While shelters try their best to make sure every animal that walks through their doors gets placed with a loving forever home, yet nearly 2.7 million animals have to be put down each year in the United States because shelters run out of space.
Jeff Bennett, a retired pilot and owner of four incredible dogs, couldn’t stand the fact that so many innocent shelter animals were being killed because they couldn’t find homes fast enough, so he decided to put his unique skills to work to try and help these animals in a way that most people couldn’t
Rather than transport people, this pilot now volunteers with Pilots N Paws, a national nonprofit organization that provides free transportation for animals, so that more people have the opportunity to adopt animals that would normally be too far away.
Throughout his time with Pilots N Paws, Bennett has now flown 5,000 animals to loving homes. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of what I do,” Bennett said. “I get to see dogs completely shut down when I pick them up, and then come out of their shell at the other end after a two- or two-and-a-half-hour flight. I’ve seen it so many times now that there might be something to it — that dogs know they’ve been rescued.”
“It is all volunteer, so I can look at a posting and decide yes or no,” Bennett said. “Pilots want to be in the air, and I can do some good at the same time.” However, when bad weather makes flying impossible, Bennet takes to the road to do his job.
“I have the ability as I am retired and have a cargo van that I would scrap flights and drive 1,600 miles,” he said. “I have had a number of ground transports that way. The most I ever moved in my van was 126. It bothers me to know animals are going to get euthanized for lack of transportation. We have to keep things flowing so these animals don’t get euthanized for lack of space.”
Watch the entire video below to find out more about this incredible organization and the people who volunteer to transport these animals.
Can you believe how many animals this man has singlehandedly saved? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this with friends and family on Facebook.
[Featured image credit: JEFF BENNETT/PILOTS N PAWS]
This Pilot Has Rescued 5,000 Homeless Animals By Flying Them To The People Who Want Them is an article from: LifeDaily