Mike Zimmering are volunteer pilots from a rescue group called Border Collies in Need, based in San Pedro. The couple refused to leave until the dogs they flew in were spoken for.

Mike, right, and Pam Zimmering, center, care for four dogs they flew to Fresno from Long Beach with the help of a volunteer on Saturday, April 27, 2013. The animals were kept in a hangar before their next flight, from Fresno to Redding, where they would catch a ride to Seattle on a truck. A pair of shelters in Seattle were giving the dogs, who had been in a kill shelter in Los Angeles, a new lease on life.

Pam Zimmering held a speckled French bulldog mix and asked pilots if they had room left.

“Can you take her? We want to make sure all our dogs have a place to go,” she said.

Stigile sized up the dog and another fuzzy brown mutt in the next crate, and figured they would fit together in his plane.

He stepped forward and took their leashes.

“We’ll take him. Just give him to us,” he said.

Lexus, a furry little terrier, licked Stigile’s hand. Bebe Rocket, the bulldog mix, skittered around in a circle and tangled her leash.

Stigile loads Lexus into his four-seater plane at Fresno-Yosemite International Airport on Saturday, April 27, 2013.

A young girl walked by, cradling an older, scruffy black dog. The animal didn’t like the other dogs, and snapped when they got too close.

Where would this dog go? Stigile had just one crate in the plane, big enough for the two little pooches he’d just accepted.

But he took a quick look at the black dog, and made up his mind.

“She can ride up front with me,” he said.

Millie was in.

“Yes! Our mission is done!” said Pam Zimmering. She and her husband handed over each dog’s papers, and Stigile led the tangled mass of dogs out to the loading ramp.

Loading up, taking off

In Stigile’s Grumman American, there is not a lot of room for cargo. To get the dog kennel inside, he took it apart and jammed in each piece. There was no easy way to load up dogs, or anything else.

At the Fresno airport, there was just one way in for Lexus and Bebe Rocket — stuffed in through a cargo door about the size of a computer screen.

Stigile scooped up Lexus and hefted him into the plane. He scooted the little dog into the kennel, where Lexus sniffed around and sat down.

Bebe Rocket, left, Lexus and Millie rest and refresh at the airport in Redding before getting on the truck to Seattle on Saturday, April 27, 2013.

Next was Bebe Rocket. Stigile squished her in with Lexus. The kennel clicked shut, the door slammed, and Millie was left looking for her seat.

“Come on up here, girl,” said Stigile. He picked her up, climbed over the left wing and stepped into the cockpit with the dog in his arms. She was deposited in the front passenger seat, where she took stock of the surroundings with uneasy eyes.

Stigile settled in his seat and prepared to take to the skies again, this time with the day’s cargo on board.

“Clear prop,” he shouted. The propeller spun to life, the engine blasted on, and Stigile rumbled down the runway. Next stop, Redding.

All three dogs were silent as the plane gained altitude. Lexus and Bebe Rocket were busy sniffing one another. Millie watched the ground fall away below her through the window.

Stigile pointed out the cities as he flew over them, giving the dogs a short lesson in California geography.

Mariposa is off to the right. Wait just a minute, and you can see Half Dome.

Sonora, Copperopolis, Columbia, Angels Camp.

See that series of reservoirs? Might be fun to go swimming.

San Andreas, Valley Springs, Jackson.

“Are you all still awake?” he said.

Nope. Millie was tuckered out and had fallen asleep on the seat. Bebe Rocket and Lexus napped in the back, curled up on top of one another.

The vibration of the plane puts dogs to sleep, Stigile said.

“They’re easy passengers. I’ve never had to clean up a mess,” he said.

The flight took two hours. Stigile touched down at 3 p.m., ready to hand off his charges.

Saying goodbye

Lexus and Bebe Rocket stormed out of the cargo hold as soon as Stigile opened the door. Millie’s leash was already hooked to his wrist. They made a beeline for the bushes, dragging their pilot along behind on all three leashes.

