We did it! Thanks to YOU - our donors, supporters, and friends - 160 dogs and cats have officially flown from Puerto Rico to new lives on the mainland.
On Wednesday, August 25th, Airplane #1 took off from San Juan carrying a load of 35 dogs and cats. It made a short stop in Ft. Lauderdale, where it dropped off five cats to our friends at Humane Society of Broward County. The plane then continued its journey north, destined for Morristown, New Jersey. Upon arrival, the plane was greeted by a small team of volunteers who handed them off to awaiting shelter partners in New York who couldn’t wait to receive them: Animal Haven (NYC), Kent Animal Shelter (Long Island), and Paws Crossed Animal Rescue (Elmsford).
As soon as our first round of satos landed safely, our team in Puerto Rico immediately turned around and prepared to do it all over again in three days -- only even bigger! In the very early morning hours of August 28th, the second, much larger plane, was packed with 125 dogs and cats. This plane was also destined for Morristown; however, most of these dogs had something extra special in store. They were meeting their new forever families directly at the airport. As soon as the plane touched down, our team of volunteers in New York unloaded each sato one by one, and carefully passed them off to their next pair of loving arms.
We are so grateful to every person and partner who helped make this life-saving mission a success. We would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated toward this mission and helped cheer us on.
This mission also would not have been possible without our amazing Freedom Flight partner Wings of Rescue and our generous match donors and sponsors Tito’s Handmade Vodka’s Vodka for Dog People program, The RTA Store, and a group of donors who wish to remain anonymous.
Please enjoy the photos below to see the incredible life-saving magic in action that you helped make a reality.
