Thank you to Stefan Holt and Sandra Torres with5 NBC Chicago for their interest in reporting this story and for holding extra passengers on your laps!

Seven thousand feet over Central Illinois, a chocolate lab puppy rests its head on the shoulder of pilot Pete Tobin, seemingly lulled to sleep by the hum of the plane’s engine.

“On every rescue there’s about one dog that stands out,” Pete says through the headset, “one that makes it special and makes it all worth it. This little guy is the most special one on this trip.”

Pilot Pete and one of his special passengers

Just hours ago, this special little guy was in line to be euthanized at the Wayne County Humane Society. Instead he and 16 other dogs, plus six cats, were taken to the Fairfield Municipal Airport, where they were loaded into the back of a small, single-engine Columbia 350. A plane that normally seats four humans is now flying 22 strayed, orphaned and unwanted animals to Chicago on a flight path towards a brighter future.

Pete and his wife, Karen Johnson, are part of a growing corps of aviators who volunteer their weekends and their personal planes to support rescue flights posted on an Internet forum called Pilots N Paws.

Pilots Pete Tobin and Karen Johnson

The organization was founded in 2008 and serves as an online meeting place for animal rescue groups to coordinate with more than 2,500 general aviation pilots willing to use their personal airplanes to transport shelter animals to towns where they could be adopted.

According to Pilots N Paws, more than 4 million unwanted pets are euthanized each year because of overcrowded and underfunded shelters in mainly rural locations. The pilots are able to save these animals by flying them to no-kill shelters or to adoptive families, often located hundreds of miles away. The pilots spend their own money to pay for the flight, which in the case of a Columbia 350, costs $400-plus for a tank of gas.

“I’ll take as many as we can,” says Karen, who spends her day job working as the president of a concrete cutting business based out of Morton Grove. “The alternative is they drown them, they take them out back and shoot them if it’s a puppy mill, and if it’s animal control they just euthanize them.”

"Can we fly the plane please?" (photo credit 5 NBC)

For many of these animals, a rescue flight is their only chance of survival.

“Once you get in the air they mellow out quite a bit,” says Pete as he glances back at two puppies sleeping in the back seat. The Glenview couple says they stopped counting once they reached 50 animals carried aboard their plane on trips across the Midwest and the East Coast. But the record for most in one flight was on this day when 22 animals flew from Fairfield to Chicago.

All 22 pups and kitties headed to happy lives!

A pair of beagles sit in one crate, while another contains a mother West Highland Terrier and her four babies. Only one dog was unable to fit safely aboard and had to be left on the ground to wait for a truck to carry him on the five-hour journey north.

“Sometimes it’s so stressful,” Karen says about carrying the animals by truck. “They’ve had animals die being transported from Tennessee all the way to Chicago because it’s so much stress and so many more hours on the ground.” The rest of the pets enjoyed a smooth one-and-a-half hour flight.

Stefan Holt with his own very special passenger! (photo credit 5 NBC)

After the Columbia 350 gracefully touches down at Chicago Executive, Pete taxis the aircraft alongside a van marked ARFMOBILE, where volunteers from Animal Rescue Foundation – Illinois are waiting to pick up the precious cargo. One by one, the cats and dogs emerge from the plane. Their next stop is the no-kill shelter where they are spayed or neutered before being put up for adoption.

Ann and Joanne of A.R.F. took delivery of their new charges:

“They don t know that they need to be happy,” says ARF Illinois President Ann Persenaire, carrying a crate full of cats off the airplane. “They don’t know that life’s gotten good.”

If you would like to support these organizations, or adopt one of the animals, go to the following sites:

Animal Rescue Foundation of Illinois
Wayne County Humane Society
Pilots N Paws

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Pilots-To-The-Rescue-150744095.html#ixzz1uNJLjW00

Please like Stefan Holt and 5NBC Chicago on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago

Follow Stefan Holt on Twitter: Stefan Holt @nbcstefholt

Partners Subaru and Petmate, thanks for supporting Pilots N Paws!

