The weather may be getting colder but Pilots To The Rescue is staying busier than ever to give more animals a warm home to spend their winter. Throughout the month of February, we completed an incredible 12 missions and saved more than 115 souls. Spectacularly, more than five dogs were adopted just a few days after they were rescued by PTTR!

In this month’s newsletter, you can meet the new families of some of the dogs we rescued in February and get to know one of our newest volunteers on a deeper level. You can also learn a new tip for teaching your adopted dog how to keep calm around other dogs!

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

PTTR Saves a Very Special Dog at Just the Right Time

On February 4, PTTR Pilot in Command Mike Martins flew to North Carolina to rescue 9 dogs in a collaborative effort with Maverick Pet Transportation & Rescue. Once the paw-ssengers returned to New Jersey, they were received by A New Chance Animal Rescue in Bedford Hills, New York. Accompanying Mike in the cockpit were volunteers Melanie Coppola and Carly Shukiar, both of whom work for Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach, Florida. A licensed commercial pilot, Carly contributes to Piper Aircraft as a fleet salesperson and demonstration pilot, while Melanie serves as Piper Aircraft’s brand manager.

Pictured below is Carly with the adorable Sammie, who is currently settling into her forever home!

Making this rescue even more special is the fact that Sammie was pregnant during the flight and recently gave birth to 11 puppies! That means we ended up saving a total of 20 souls that day. Thanks to your support, Sammie's pups won't have to spend the first fragile years of their lives in an overcrowded shelter. Below, you can see Sammie relaxing at home with her pups along with her new human sister!

This month, we’d like to shine some light on licensed pilot and volunteer Linsey Brechbill, who participated in her first PTTR mission last month. Linsey was especially honored to assist the transportation of Chance, a malnourished gentle giant who had been kept in a cage 24/7 by his cruel former owner. Linsey was overcome with emotion when Chance immediately greeted her with a barrage of wet kisses!

For Linsey, one of the most amazing parts of the mission was landing at the airport and seeing a large group of people waiting for their arrival. "The support and commitment from this community is unmatched," she said afterwards. "These flights are the result of many people over hundreds of hours working to coordinate the rescue of these animals. It was the kind of experience that doesn’t come often and one that I will cherish forever."

Adoption Tip of the Month ?

Does your dog get overly excited at the sight of another dog during their walk? If so, there are plenty of ways to keep your dog calm around other dogs. Before every walk, bring a few treats with you. When your dog sees another dog, give your dog a treat. This will teach your dog to associate other dogs with treats, so there’s no reason to bark or lunge.

If your dog does react at the sight of another dog, calmly say “nope” and block their progress with your body for a moment before turning and walking your dog away from the other dog. It’s important to stay as relaxed as possible because if you react at the sight of another dog as well, it will only exacerbate the situation.

Lastly, make sure your walks have structure. If your dog pulls you along and stops whenever they please, they’ll think they are walking you and won’t listen to you when they spot another dog.

Unable to Donate? Start a Facebook Fundraiser!

Looking to help out but don't have the means to donate? You can still contribute to our life-saving missions by starting a nonprofit fundraiser on Facebook.

Just click on the Fundraiser icon on the left side of your homepage (if you don't see this icon, click "See more") and follow just a few short steps to set up a PTTR fundraiser on your profile.

For more information on how to set up a nonprofit fundraiser on Facebook, click here.

Remember, even the smallest donation will help us continue relieving overcrowded shelters and sparing perfectly healthy pets from euthanasia.