Pilots N Paws"Stripe" will walk again, thank you pilot Art!

“Stripe” will walk again, thank you pilot Art!

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Flying with PNP has been a very rewarding endeavor for my wife Patty and me. We’ve flown about 160 dogs to a better life, from the NOLA event, to local requests. None of them were as heart wrenching, or meaningful as my trip with Stripe.

Stripe and her soulful eyes!

It began on a Monday evening, after working a 12 hour shift as a nurse. Looking forward to my day off, I poured a drink, and sat at my computer to check my e mail. The subject, “desperately need help” caught my eye, so I opened that one first. Miami Dade animal control had gotten an anonymous call to help an injured German Shepherd howling in agony. They found “Stripe” a one yr old female struggling to walk.

It was assumed she had been hit by a car. With no collar, no chip and no way of finding her owner she was taken to the complex, where an x ray found both front legs with serious fractures. She had a cast applied, and needing surgery the outcome did not look good for her.

The desperate plea for help came from Heidi’s Legacy rescue. They needed to get this pup to Tampa, where a vet was standing by to perform the surgery within an hour of our arrival. Rescues from three counties, and PNP all pitched in to save this very lovable, sweet (and HUGE) dog to medical care, and a loving home.

A volunteer, Pete Toemmes drove to Miami to pick up the dog, stopped in Ft. Lauderdale to pick up “Daisy” on death row and needing a ride to Tampa as well. He brought both up to west Palm Beach, where yours truly waited.

A volunteer from Second Chance rescue in West Palm Beach Lisa Beadle offered to ride as a spotter/care giver if needed for Stripe as we could not crate her due to her casted legs. After very gently loading, we were ready to fly. With pain meds, being fed, and a case of giardia there were several surprises reroute, but were handled by my terrific volunteer, Lisa. Carrying Stripe from the plane to the van was heart wrenching as Stripe cried very softly in pain, but never a growl, or aggressive action towards her rescuers.

Lori Hoffman, the rescue in Tampa drove her directly to the vet for her surgery. His findings? Not a car accident but only an object like a crowbar directly across her legs could have caused this. The surgery was successful, and the shelter already has a family in Naples waiting to give her the love she deserves. Doing these flights can be both rewarding and heart wrenching at the same time. But, one look into those big brown eyes saying thank you in her own way makes you understand in an instant why we all do this.