“OK, alright. I hear you,” Stigile told them.

Inside the airport lobby at Redding, crates took over the tiled floor. Volunteers took each dog out back as they arrived to walk them around a bit and get them settled with food.

Millie, Lexus and Bebe Rocket occupied one section of a makeshift kennel, where they enjoyed dishes of kibble and bowls of water. The dogs were more interested in sniffing their new surroundings and begging for ear scratches.

The next round of helpers was already at work loading dogs into a shipping truck packed with dog crates that had been strapped in with bungee cords.

Margi Moore, director of Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdell, Wash., was preparing for a 12-hour drive back up to Seattle.

Fifteen dogs would go to her animal shelter, while 40 would travel on to the Seattle Humane Society in Bellevue.

Another 13 would be transported through other connections.

But Stigile’s job was done. He saw Millie, Lexus and Bebe Rocket loaded up into the truck, and turned away.

Stigile doesn’t know exactly where his charges will find a forever home. He doesn’t know if the dogs will remember him. What he does know is that they are safe now.

“Every animal I’ve ever taken has shown gratitude in some way,” he said. “They came out of the plane at Redding and they looked so happy. I got a deep feeling that these animals appreciate the help.”

Contact reporter Sara Jane Pohlman at sarap@lodinews.com.

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 N Paws Pacific Coast Rescue Event

More than 70 homeless dogs get the ride of their lives.

Posted: April 28, 2013, 8 p.m. EDT

Petmate, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Subaru, team up with Pilots N Paws to transport more than 170 dogs from shelters in Southern California to shelters in Oregon and Washington. The dogs are taking flight to areas where they are more likely to be adopted.

On the morning of Saturday, April 27, approximately 73 animals were taken to Long Beach from Animal Services’ West Valley Shelter and Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay Neuter Center – where they’ve been housed and prepared for transport.

The animals were loaded onto 22 planes flown by Pilots N Paws volunteer pilots as they begin their voyage north. After coordinated layovers in Fresno and Redding, CA, the dogs were transported to Kitsap Humane Society and Seattle Humane Society in Silverdale and Bellevue, WA, respectively, where they arrived and settled in Sunday morning.

On April 30, a ground transport carrying an additional 100 dogs will leave Riverside County Department of Animal Services. This transport, funded by the ASPCA and provided by California organization Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team, will deliver dogs to various organizations and rescue groups in Washington and Oregon.

The ASPCA’s coordinated national relocation program draws on the proven economic theory of supply and demand to transport sheltered dogs from localities where supply exceeds demand to areas where demand matches the supply of adoptable dogs.

Our very own DOG FANCY editor, Ernie Slone got a front row seat as the dogs were preped and boarded for their journey at Long Beach Airport.

Ken and Lori, prepare for takeoff during today’s Pacific Coast Flyway, sponsored by Subaru and Petmate, and organized by the ASPCA. Several stops and relays will take place along the way before the animals make it to their final destination.

A nine-year old canine whose future once looked bleak enjoyed a first class flight to Houston Tuesday afternoon, thanks to an enterprising Corpus Christi Animal Control Officer and a non-profit animal rescue network called “Pilots N Paws”.

The dog named “Gucci” arrived at the Corpus Christi Animal Shelter last Thursday when her owner surrendered her. Gucci’s owner was forced to make the difficult decision to surrender her when apartment management informed the pet’s owner that she was only allowed two pets; Gucci sadly became the odd dog out.

Gucci and her rescue pilot, Wade Roberts of Pearland, Tx.

When Gucci tested positive for heartworms the next day, Animal Control Officer James Matt Ray realized that placing her for adoption would be difficult due to her age and health issues. Ray quickly went into action and found an animal rescue group called PugHearts of Houston that specializes in rescuing that particular breed. Ray contacted the group and they agreed to rescue Gucci, but there was still the problem of how to get her to Houston. Undaunted, Ray continued to search the internet and found “Pilots N Paws”, a non-profit website that serves as a meeting place for those who rescue, shelter or foster animals, and volunteer pilots willing to assist with the transportation of at-risk animals.

