Nov 27, 2016 Todd and I started our 49th Pilots N Paws Rescue at Moontown (3M5) our home base.  We started our mission in the early morning with 25 degrees and clear skies.   Todd had plugged in an airplane engine preheater and covered the engine with blankets the night before so the airplane engine would start.  With Crates loaded and engine started, we flew to Walker County to meet Tracy Raburn.

We loaded a Walker Hound, two mix litter mates, two coonhound puppies, Lily the Yorkie, Mouse the Chihuahua, a beagle baby, a sable baby, and scruffy Chihuahua mix.  One of the coonhounds had a hernia and could not use his back legs. The scruffy Chihuahua mix had a mammary tumor.

Once loaded with our 10 passengers, we took off to Bainbridge, Georgia to meet Donna Shannon in her Piper Arrow.  She is a pilot and veterinarian from Clearwater, Florida.  We transferred all dogs to her airplane without incident.  Donna was flying to Orlando to drop off six of the passengers to Orlando rescue, then on to Tampa to deliver remaining dogs to their rescues.  

These freedom flights are always complex and chaotic (organized chaos), but they end up very successful. We appreciate how hard Pilots N Paws staff, the volunteers, and the flight crews work facilitating constantly changing dogs, destinations, times, and weather.

Unfortunately many others aren’t as lucky, and as you all know, the only answer to this devastating issue is to spay/neuter/rescue. All of these dogs are really sweet, and they deserve to be curled up on the living room floor at night not tossed out like trash.

Cessna N2858F

Todd & Mary Brooks