[Cagdu] FW: dog stories

[Tina Thomas]

Subject: dog stories

 

  

  

In these turbulent, sad days, we need a happy dog story.

This is about 1,000 dogs and 100 cats that, instead of being euthanized, on
Friday headed out in private planes toward happy adopted lives.

A family to throw Frisbees for them. Kids who need to cuddle with them at
night. A wagging tail that brightens the end of a bad workday.


Want to adopt an animal?


Go to the  <http://www.wingsofrescue.org/> Wings of Rescue website and click
"Holiday Airlift 2015" for a list of participating shelters.

A batch of about 100 dogs and a few cats arrived at Paine Field in Everett
from Van Nuys Airport on a Fairchild Metroliner twin-engine cargo plane.

You could hear the barking even before the door was opened.

Hey, what would you do if you had been in a stack of dog kennels for nearly
four hours? The outnumbered cats were considerably quieter.

Waiting for them were workers and volunteers for shelters that included the
Skagit and Kitsap County Humane Societies, PAWS and the Noah Center.

100 dogs and 10 cats arrived in Seattle Friday, part of 1,100 California
shelter animals due to be euthanized that were flown by the Wings of Rescue
group to shelters in Washington and throughout the region. (Erik Lacitis /
The Seattle Times)

By now, the crews had a routine. Line up the kennels on the tarmac right
outside Castle & Cooke Aviation. Check the paperwork. Start loading into the
lined-up vans for the drive to the shelters.

These shelters have been part of  <http://www.wingsofrescue.org/> Wings of
Rescue, based in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles, for a year or more, meeting
the planes once or twice a month. On Friday, two leased cargo planes and 23
smaller aircraft flew out the 1,100 dogs and cats, "our biggest holiday
airlift ever."

In California, shelters are overcrowded and euthanasia is common. In the
Pacific Northwest, shelters actively look for dogs.

Says Ric Browde, the transport coordinator for the California group,
"Washington is a godsend for us. You people, you're more educated, more
responsible. You have a higher level of humanity and compassion. People tend
to vaccinate, keep pets indoors.

"Maybe it's the weather in Los Angeles. Sunny skies 12 months a year. We
have dogs in the streets, procreating."

Wings of Rescue was founded by Cindy Smith, a real-estate broker, and Yehuda
Netanel, a real-estate developer. Both also are recreational pilots and dog
enthusiasts.

Maybe a little more than enthusiasts.

"How many dogs do I have?" says Smith. "I have an eclectic bunch. A
Chihuahua. Pit bulls. A Great Dane mix. I have lots. I don't want to get
into trouble with animal control."

They decided to make dogs their cause.

The two founded the group in 2011, with the idea of having pilots use their
planes to save animals from kill shelters.

Their "squadron" of pilots has so far flown out 15,200 dogs, with some
flights costing $2,500 to $5,000 for fuel and hangar costs, depending on
distance.

A few of the dogs came Friday with a little bit of narrative.

"My name is: Tiger. I'll be available: NOW! I'm an altered male, brown,
short haired Chihuahua mix. My friends at the shelter think I'm about 9
years old. I came to the shelter as an owner surrender . " says one.

Browde says the California shelters that give them dogs typically don't
provide any kind of story about the animals. And forget about a short video
that many shelters here use to attract possible owners.

 <http://ricbrowde.com/dogrescue/wp-content/uploads/Downey.pdf> On his
website, Browde took it upon himself to promote some dogs.


Related stories and features


 
<http://www.seattletimes.com/life/pets/readers-share-their-love-for-pets-in-
photos/#mid=&offset=&page=&s=> Photo gallery: Share pictures of your pets
and view the gallery

 <http://www.seattletimes.com/life/pets/> More stories featuring pets

"Roxy is a cuddly 8 year old brown and white spayed female Boxer who was
dumped . her former owners woke up that day and decided that they no longer
wanted the responsibility of taking care of a dog."

"Wiley is a regal 7 year old black male Labrador retriever who was found
without either a collar and attached identification tags or a microchip .
Wiley is a perfect gentleman and an ideal indoor pet for an individual or
family living in a private home."

He says it works wonders to provide some personality to the animals, and
they get adopted much more quickly.

Browde also has the task of naming the dogs. It's easier to adopt out a
Monty than a No. A4881243 M.

It's a task, with hundreds of dogs to name, so he's gotten to names like
"Onyx."

After a few days of R&R, the new arrivals here will be ready for adoption.

 

"Little furries for the holidays," says Katherine Spink of PAWS.

Or in the case of Roofer, a Rottweiler mix soon available at the Skagit
Humane Society, a big guy who'll lick your hand if you brush it past his
kennel.

Come on, and you know who you are, you need a Roofer in your life.

 

 

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