Spring is notorious for bad weather, but a little rain wasn’t going to stand in the way of PTTR’s life-saving work. ☔ ? In the month of May, we rescued 30 dogs and 17 cats from overcrowded shelters in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our shelter partners, at least three dogs we rescued in May are currently settling into their forever homes! Making these rescues possible was our loyal team of drivers, who literally drove thousands of miles to get these animals to larger shelters with more space and resources.

In this month’s newsletter, you can meet some of the dogs we rescued this past month and check out the newest additions to the recently upgraded PTTR merch shop. You can also learn a helpful tip for determining the ideal age of your next adopted dog!

Thank you for your support in making these missions possible! ?

Pictured here is the precious Piper, one of five dogs PTTR rescued from Edgecombe County Animal Control and Surry County Animal Control on May 8th.

Since our plane is undergoing maintenance, our Ground Operations Manager Albert Picewicz drove PTTR’s Paw-ty Van to Sanford, North Carolina, to pick up his furry cargo: Piper, Merle, Mindy, Atlas, and Rex.

Albert then drove across at least five U.S. states on his way up to Long Island, New York, where the dogs were received by Long Road Home Rescue.

This multi-day mission was originally developed by the incredible staff at Long Road Home Rescue, which contacted PTTR once they found out that Piper and his fellow paw-ssengers were scheduled to be euthanized. ? ? Not only was Long Road Home Rescue able to find space for the homeless pets, but they were also able to find new families for Piper, Merle, and the adorable Mindy, pictured below!

14 Dogs from South Carolina Get a 2nd Chance at Life

It's impossible not to fall in love with the innocent eyes of Foxy, who comes from a litter of six 2 and 1/2-month-old puppies. ? ?

On May 25th, Albert drove down to Georgetown, South Carolina, to pick up Foxy along with 13 other dogs who originally came from Saint Frances Animal Center.

Albert then drove back up north to East Hanover, New Jersey, where the dogs were received by Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter. Despite the great distance ahead of him, Albert made sure to drive very carefully for more than 11 hours to protect the fragile bodies of his paw-ssengers.

Pictured below are two more lucky pups from this mission: Corporal (left) and Nola (right)!

This month, the spotlight goes to Taylor Fischer, who currently serves as the Foster and Transport Coordinator for Long Road Home Rescue, Inc., in Manhasset, New York. A lifelong dog lover, Taylor developed a passion for animal rescue when she picked up her first foster dog from the Duplin County Animal Shelter in her home state of North Carolina.

There were four dogs at the shelter scheduled for euthanasia, and Taylor was originally supposed to rescue just one. ? ? But before bringing her foster home, she went on a tour of the facility and was heartbroken by the palpable sadness she could feel from the caged dogs. There was just no way Taylor was leaving with only one of these poor animals!

On that same day, she helped find fosters for all four dogs and made two more 60-minute trips to the shelter to get the dogs to safety. Eventually, Taylor began making weekly trips to Duplin County to transport homeless dogs to foster families.

Alongside her responsibilities at Long Road Home Rescue, Taylor still contributes to Duplin County Animal Shelter as a networker and transporter.

She also oversees fundraising initiatives and works as a volunteer staff member for a total of FIVE animal rescue organizations across the East Coast, which led her to PTTR! ?? ?

Together, PTTR and Long Road Home Rescue have coordinated many adoptions involving dogs from high kill shelters in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

In the coming years, Taylor will continue providing networking services for high-kill shelters across the southern United States and saving the lives of as many homeless pets as possible.

Adoption Tip of the Month ?

A common question that aspiring pet parents ask is, “How old should my first adopted pet be?” It can be difficult to answer this question because while young puppies typically require the most attention, dogs also develop very quickly and “grow up” at a much faster rate than humans. There are even certain periods in a dog’s development when they are easier to bond with or train.

First off, let’s be clear: When we say, “young puppies,” we’re talking about 0-7 weeks old. ?? This is the period when puppies learn basic social behaviors by interacting with their mother and siblings. Since they have so much to learn and don’t know the difference between good and bad behavior, puppies that are just a few weeks old can be a real handful. So, you might want to steer clear of young puppies for your first adopted pet.

By the time they reach 7-8 weeks, puppies are considered mentally ready to bond with human beings and acclimate themselves to new environments. At 8-10 weeks old, puppies are very impressionable. This is the period when puppies need plenty of praise, positive reinforcement, and just positive experiences in general. It’s at 8-16 weeks old, however, when puppies have the easiest time learning commands and good behavior.

Based on this information, it’s safe to say that an ideal age to adopt a puppy is probably between 7-10 weeks. Still, it’s important to consider extenuating circumstances, like travel. If your new puppy must fly to their new home, you might want to wait until your furry friend is a bit older - possibly around 4-6 months - before subjecting them to the stress of air travel.

New Gear Alert! Shop for a Cause at PTTR! ?️

Big news, PTTR family: We’ve just launched our new and upgraded PTTR shop! Now, you can support PTTR and contribute to our missions by sporting our fresh line of new t-shirts, hats, mugs, tote bags, and more. ??? Our gear is perfect for anyone who wants to promote the importance of animal rescue and share their love of animals with everyone they see.

As you can see, our flight and ground crew love rocking these items, including this new t-shirt, which can be purchased by clicking the link below!

When you purchase PTTR gear, the proceeds go directly to the costs of keeping our planes in the air and our ground crew on the road. Every single purchase allows us to complete more missions and save more lives.

So, if you want to support PTTR and get a stylish reward out of it, head on over to shop.pilotstotherescue.org and choose your gear. This is a great way to become part of the PTTR journey while simultaneously spreading our cause and expanding our community. We couldn't do our work without YOU, so thank you for proudly wearing your allegiance to PTTR on your sleeve and helping us save innocent lives from euthanasia.

A few more new additions to the PTTR merch shop can be viewed below:

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