Spring may be the slow season in the animal rescue world, but you wouldn’t think so based on PTTR’s activity over the past few weeks. In the month of April, we rescued 34 dogs and 40 cats, including multiple litters of newborn puppies. We are delighted to report that at least 15 dogs we rescued in April have been adopted!

In another pivotal moment in our journey, PTTR was also featured in a TV segment on New York City's WPIX 11 News! Scroll down to watch the full segment, which includes footage of a recent PTTR rescue.

In this month’s newsletter, you can meet some of the animals we rescued in April along with their new families. You can also learn some helpful tips for preparing to become a foster pet parent for the first time!

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

On April 26th, PTTR Top Dog Michael Schneider and volunteer pilot Victor Girgenti rescued four dogs from euthanasia in a collaborative mission with Maverick Pet Transportation and Rescue. After picking up the dogs in North Carolina, Michael and Victor flew their furry cargo back to Farmingdale, New York. From there, our incredible driver Albert Picewicz drove the dogs up to New York's Putnam County, where they were received by A New Chance Animal Rescue.

Accompanying Michael and Victor onboard was news personality Alex Lee, who documented the rescue for a segment that was shown on WPIX 11 News later that night! ? ? As one of New York City’s primary news stations, WPIX 11 News carries a massive audience, so we are eternally grateful for this opportunity to share our cause with so many people.

You can watch the whole segment in this video below! ??

On April 6th, our dynamic duo of drivers - Adrian Boksz and Albert Picewicz - drove down to Knoxville, Tennessee to rescue 14 puppies who were just eight weeks old.

After picking up the dogs, Adrian and Albert drove more than 11 hours to Rochester, New York, where the dogs were received by our longtime partners at The Second Hand Dog Rescue. ?

Pictured below are some of Adrian and Albert’s furry paw-ssengers, who originally came from Huckaby’s Hope for Paws.

Thanks to The Second Hand Dog Rescue's extensive outreach and marketing efforts, applications for adoptions were rolling in well before the dogs arrived! ???

So, just weeks after Adrian and Albert's rescue, at least 12 of these pups were safe and sound in their forever homes.

That includes little Rosie, pictured here in the arms of one of her new human brothers!

4 Dogs from North Carolina Find New Homes in NY

Pictured here is the beautiful Toby, one of the four dogs Adrian and Albert rescued in Wilmington, North Carolina on April 14th.



Toby and his fellow adult paw-ssengers: Obie, Thor and Timber - were supplied by Duplin County Animal Services, Surry County Animal Control, and the Yadkin County Animal Shelter. 

It breaks our heart to say that all four dogs would have euthanized several months ago if PTTR and our rescue partners at Long Road Home Rescue in Long Island, New York hadn’t intervened. ❤️‍?

Once they found out the dogs' lives were in danger, Long Road Home Rescue helped coordinate adoptions with some very lucky new pet parents. The dogs were subsequently removed from their shelters’ euthanasia lists and put under the care of foster parents while receiving vaccinations and other necessary medical treatments for adoption.

Anxiously awaiting Adrian and Albert’s arrival in Long Island were the dogs' new families. Pictured below is Obie getting acquainted with his new mom, dad, and human brother! ?

This month, it’s our pleasure to spotlight Paul Mamauag, who has served as a volunteer pilot with PTTR since early 2023. ??‍✈️ ? Paul’s aviation career began after college, at which point he enrolled in ATP Flight School in Morristown, New Jersey. During his training, Paul made a lot of friends in the aviation community, including PTTR’s own Viking Thorsteinsson. Seeking to help his fellow pilot-in-training gain more experience in the skies, Viking eventually asked Paul to join him on a critical animal rescue mission involving more than 30 homeless kittens and cats.

When Viking and Paul arrived at their destination, they were immediately showered with gratitude and appreciation from the receiving shelter's staff, a feeling Paul vividly recalls to this day.

This life-changing experience eventually led him to join PTTR, where he could use his aviation skills to make a real difference. Paul was also impressed and inspired by the dedication of the whole PTTR team, whom he says are some of the most genuinely kind and passionate people he’s ever encountered.

In the coming years, Paul intends to pilot more PTTR missions while continuing to bring joy and love into peoples’ households.

Adoption Tip of the Month ?

If you’re thinking of adopting a dog, there’s no better way to see if you’re up to the task than fostering. Though fostering can be a great learning experience, you should still make sure you are as prepared as possible to welcome a rescue dog into your home. Here are a few key pieces of advice for first-time foster pet parents:

1. Avoid Puppies: If you’ve never cared for a dog before, taking in a puppy might be biting off more than you can chew. Compared to adult dogs, young puppies are much harder to deal with and are more prone to accidents and even destructive behaviors. ? You’re much better off taking in an adult or even a senior dog. Besides, older dogs have a harder time getting adopted and are in much more need of your help!

2. Go on a Walk First: Odds are, your foster dog is going to have a lot of pent-up energy when they get to your house. That’s why the first thing you should do with your new friend is go for a nice long walk. This will help your dog calm down and get some much-needed exercise and sensory stimulation. Remember: Many shelter dogs are stuck in cages for months before they get adopted! After a walk, your dog will be much calmer and easier to introduce into a new environment.

3. Be Prepared for a Ruff First Night: There’s no bones about it: Fostering is not easy, and it won’t take you very long to find out. ? During their first night in your home, your foster might cry, whine, and possibly even bark when placed in their crate. Though it’s only natural to want to calm your foster down with pets and cuddles, it’s usually best to leave them alone. As painful as it is, your foster needs to learn that this is their time to sleep, and not with you by their side.

Fostering will surely test your willpower but in the long-term, you’re saving yourself many more sleepless nights by helping your foster understand their new routine from the get-go.

POV: You're Hosting an Instagram Fundraiser ??

We understand that times are hard, and not everybody can afford to support the organizations they love.

Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to help PTTR save more lives, and one of them is by creating a nonprofit fundraiser with an Instagram post! ?

First, create or choose an image for a new post as usual. Second, tap Next and then Add Fundraiser. If you search for and select Pilots To The Rescue, you'll automatically be taken to the "Fundraiser Details" page. Lastly, enter the details for your fundraiser, tap Done and hit Share! ?

For the next 30 days, a link to the fundraiser will be displayed in your bio. When someone clicks the link, they will be directed to donate.

For more info on how to set up a fundraiser on Instagram, click here.

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