Rescue Animals Take Flight to New Homes

By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- There's nothing more heartwarming than finding a rescued animal a nice loving home. But what if the animal's new home is across the country?

There's a new service in Oklahoma City that is helping bring rescue and shelter animals to their new homes, even if they're across the country.

Dave Morris is heading to Florida to do a little scuba diving, but he won't be flying his private alone, a dog is going on the flight as well.

"I'm going to be flying it down to the Florida Keys to the Isle of Marada to its new home," said pilot Dave Morris.

The trip is courtesy of a program called Pilots N Paws. A person sees a rescue or shelter animal they want, but if the new owner is too far away to make the drive, the rescue agency contacts a pilot who may be going where the new owner lives. The animal is put on the flight with the pilot and delivered to its new home in a matter of hours.

"This woman in Florida fell in love with her via a picture and a short story on the internet and she was absolutely adamant about having this dog," said Lacy Syverson with the Oklahoma Humane Society.

The people involved in the program say it's a way to keep good animals from staying in shelters or being euthanized.

"Oklahoma City and a lot of areas in this part of the country have so many dogs that need homes and there are other parts of the country that don't have that problem which is kind of amazing," Syverson said.

And the pilots are more than happy to help, plus they get a traveling companion.

"I like the idea of rescuing a dog that was going to be put to sleep or that was going to have a miserable life and giving it a new home," Morris said.

The pilots' flight expenses are tax deductible. Learn more about the Pilots N Paws program.