Pilots N Paws was founded in 2008 by animal-lover Debi Boies and pilot Jon Wehrenberg. The idea first took flight when Jon agreed to help Debi by flying a rescued Doberman from Florida to South Carolina. The trip was a success and the two brainstormed on how to rescue other animals. As a result of their collaboration, the website, http://www.pilotsnpaws.org was soon launched. Today the organization has 3,168 pilot volunteers and 10,551 volunteers responsible for saving thousands of animals each year.

Through the website Officer Ray contacted Wade Roberts, a pilot from Pearland, Texas, who agreed to pick up Gucci and fly her back to Houston. ACO Ray met Roberts Tuesday morning at a small airport in Port Aransas and by 11:30 am Gucci was on her way to a new life in Houston-all thanks to a caring pilot and the Animal Control Officer who went beyond the call of duty to save her.

On March 9, Home for Good Dog Rescue hosted its fourth annual Taste of Italy Dinner and Tricky Tray at Long Hill Community Center in Stirling. More than 300 people were in attendance including the Mayor of Summit, Ellen Dickson, who spoke during the opening remarks.

Also among the attendees at the event were Pilots N Paws Vice President Nick O’Connell and pilot O’Neil Jones. Home for Good connected with the nonprofit Pilots N Paws in January when it flew four of the rescue’s dogs from South Carolina to New Jersey. The pilots flew into New Jersey on Saturday and joined the rescue in celebrating close to 2,000 lives saved. They received an achievement award at the event.

Photo from Independent Press

Home for Good has a network of 65 foster families in their area in New Jersey, but they also have a few local fosters in South Carolina and Georgia who take the dogs home when they are first found or signed out of the shelters.

There were more than 200 prizes at this year’s tricky tray. Among the winners of the night was Nikki Tongg, owner of Faux Paws in Summit, who won the 50/50 raffle. The Joan Dalianis Foundation provided a Matching Gift Program; the foundation doubled a certain amount of donations made and all went back to Home for Good Dog Rescue.

All profits went back to Home for Good Dog Rescue to help more dogs in need.

Photo from Independent Press

In 2010, the year the rescue began, about 200 lives were saved. This year alone, the rescue is on track to give more than 1,000 dogs a second chance at life. As a foster-based organization, Home for Good is always looking for new foster families to help their dogs transition into loving homes.

Visit homeforgooddogs.org for more information on Home for Good Dog Rescue. Adoption, foster and volunteer applications can be found on the website as well as all upcoming events. Home for Good Dog Rescue’s next adoption events are from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at Petsmart in Bridgewater and again on Saturday, March 23, at PetSmart in Millburn.

It’s been a long flight for the young female bald eagle, but the bird has finally landed at her new home in Nanjemoy.

The Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center, a site run by Charles County Public Schools, is on 10 acres along the Nanjemoy Creek and offers programs to students, fostering an appreciation for the outdoors, nature, wildlife and natural habitats. It also houses birds of prey for educational programs — a screech owl, barred owl and a red-tailed hawk.

Staff photo by Sara K. Taylor. A bald eagle, rescued in Prairie du Chien, Wis., last summer is now being housed at the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Center. She will be featured in educational programs.

And now — thanks to months of cooperation among the center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Four Lakes Wildlife Center Dane County Humane Society in Madison, Wis., and a couple of pilots – the center houses a new bald eagle.

The center, which is home to a male bald eagle that is in his mid-30s — “He’s a grumpy old man,” joked Laura Taylor, an environmental education instructor — lost its other eagle last summer when she had to be put to sleep due to arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries.

Mike Callahan, an environmental education instructor at the center, was on the lookout for another eagle.

“She’ll be a display bird in exhibits and a program bird for school programs,” he said.

