NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)- Boarding bright and early Wednesday morning, passengers were loaded onto a small private plane and these travelers aren’t your typical passengers. “WOOF, BARK,” the passengers are dogs, all kinds, all sizes.
“I’m from Caras house, one of the shelters that have dogs going this flight. We are extremely overcrowded and there are just not enough homes for the dogs that come into our facilities,” explained Reagan Daniel, President of Cara’s House.
So Cara’s House and eight other shelters from Southeast Louisiana are loading 45 shelter dogs into this plane and their final destination is Wisconsin, where they will hopefully find their “fuuurrrr-ever” home.
“I still recall my very first flight. It’s just humbling. You still get ready eyes and you still see these pets take off. I’m actually flying with the pets today,” shared Dani Hardy, Greater Good Charities Good Flights Flight leader. “It’s super excited and it never gets old and it never old.”
Most of the dogs, young or old, small or large, are coming from shelters that were impacted by Hurricane Ida and are still struggling to get back up and fully running.
Some of these dogs are homeless. Others come from shelters that are maxed out on capacity and the pups are at risk of being put down
“Flights like this are essential to getting these guys out and that get adopted very quickly. They have a high rate of adoption. It’s a life-changing transport,” said Hardy.
That’s why the Greater Good Charities, Mars Petcare, and Pedigree Foundation are swooping in. This program—Good Flights—- airlifts and offers ground support in transporting at-risk animals to other areas of the country.
“Every month we have flights that fly out dogs to northern facilities where these animals get adopted in one to three days,” said Daniel.
Louisiana has an abundance of animals that need a loving home. Sending these pets off gives them a second “leash on life.”