Jacqueline Lord’s father passed away Dec. 9, 2015 in Orlando, Florida, where he had been in hospice care for Stage Four kidney cancer. Before her father passed, Jacqueline, who lives in the Houston, Texas area, asked her stepmother what was going to happen to Boomer, a four-year-old Spaniel mix who her dad referred to as his best friend. The stepmom assured her that Boomer would be cared for. Boomer had a seizure on December 14, 2015; his vet reported that it was due to stress over losing his owner and “a lack of attention.”

Fast-forward a few months. On May 4, 2016 Jacqueline was informed by her stepmom that she was taking Boomer to a local shelter unless he was moved immediately. Jacqueline desperately wanted to adopt her late dad’s best friend and contacted a number of Florida rescue groups. That lead her to Kimm Jacobs, a transport coordinator with experience organizing Texas-Florida ground transports, and who recently had been part of a Texas-Florida Pilots N Paws air transport.

Kimm contacted the pilots involved in the previous transport, and a plan was quickly hatched: Donna Shannon would fly the first leg on Sunday, May 8, 2016, to Gulf Shores, Alabama and connect with Owen Bordelon, who would return to his home airport in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sandy Callegan Hickman, her husband Kenny, and daughter Carlee would foster Boomer overnight and deliver him back to New Orleans Lakefront the next day. Because of the weather outlook, Wade Roberts and Andy Goodreau departed Pearland Regional Airport in Houston, Texas in N20223 at 7 a.m. Monday, May 9, 2016, made Lakefront at 9 a.m., refueled, boarded Boomer and departed. At 12:30 p.m., we delivered Boomer to Jacqueline at 223’s hangar. Lots of misty eyes that day.

Petmate and Subaru are proud sponsors of Pilots N Paws