It’s not quite on approach yet…but the wait is almost over!

Author Patrick Regan reports that Dog Is My Copilot, his new book that recounts the founding of PNP and takes readers along on 25 life-saving rescue missions, will be available in stores on June 19.

And while we can’t get the book to you any sooner, we are thrilled to reveal its cover and offer a little preview.

After a months-long search for the perfect cover dog—and submissions of hundreds of great photos by PNP members—the honor finally went to “Chipper,” a rescued Border Collie that caught a ride from Idaho to Wyoming courtesy of two PNP pilots.

I’m lucky enough to have reviewed an advance copy of the book, and I can tell you that this book will touch readers on so many levels. Patrick’s unique ability as a writer truly conveys the passion behind every story. He is also generously donating a portion from the sale of each book to Pilots N Paws—THANK YOU PATRICK!

Once published, the book will be available at bookstores throughout the country–big chains and independents alike–as well as through online retailers like amazon.

You can peek inside the book—and pre-order your copy today—by clicking the amazon link below. Please share the news with your friends and family!

Last month, the ASPCA seized more then 40 dogs during an animal fighting investigation in Virginia.  #35 was one of those dogs…..After medical care and testing, this lucky girl is now named “Hallie” and she is safely with Animal Farm Foundation in NY and on her way to a loving family. 

Hallies smiling face!

http://www.sovanow.com/index.php?/news/article/breaking_news_-_dog_fighting_ring_raided_in_nathalie/

It took two Pilots N Paws pilots working together to fly Hallie from harms way to safety.  Pilot Nick O’Connel and co-pilot O’Neil Jones took the first leg  from Virginia. 

PNP pilots Nick and Bruce with co-pilot O'Neil and a Happy Hallie!

 Pilot Bruce Cohen and co-pilot Adam Jackon were waiting to accept their very special passenger and take her on the final leg of her journey.  Just seeing Hallie’s smiling grin and her joy for life was all these dedicated pilots needed to know to volunteer to fly her to safety.

Pilot Bruce and co-pilot Adam give Hallie a little walk before her flight.....

Finally She's Arrived!

Special thanks to  the ASPCA all law enforcement agencies involved and the Animal control officers for investigating and ending the suffering of these dogs.   Thanks to the efforts of local law enforcement, the 41 dogs recovered will have a chance to live out happier lives.

Hallie looking out the plane window dreaming of her future!

Grateful appreciation to the rescue groups accepting the dogs who so needed their loving care and to the local shelter for providing temporary care. We look forward to watching Hallie shine!

Hallie saying goodbye and thanks!

Quotes from those involved with this rescue:

Pilot Nick: Great day for all involved. I am thankful to have been a part of this rescue.  I hope this sweet girl finds a perfect family, she deserves it. Pictures to follow.

ASPCA Allison Cardona: You are all truly amazing and we are so incredibly grateful.Hallie is a lucky girl Thank you all for the collaboration! Amazing to work with you on this!

I'm Ready!

Scott is a dedicated volunteer pilot with Pilots N Paws.  He has flown countless missions saving planeloads of dogs and giving each one the opportunity to find loving homes.  Scott’s friends at Beyond 1 Films created this video showing just a few of the animals Scott and his co-pilots have flown to safe havens.  It really is a “wonderful world for the animals” who are fortunate to have rescues and pilots who care……

“Pilots N Paws was honored to be featured in a National TV Special, “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart.”  The special continues to be aired across the country and the response has been extremely heartwarming!  A very special thank you to pilot John Quimby, his family and son co-pilot Ethan, Tri-State Collie Rescue and Hallie and her family for opening their home and hearts to adopt beautiful “Jenny.”
 
We would like to acknowledge Kroger and Purina for their support of this filming and of Pilots N Paws.  The vision of Jim Friedman and Addie Rosenthal with Blind Squirrel Productions clearly portrayed what volunteers with Pilots N Paws and rescues do every day to make a difference. Enjoy the film!
Copyright 2010 Blind Squirrel Productions/(for use on this site only please)