“Dog in Flight” Pilot Mark with “Max”
“Maximillian” the Rottweiler boards the airplane of pilot Mark Kozak, of Downers Grove, Saturday at the Macomb Municipal Airport. Kozak, a member of the Pilots N Paws program, volunteered his time and airplane to fly the animal shelter dog to a Rottweiler rescue in Madison, Wis.
“Maximillian” the Rottweiler took to the skies over Macomb Saturday morning on his way to his new temporary Wisconsin home.
The dog, also known as “Max,” came from the McDonough County Animal Shelter and was flown by a volunteer pilot to a Rottweiler rescue in Madison, Wis. The flight is part of the Pilots N Paws rescue program which matches pilots and planes with pets who are in need of a new home.
Volunteers from the The Humane Society of McDonough County arranged for Max’s rescue, placing his need for a flight on the Pilots N Paws website. Pilot Mark Kozak, of Downers Grove, flew to Macomb Saturday morning and was soon airborne with Max in a crate behind the pilot’s seat.
Max was brought to the airport Saturday by Dawn Gray and Angie Ward of the McDonough County Humane Society. The pair had been trying to arrange ground transportation for Max when they discovered the flight program.
Kozak said he became affiliated with the program after seeing an advertisement for Paws N Pilots in a pilot magazine.
“I thought it would give us something to do and allow us to see other places,” he said Saturday.
“We were looking for ground transportation and someone to drive a leg of a trip, but when gas prices went up we just weren’t finding anyone,” Ward said.
Max was left in the animal pen behind the McDonough County Animal Shelter recently with a collar and a leash.
He is believed to be between 2 and 4 years old.
This was Kozak’s first flight this year and last year he flew between eight and 10 animals.
Gray said all of the animals that are taken to rescues are “very adoptable” and are not aggressive.
“They just need a second chance,” she said. “Where ever we can get the dogs placed…where there’s a will there’s a way.”
Once in Madison, Max will be evaluated, neutered and micro-chipped before being put up for adoption.
Gray also praised Drs. Loop, Lotz and Blakely for their work with the shelter’s animals.
The Humane Society of McDonough County will hold its 29th annual pet wash on Saturday, July 30 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Water Works Car Wash on Macomb’s West Jackson Street.
The event is for dogs only and all dogs must be on a leash or in a crate.
The Basic Bath is $5; Clean & Clip is $10 and The Pampered Pooch is $15. All proceeds benefit the Humane Society’s local programming.
