Hornell, N.Y. —
It was a life-saving flight, but they wouldn’t know it. These passengers were dogs. Sunday afternoon the Hornell Area Humane Society took custody of two dogs from the Animal Protection Society of Person County, N.C. With help from the “Pilots N Paws” program, Forrest, a beagle and hound mixed breed, and Jed, a labrador and unspecified mix, are safe and sound at their new temporary home on Industrial Road. “We’re in with Pilots N Paws program and a lot of times, and in this case when there is a danger of animals being euthanized, we’ll take them,” said Mark Mahoney, Humane Society director. “For us, it’s great. We’ve taken some before and rescued them and adopted them to loving homes. So, it’s a win-win situation if we can take them before they get euthanized.” “Pilots N Paws” is a national non-profit charitable organization comprised of general aviation pilots who work together with rescue volunteers and no-kill shelters to relocate animals. The pilots donate their time, planes and resources to fly animals to safe havens all over the country. Pilot Elliott DeGraff and his co-pilot Chip Sylvern, both of Maryland, flew the dogs the second half of the trip. “I’m really happy to be doing this,” said Sylvern, as he munched on a sandwich and watched Humane Society volunteers play with the dogs. “I’ve had dogs my whole life and I’d rather see them here than at a kill-shelter. Plus, it gives me an excuse to fly the plane,” he said. The dogs needed immediate rescue because both were scheduled to be euthanized after a Roxboro shelter was unable to find them a new owner. Both dogs are four-years old, have already been vaccinated and veterinarian checked, and are heartworm negative, according to the Humane Society. While in many cases with rescue animals abuse or neglect has occurred, the new arrivals appear to be happy dogs that have been well cared for. “What I was told, in that area of North Carolina they have a huge pet owner issue and they have frequently gassed large quantities of healthy animals,” said Wendy Dresser-Recktenwald, chief executive officer of the Humane Society. “Because we had some room we decided we could take them ... Usually “Pilots N Paws” goes into bigger cities, but we stayed in touch because of the two pitbulls we transported last summer,” she said. For more information about “Pilots N Paws,” go online to pilotsnpaws.org. Dresser-Recktenwald said, pending a healthy check-up, the dogs will be ready for adoption soon.
