On Saturday, June 4 along with the “Grand Opening” festivities for our new Wantagh Adoption Center, Last Hope celebrated the arrival of 6 rescued puppies flown here from a shelter in Kentucky with a high euthanasia rate. The pups stood little chance of being adopted if they remained in Kentucky. Their arrival caused tremendous excitement, not only because they are so cute, but because of the story behind their incredible journey.

After extensive coordination and planning by Last Hope volunteer Dale, the 6 fortunate pups arrived by way of a “relay” air transport that began Sat. morning in Kentucky and ended Sat. evening at Republic Airport. Because of the generosity of 3 pilots -Jon, Amy and Alexander- all members of an organization known as Pilots N Paws, these Shepherd/Hound pups are now safe under Last Hope’s care.  We are all grateful to these kind pilots who donated their time, planes and skills. The love of animals shows as all they transport are so well cared for – given “potty” breaks and water before the next leg of their journey.

Pilots N Paws is an ALL volunteer network that brings together pilots who fly homeless animals at no charge to rescue groups all over the United States.  Pilots N Paws combines the pilots’ passion for aviation with their love of  animals. A perfect match for all involved!!    Despite the fact that the 3 separate legs of their  flight totaled about 5 1/2 hours, our puppies handled the long trip well.  We even had the ability to track their journey via the web. Best of all, a foster parent was waiting at Wantagh to take each pup home sweet home. To learn more about Pilots N Paws missions of mercy, see: http://pilotsnpaws.org/category/articlesnews/.