Heading to the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council message board, Callahan saw a listing from Brooke Lewis of the Four Lakes Wildlife Center of the Dane County Humane Society in Madison, Wis.

Lewis had a young bald eagle that had been rescued in Prairie du Chien, Wis., found malnourished in a backyard drinking from a chlorinated swimming pool.

When the bird first arrived, she was “weak, skinny,” said Lewis, adding that it isn’t uncommon for young wild animals to be underfed. They are new at hunting and aren’t very good at it yet.

The eagle was tube-fed for a while until she became stronger and then she was examined by a veterinarian again and found to have a damaged left eye.

“Eyes are super important to raptors for hunting,” Lewis said. “Any kind of [eye injury] would be [an] impairment to their ability to hunt.”

There was no way the eagle could be released into the wild, so Lewis started looking for Fish and Wildlife approved places where the bird could be placed. Inquiries came from New York, Montana and Northern Utah, but Callahan’s enthusiasm struck Lewis and the Nanjemoy center’s facilities seemed to be perfect for placement of the eagle.

An Eagle Scout is slated to build a flight cage for the new eagle, a 20-foot-by-24-foot cage that will allow the young eagle to stretch her wings and continue to be active, Callahan said.

Now it would just be a matter of getting her from Wisconsin to Maryland.

That’s where Pilots N Paws came in, a group of volunteer pilots who are routinely called on to transport dogs from shelters to areas where adoptive families are waiting for them.

Photo courtsey of Wes Hughes.  Pilots Wes Hughes of La Plata, left, and Mike Greene of Ohio, are pictured on the tarmac with the eagle they helped transport from Wisconsin to Maryland.

Callahan posted a message on the group’s board looking for a volunteer to transport the bird to Nanjemoy.

Wes Hughes of La Plata, who pilots a single engine Piper Archer out of Maryland Airport in Pomonkey, couldn’t make it to Wisconsin but Pilots N Paws volunteer Mike Greene of Ohio could and Hughes could make it to Ohio.

Greene flew to Wisconsin and picked up the bird on Jan. 9. Hughes and fellow pilot Jim Reed of Pomonkey met Greene in Zanesville, Ohio, and flew the bird — housed in a crate for the journey — to Maryland.

“Most of the time we’re transporting puppies and dogs,” said Hughes, who has been flying for 22 years and volunteering with Pilots N Paws for a few years. “We fly for fun and entertainment but it’s nice to fly and have a purpose.”

And flying an eagle was “really neat,” he added.

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

November 11, 2012 was a day to be remembered and chronicled as a unique day in the history of Military Working Dogs. Our sincere thanks to the multitude of people and businesses who came together to assist us with honoring our Military Working Dogs for the very first time in history during the 2012 NYC Veterans Day Parade.  Your support made it possible for us to recognize our veterans of the past, both two legged and those with paws, along with our current Military working dogs and their handlers.

Subaru of America partnered with Pilots N Paws for this event and as always, we could not be more proud to stand beside you. Your support is changing lives. The Pilot Mall was an important partner with Pilots N Paws as well, providing the miniature planes for this incredible float.

Communities come together when a common desire to honor our veterans is proposed.  This display of gracious support was shown by many people and companies coming together to donate their time and resources  Our sincere thanks to:

 Linda Blick Tails of Hope Foundation and her “YAP” (Youth Ambassador Program)  volunteers, Gay Ann Wayne, Ray Carlisle United Doberman Club, Patty Mauro ,  Blue Star Mom Peg Mockler, Dorothy Mauro (K9 treats), George and Kerry Degiovanni, Jr.Womens’ League, Mark Eisen, Park Ridge Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Pasock Jr. Women’s Club, Paul Chayt, Stefanie Tully, Tammy and Matt Levinson, Women’s Club of Westwood, Broadway Joes.

It is with profound gratitude that we thank those who worked tirelessly to make this day in history come to fruition.  Our Military Working Dogs save countless lives and are true veterans who are now honored as such.

Photo credits Gay Ann Wayne and Debi Boies

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