SAN ANTONIO -- It's only natural to be a little nervous before your first flight.
For more than 50 dogs at San Antonio Pets Alive!, it's a VIP ticket to Boise, Idaho by plane.
"Really this is the next logical expansion of this program. It gets the dogs there even quicker and allows us to work with the great organization Dog Is My CoPilot," said Erika Mullins with SAPA.
Dog is My CoPilot flies up to three rescue missions like this per week. It's the second round for San Antonio. It is not just a flight to find their forever homes, but a way to help San Antonio curb its pet overpopulation.
"This is not a dog problem. It's a people problem. So we need to get out the word to spay and neuter and control that population. For every dog that's in the pound, there's a human that's responsible," said Dog Is My CoPilot President Peter Rork, M.D.
Any dogs that weren't able to make it onto that first flight headed out on the second. If you're wondering why Boise, Idaho specifically, the answer is simple, their community wants and needs more pets.
"Most of these going are large adult dogs, it takes them a long time in San Antonio to find their forever homes sometimes. But in Idaho, people are looking for hiking buddies. They want these bigger, robust dogs and they find them homes within a couple of weeks," said Mullins.
And as long as a need exists, the missions will continue in San Antonio.
"Atlantic Aviation waives any fees; anything for my Dog is My CoPilot. That in turn saves San Antonio Pets Alive!, where they can do more animals so more dogs can find their forever homes," said Atlantic Aviation's Dwight Randolph.
A once-in-a-lifetime trip with life-saving results.
For more information on SAPA, Dog Is My CoPilot, and Atlantic Aviation:
http://www.sanantoniopetsalive.org/
http://dogcopilot.org/about-us/
https://www.atlanticaviation.com/location/SKF