Just wanted to drop a note to share the experience of our first PNP mission. After a failed attempt earlier in the week left us grounded due to weather at the departure point of the partnering pilot who was going to fly Dolly to eastern NY from the Pittsburgh area where we were scheduled to meet and complete the trip with Dolly to our home field in Maine we stayed tuned and were rescheduled to do the trip on Saturday with another pilot, Ben, flying the first leg. In the mean time, a second transport came across the airwaves (or bluetooth?, cloud? internet? or whatever it is these days – did I date myself).

Danny Boy was in need of a lift from Ohio to our home field in Maine. Another pilot based in New Hampshire, Don Medine, had put out the first offer to fly a portion of the trip. We quickly offered to fill a portion of the route and coordinated with Don to meet in Laconia NH, Don’s home field, where we would complete the transport to Maine.

So plan was for my wife and I to fly to from Maine to Eastern NY and pickup Dolly and on the return leg to Maine meet Don in Laconia NH to get Danny Boy and complete the trip bringing both pups to their new people. All was looking good in the morning and the text messages were flying around confirming all the details. It was a go on all fronts. Don got airborne with a friend/dog wrangler along for support heading for Ohio and Ben, also with a companion along, made their way to the meeting point to pickup Dolly in Western PA.

Nearing 11:00, when we planned to depart Maine for our first stop to pickup Dolly, we received a text from Ben, the weather had deteriorated on his route and he was forced to return to his starting point where he had met Dolly’s sender. I’m sure this was a tough decision, but erring on the side of caution is always the best policy for all involved and undoubtedly the right decision was made, especially after learning that Don was flying on an IFR flight plan very close to where Ben had been heading and had encountered IMC conditions for a portion of the flight. Ben made it back to the starting point and returned Dolly to Bill. In the meantime we had been texting with Don to see if he could drop in to get Dolly given his proximity to their location and broader flexibility flying IFR. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Don had already agreed to transport a second dog, Juniper, from Ohio and her new family was excited to have her coming east as soon as possible.

Our first mission, was ultimately completed with the transport of Danny Boy, a very sweet, handsome, and strong American Bully Mix, to his new Mom, Jacqueline who met us at KLEW in Lewiston Maine.

Jacqueline obviously had dog handling experience and not only did Danny Boy take right to her, he also minded her as she began to give him both stern commands and praise for the correct behavior to which he responded exceptionally well. We are confident Danny is heading to a great new adventure and will be well cared for in his new home, which, incidentally, will be in New Brunswick Canada. Yes, Jacqueline had driven 6 hours crossing international borders to pick up Danny in the US.

Our sincere thanks to PNP for the coordination of all these efforts, our first trip was very rewarding and we look forward to future missions to help our canine friends find their way to new loving homes.

Best Regards,

Ken and Teresa, PNP Pilots