The phrase “dogfighting” normally evokes pictures of pilots engaging in close-quarters, frequently lethal mid-air battles. However, Cirrus Aircraft, located in Duluth, is urging its customers to think about a different kind of dogfighting, one that involves moving dogs that are about to be put down to another site where loving homes are waiting.
Aaron O’Connell, a model and actor who has been in the movies “The Haves and the Have Nots” and “Love Accidentally,” just received a fueled new SR22 G6 turboprop from Cirrus to assist him in transporting a puppy to safety in California. O’Connell has now participated in more than 50 flights as a volunteer for Pilots N Paws, a charity.
The 14-year-old group, which has saved more than 200,000 animals, has 6,000 private pilots on board from all around the country.
The organization’s executive director, Kate Quinn, said: “It’s amazing. Still, we get so many emails on a weekly basis from new pilots who just heard about Pilots N Paws.”
She pointed out that the tax-deductible nature of the task volunteer pilots is performing while completing a rescue mission has benefited them.
“It also really enriches the whole learning experience, because they’re flying with their instructor, and they’re getting real-life experience with weights and ballasts,” Quinn said, explaining that maximizing the payload of an aircraft to get as many animals on a plane as possible is “almost like completing a jigsaw puzzle.”
O’Connell, a 2013 license holder, claimed to have been a pilot with Pilots N Paws for the previous seven years.
“It was just one of those things where, as a pilot, it was great to have the opportunity to fly. But there’s really no greater feeling than saving a life while doing something that you love,” he said.
“It’s a small thing for a pilot to do. But in the big scheme, if you can add a new member to a family and change an animal’s life, it’s just a beautifully rewarding experience,” O’Connell said.
Like O’Connell, many general aviation pilots, according to Quinn, have turned into devoted volunteers.
“You always hear the adage of the $100 hamburger, because pilots are looking for good reasons to fly. And pilots were eager to join the cause,” she said.
O’Connell bought a Cirrus plane in 2014, and he claimed that his wife loved it for its safety features, which included a whole-plane emergency parachute system. Since then, he has been a loyal client and claimed to have kept up with the business attentively.
Cirrus and O’Connell joined together on August 26, “National Dog Day,” to save Delilah, an 11-year-old dog who was due to be put to sleep the following day at a shelter in Santa Monica, California, and fly her to a new home in Paso Robles, California.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that more than 1.5 million animals are put to death each year in overcrowded shelters. However, in other regions of the country where there are fewer animals available, these animals can frequently find loving homes.
Delilah was microchipped, but efforts to find her prior owner were unsuccessful. The abandoned dog, according to O’Connell, was underweight but had a friendly disposition. “She’s going to be an incredibly sweet family member in her new home,” he predicted.
O’Connell commended Cirrus for working with Pilots N Paws to publicize their efforts to help animals. “They’ve been nothing more than supportive,” he claimed. “They covered the fuel cost and everything that needed to be done to make this mission happen.”
Quinn also conveyed her gratitude.
She said that Pilots N Paws aims to expand to a network of 10,000 volunteer pilots in the future. “Cirrus is helping us shine a spotlight on our accomplishments, and I think that’s going to bring more pilots to our cause who want to be involved,” she said.
Quinn declared, “The more pilots we can attract, the more animals we will save.”
Public relations manager for Cirrus, Nadia Haidar, said the company has made an effort to show its support for the group in many ways. She added: “Over the years, Cirrus Aircraft employees have voluntarily dedicated their time, aircraft, and cost of fuel to save animals through Pilots N Paws. The company has also provided financial donations to the organization.”
Multiple pilots pass the animals to one another to complete some of Pilots N Paws’ longer missions.
According to Quinn, the group uses an internet discussion board where members of the animal rescue community can get in touch with local pilots who might be willing to fly assistance flights.
“It takes a lot of people working together,” Quinn said. “There’s a lot of coordination involved. The pilots play a pivotal role, but it takes a lot of people to save the lives of these animals. And a lot of people who adopt these animals stay in touch afterward. They’ll send Christmas cards to the pilots and follow up in other ways.”
According to O’Connell, taking part in the rescue is satisfying and enhances pilots’ abilities.
“It gives us an opportunity to fly into new airports that we wouldn’t have flown into, to continue to work on preflights and weight and balance and weather and all of that stuff that you need to continually work on to be a safe pilot. Ultimately, the No. 1 thing is to be safe, to fly these animals to new homes and to make sure everybody goes to bed safe that night.”
Visit pilotsnpaws.org for additional details about this charitable animal rescue group or to sign up as a volunteer.
