Pilots to the Rescue airlifts animals facing certain death to a second chance in New York

By Vanessa Murdock

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    FARMINGDALE, New York (WCBS) — Local pilots took to the skies to save the lives of our furry friends, and raise awareness of an issue that continues to plague the country – euthanasia.

CBS2s Vanessa Murdock witnessed the joy of the mission when she flew with “Pilots to the Rescue.”

Michael Schneider, founder and top dog at Pilots to the Rescue welcomes two rescues home. The journey was a long one for the mother-daughter duo, Lorelei and Rory – they hail from South Carolina.

Pilots to the Rescue flew south to rescue them and three others Wednesday. Murdock got to tag along.

Schneider, who started the nonprofit in 2015, says it’s the perfect pairing of his love of flight and saving animals.

“Growing up, always had rescue dogs and pets, to my parents’ dismay. I also collected neighborhood animals and nursed them back to health,” Schneider said.

Volunteer Pilot Victor Girgenti shares he and his wife Lisa are big dog people. For this flight, he donates his skills and his ride – it’s his jet.

“Pilots love to fly, and a lot of time I’ll just fly on a weekend for no other reason than to put a hole in the sky. I’s a lot of money. This way, we’re doing something good,” Girgenti said.

The mission: Save creatures great and small from certain death. Dogs and cats are the most common companions, but wolves and sea turtles fly too. Recently, Schneider flew with his son Jack from New Jersey to Cape Fear, N.C., where they released those sea turtles into the wild.

To date, the organization has flown more than 1,000 animals.

“Sheer numbers. It’s never enough. But what we do is create awareness about this issue we have in the United States,” said Schneider.

“The ASPCA says we’re still euthanizing nearly nearly 1 million dogs and cats in the country,” Schneider said.

Crates get loaded and the plan gets positioned – and the flight takes off.

About an hour and half after takeoff, touch down. Waiting on the tarmac: Five sweet furry faces, brought there by Rick Roper, president of Maverick Pet Transportation & Rescue, and his sidekick Maverick.

“Most of these dogs come from the streets, or hoarding situations, or puppy mill cases, and that’s not a life they deserve,” Roper said.

One by one, the guys loaded up the most precious cargo, collected the necessary paper work, and then they went airborne again: A little more weight onboard, and – nothing against Pilots to the Rescue – but a whole lot more love too. Most of the new furry friends nestled in quickly, but Lorelei couldn’t resist the view. Eventually, she settled down, fell into a deep sleep.

After an hour of soaring through blue, they touched down one last time, unloaded and opened the crates.

It’s a new place, a new beginning for each of the beautiful dogs. The final leg of their journey? A New Chance Animal Rescue in Westchester, where they’ll be place with foster families until their “furever” homes are ready.

Schneider shares that his goal for 2022 is to rescue 1,000. He has about 15 volunteer pilots that work with him regularly to help make it happen.

For more information about Pilots to the Rescue, please visit: pilotstotherescue.org

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