Michael Schneider explains Pilots to the Rescue, a nonprofit that uses volunteer pilots to transport shelter animals and prevent euthanasia. Up to 4 million U.S. animals are killed annually. The organization started in summer 2014 when Schneider and pilot Brian Order rescued a litter of puppies from a ditch, leading to ten adoptions.
According to the Humane Society, as many as 4 million animals are euthanized each year in the United States. That's more than 10,000 a day. Pilots for Rescue's mission is to save pets facing euthanasia using a network of trained pilots, shelters, and ground teams. Pilots to Rescue gives pets a second chance to be adopted. The idea of Pilots to Rescue started back in the summer of 2014. A good pilot buddy of mine, Brian Order, and I rescued a litter of abandoned ditch puppies, a Chihuahua, and some mutts from North Carolina. In total, there were 10 dogs that were adopted due to our rescue efforts. So the way this works is shelters register on our website and they make their animal rescue requests. Then volunteer pilots bid on the routes they're willing to fly. We assist in the coordination, which includes flight planning, logistics, and connecting all the parties involved. On the day of the rescue, the pilots carefully relay the animals until their final destination, which includes no-kill shelters, fosters, and adoption centers. Pilots to the Rescue is different than other organizations because we use an advanced rescue flight system, and we also get involved in the coordination of the rescue flights. In the end, this means more animals' lives saved. Some of my favorite rescues this year were the dogs that nobody wanted. These always hit you the hardest and are the most rewarding. One of the dogs was named Jelly. It's a Chow mix puppy with vision problems, and now it's adopted by a loving home. The second one was Hopper, a 7-year-old dog with cerebral palsy that is now being taken care of in foster care.
Pilots to the Rescue!
If you'd like to get involved, please visit pilotstotherescue.org.
