A few years ago, I read an article in a US aviation magazine about an organization that matched dog rescues with pilots who were willing to transport dogs by air to other locations for adoption. It is relatively easy to transport dogs by airline between major centres but from small towns this is not the case so general aviation pilots were being invited to help in these cases. The organization that facilitates this transportation is Pilots N Paws.

At first glance it wasn’t obvious why the dogs needed to be flown but after reading up on the process it was clear that a typical highway route that might take 10 hours to drive could be flown in about 2 hours. This is particularly true of isolated communities not served by major highways.

I thought this was a neat idea but didn’t give it any more thought until last year when I read a story in COPA Flight about a lady in Vancouver (Gini Green) starting up a Canadian equivalent to Pilots N Paws – Pilots N Paws Canada (PNPC). There is no connection between the two organizations except their mutual objectives and cooperation on transportation of our four-legged furry friends.

I contacted Gini to find out more and read through their web site. Then in the fall I joined as a volunteer pilot and waited for an opportunity to fly a mission. As it turned out my Cherokee was down for painting for two months, then down for an annual, then a prop overhaul and a few other things. That combined with marginal weather much of the winter in Calgary kept the canine transport opportunities at bay.

Finally, in May I was back to flying so I started watching the PNPC ride board – where missions are listed and the pilots volunteer. It wasn’t long before one came up that I could do. It was a request to transport two older Brittany dogs from Billings, Montana to Calgary. The dog’s life-long owner had passed away and with the relatives not wanting them they had spent several months being bounced around until they came to the attention of the National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network (NBRAN) in the US. They were rescued and placed with a foster family until they could be permanently adopted.

Although I had flown with one dog before the thought of flying with two medium sized dogs on a cross-border flight raised some concerns. But after checking on the customs requirements and studying the back of my Cherokee 235 to see how I might accommodate the dogs, I was satisfied the aircraft, and I were up to the task and so I went ahead and volunteered for my first mission.

I first spoke to the PNPC coordinator for this mission and was given all the details, and then we picked a date a few days hence. The Canadian coordinator passed me over to the NBRAN coordinator in the US. As it turned out circumstances forced us to push the date out three more days but a week after first contact the mission was on.

I discovered that the Heidi, the lovely lady fostering the dogs, lived in Story, Wyoming, a small town not far from Sheridan, WY. The plan was for her to drive the dogs to Billings, MT for pickup but that was a 2 ½ hour drive for her each way. I have flown that route many times and have frequently stopped at Sheridan for fuel, even got weathered in there once. It was only 45 minutes more for me to fly past Billings to Sheridan. I became an instant hero when I suggested I could meet Heidi in Sheridan instead of Billings. As it turned out I had another reason to go to Sheridan, WY, but that’s another story.

With the date set and all arrangements in place I asked my pilot friend Carl if he would like to come along. He jumped at the chance for a new flying adventure. It’s a four-hour flight plus a stop at Great Falls, MT to clear customs so we decided to head south the afternoon before and stay overnight. This gave me time to take care of that other business in Sheridan. Then at 0900 the next morning we met Heidi, her husband and the two Brittanies, Colby and Ethan, at the Sheridan airport. While they seemed a bit nervous with the airport surroundings and meeting strangers as soon as we started loading, they got right into it. They willingly climbed aboard and settled happily into the back of the aeroplane.

Prior to leaving home I had removed the rear seat back from the aeroplane and used rolled blankets to raise the level of the baggage area to match the seat cushion; then covered that with plastic, a sheet of cardboard and another blanket. This gave the dogs a large flat surface to lounge in. I tied two light ropes to the seat belt anchors then tied the ropes to the dogs’ harnesses so they could easily move around but couldn’t launch themselves into the front seat either willingly or unwillingly. Apparently the accommodations were acceptable as they slept during the entire flight.

We launched out of Sheridan at 0950 and touched down at Lethbridge, AB at 1255. When I called CanPass from Sheridan, I told them what was up with the dogs but didn’t know if they would come to meet us or not. Normally Canada Customs agents don’t bother coming out to meet me at Lethbridge, but this time they did. It turned out to be a non-event. All they wanted to see was the vaccination paperwork for the dogs and our passports. This was a first for them too, so I explained about PNPC and answered their questions about why the dogs were being transported by air. They complimented me on the new paint job and we said goodbye.

Another 45 minutes in the air dodging rain cells and we touched down at Chestermere-Kirkby Field outside of Calgary. The dogs seemed very grateful to get out and go for a romp in the tall grass that seemed to have sprung up overnight. A little while later their new owner, Adam, came to meet them and took Colby and Ethan to their new home.

I must say I was very impressed with the professional level of mission organization by Pilots N Paws Canada and the National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network in the US. It was great working with them. It was equally great to meet Heidi and Adam who care so much about Colby and Ethan.

We did some great flying, did a good deed, and accomplished some business all at the same time. That’s what General Aviation is all about. What fun!

I’m looking forward to our next mission.