Sandra Dollar, founder of Save the Strays Animal Rescue, sent the following story.

During one of our adoption events this past July, a man came into Petco carrying two puppies he had picked up along the highway. It was Sunday, so he couldn’t take them to the shelter, he told us. Could Save the Strays Animal Rescue possibly take them? Of course, we said yes.

Birdie the day she was rescued

The pup we named Birdie weighed just 8 lbs. and was about 3 months old. We weren’t sure what she was. Most of her hair was missing due to mange. Beyond that, and being underweight, she turned out to be relatively healthy and very, very sweet.

Over the months between July and October, our little “ugly duckling” grew (and grew!) into a beautiful swan – or, rather, a gorgeous flat-coated retriever. We received a wonderful application to adopt her from a woman named Julie Heffelfinger. The only problem? How to get Birdie to her new home near Ashtabula, Ohio.

Pilots-N-Paws to the rescue! Once Birdie recuperated from her spay, we put up a request for transportation. After a couple of attempts that were thwarted by bad weather and changing pilot availability, Christophe Masiero, based in Lancaster, SC, volunteered to fly the entire 400+ miles from Camden, SC to Ashtabula.

Sandra Dollar, founder of Save the Strays Animal Rescue, and Birdie
meet pilot Christophe Masiero at Woodward Field in Camden, SC

On Oct. 17, Christophe picked Birdie up at Woodward Field in Camden. From there, he flew to Newberry, SC, to pick up two dogs from another rescue that needed a ride to Kentucky. After dropping them off, he went on to Ohio. Strong crosswinds caused him to divert to Youngstown, where he landed his precious cargo safely and placed Birdie in the loving care of her new “mom” Julie. Birdie was soon in her new home, snuggling with Julie’s other dog, Mickey, and watching TV!

After arriving in Youngstown, OH, Christophe introduces Birdie to her
new “mom” Julie Heffelfinger.

This is the fourth time in Save the Strays’ 11 years of operation that Pilots-N-Paws has flown a dog from our rescue to an adopter. We cannot say enough good things about this organization and the wonderful service its dedicated pilots provide.

Kudos to PNP for the great work it does. And our deepest gratitude to Christophe for taking on this entire mission to help Birdie get to her “furever” home!

Birdie in her new home with Julie’s other dog Mickey.

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