Animal rescue will airlift 500 dogs from California to Northwest

An animal rescue group is gearing up for a massive airlift this weekend, flying more than 500 dogs facing euthanasia in California to rescue groups in the Northwest.

The operation, the largest to date for Wings of Rescue, aims to save dogs from death row in California, where hundreds of thousands of animals are killed every year.

"When you know what's going on, it's difficult to stay passive," said Yehuda Netanel, a private pilot and co-founder of Wings of Rescue.

This is the group's fourth holiday airlift, which started in 2010 with Netanel flying dogs to Hillsboro in his own Piper Malibu Jetprop. This year, he's corralled more than 20 pilots, who will airlift dogs to 14 destinations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

The flights were originally scheduled for Friday, but harsh weather forced Netanel to juggle schedules, with the first plane scheduled to land in Klamath Falls on Thursday. The Eugene and North Bend flights were shifted to Saturday. All of the other flights, including to Redmond and Hillsboro in Oregon, are scheduled for Friday.

Last year, seven planes flew 350 dogs to Hillsboro. This year, Wings of Rescue is flying 55 dogs to Hillsboro, eight to Redmond, 35 to Eugene, 20 to Klamath Falls and a small number to North Bend.
The rest of the canines --€“ more than 500 altogether -- will go to rescue groups in Seattle, Bellingham, Spokane, Pasco, Olympia, Kalispell, Billings, Helena and Boise.

Netanel said Wings of Rescue in the future aims to fly dogs beyond the Northwest.
"Not only are the destinations expanding, but we're finding humane societies in smaller towns where people are clamoring for dogs," said Netanel. "This is a golden opportunity for those dogs to have a life rather than being euthanized here."

A mix of dogs is scheduled to be flown to rescue groups in Oregon, including Family Dogs New Life Shelter in Portland, Oregon Dog Rescue in Tualatin, SaveHaven Humane Society in Albany, Love-a-Bull in Eugene, Willamette Humane Society in Salem and S/Nipped in Coos Bay.
The Hillsboro flights are scheduled to land between 3 and 4 p.m.

Outside Oregon, Netanel said some locations are only taking Chihuahuas, a breed that Netanel said was on the top of the euthanasia list in California.

So many unsprayed or neutered Chihuahuas are in California that people abandon them on city streets, ditch them in the countryside and dump them in the desert.

Most of the dogs slated for the airlift are now at shelters in Pasadena, Lancaster and Riverside. They're picked out by the receiving rescues, which select animals by looking at their profiles online, mainly PetFinder.com. On the days of the flights, volunteers in California will fetch them from shelters and drive them to the airport, where they're loaded in their own crates onto the aircraft.
About 200 people are taking part in the operation, which will cost about $100,000. Netanel said some money is coming from Wings of Rescue, a 501(c)3. But mostly the volunteer pilots are covering their own costs, including using their own aircraft.

He expects all of the animals to find homes.
"Holiday season is traditionally the time when people adopt dogs," Netanel said. "The vast majority will be adopted very quickly."
-- Lynne Terry

Article and Photos sourced From:  http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/12/animal_rescue_will_airlift_500.html 

ANIMAL RIGHTS, BREAKING NEWS: Pet Stores Opt For Rescue Dogs Over Puppy Mill Dogs! This Is HUGE!

It’s no secret that puppy mills are evil places. Before being shipped to commercial pet stores, the conditions in which animals are forced to live are often dangerous, nightmarish and foul. Tragically, only about half of the puppies born into puppy mills survive, and many others suffer from a host of serious illnesses as a result, including respiratory infections, parasites and contagious viruses — not to mention the toll it takes on their emotional and mental health.

Take these staggering statistics from the ASPCA:

- There are about 10,000 puppy mills in the country. Of those, 20-30 percent are U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed breeders licensed to sell to stores.

- Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized: 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats.

- It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.

- More than two million dogs from puppy mills are sold each year.

More recently, there’s been a growing trend among animal lovers who are choosing to adopt animals, rather than looking to breeders and pet stores. Not only are consumers catching on to the anti-puppy mill movement, but with all the sick puppy mill dogs, it’s simply a horrible “business” model. So now, in a landmark move, commercial pet stores in the Philadelphia area have begun moving in the same direction, forgoing their traditional sales of brokered animals in favor of working with animal rescue organizations! It’s wonderful!

“We don’t feel comfortable selling brokered puppies.”

Philadelphia pet-shop owner Michael Gill was nursing his new English bulldog mix puppy that was suffering from parvo, a lethal canine virus contracted from a Missouri dog distributor. One after the other, puppies were coming into Michael’s store with terrible illnesses, and many even died. “It was the single worst experience I’ve had with animals in 20 years,” said Michael, owner of We Love Pets in Media.

According to Philly.com, “Gill decided to stop buying dogs from commercial breeders and opted for rescue dogs from shelters, a trend the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) said was catching on. ‘It’s been a bumpy ride,’ said Gill of the change in his business model, which also has required renovations at his Media and Springfield stores to accommodate the more mature and larger rescue dogs. ‘It’s much more rewarding. We don’t feel comfortable selling [brokered] puppies.’” And, get this: Gill now works with one of the activists who picketed his store almost every weekend for years! Patricia Biswanger, board president of the Chester County SPCA, said she didn’t hesitate when Gill offered the SPCA space for shelter dogs and other animals.

A growing trend… and we LOVE it!

Gill’s two locations aren’t the only pet stores in the Philly area to convert. PetsPlus stores, which has 10 locations(!), are also beginning to take in rescue dogs!

Scores of counties around the country are continuing to ban the sale of commercially raised puppies in pet stores, including Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin, Texas; Chicago; El Paso, Texas; Toledo, Ohio; San Diego; Los Angeles; and the state of Florida. In New Jersey, Brick, Manasquan, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, and North Brunswick.

Please SHARE this important news!

Harley, a 13 year old Chihuahua and an iconic figure in the world of puppy mill awareness through social media, spent 10 years as a commercial breeder in a puppy mill. His one-eyed, grizzled image is immediately recognizable, due primarily to the fact he lost an eye being power washed at the puppy mill.

 

Born without eyes, Smiley spent the first half of his life in a puppy mill.

 

Pit-mix Stella was rescued and adopted. She's now one happy and loved dog.

Read more at http://www.littlethings.com/pet-stores-opt-for-rescue-dogs-over-puppy-mill-dogs-this-is-huge/?gs6ZqjCdALczW8WV.99