In December, twenty-five lucky dogs landed in their new homes in time for the holidays thanks to the efforts of Wings of Rescue, Idaho Humane Society, and the staff and volunteers at Oakland Animal Services (OAS). Over the past year, OAS has transferred over 160 small dogs to Idaho Humane Society, where the small-dog population is much smaller and they are adopted more quickly than they would be in Oakland.
Previously, volunteers made the eleven-hour drive to Boise in vans. This time, thanks to Wings of Rescue and Friends of Oakland Animal Services (FOAS), the nonprofit wing of the shelter that has funded transportation costs for these trips to Idaho and other transports, the journey has been made a lot shorter. Wings of Rescue, a volunteer-based organization, matches pilots with animal shelters and private rescue organizations that need help transferring animals across the western United States. OAS volunteers prepped the dogs in the days leading up to the flight, gathered crates, took the dogs for potty breaks before their flight, and then drove them to the airport.
Muneca, a small poodle, was one of the lucky pooches to book a ticket on the flight.
Found as a stray, she had a serious eye injury that required surgery to remove it (which was also funded by FOAS). She was adopted within two weeks of her arrival, along with most of her companions.
Wings of Rescue and similar organizations like Pilots N Paws (which connected OAS with Wings of Rescue) are helping to create an even larger network of shelters and rescue groups working together, thus extending OAS’s ability to help animals find homes more quickly. We hope to make more flights in 2013 to place more small dogs into homes.