Welcome to Wings of Rescue
Wings of Rescue is a donation-supported 501(c)3 public charity that flies abandoned, homeless and at-risk pets from overcrowded shelters and disaster areas to shelters with available space without displacing any locally sheltered pets. The result is that great pets in need of loving homes are brought to welcoming locations where families are eagerly waiting to adopt them. At Wings of Rescue we strive to transport pets to their new homes safely, quickly and with as little stress as possible.
In times of natural disaster we often use our in-bound planes to deliver humanitarian and veterinarian aid, pet supplies and shelter materials, thereby making the most efficient use of each of our flights.
From our unique perspective traveling across North America we know that spay-and-neuter programs are key to reducing the number of unwanted pets flooding municipal shelters. For this reason we sponsor spay/neuter programs to make a difference.
Our core philosophies are that all pets deserve a healthy and loving home and that responsible pet ownership enriches lives and builds stronger and more compassionate communities.
We've been in the air helping communities in need!
Since hurricanes Fiona and Ian hit, we've conducted eight rescue missions saving 553 pets and delivering 14,300 pounds of aid to hard-hit shelters in Puerto Rico and Florida.
In our many years of transporting pets out of harm’s way and into stable, supportive and kind circumstances, we’ve learned one lesson the hard way. Hurricanes are among the most devastating events that can happen to any community. So, for us, it’s been all hands on deck and flaps up as we responded to Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian. Between September 29 and October 12, our planes have made eight trips to hard-hit Puerto Rico, and Naples, Florida, where significant damage placed excess strain on local shelter facilities and workers. As always, we responded quickly and helped our partners in those locations by transporting out dogs and cats that were already in the shelter, thus freeing up space and resources for them to deal with pets lost in the storm or needing temporary housing while their guardians deal with damage to their homes and communities. We cannot thank our corporate sponsors and generous donors enough for their support during these natural disasters.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT
When disasters strike, WOR will be there on behalf of the pets!
Of Note Recently in the Wings of Rescue Community:
Last of the Rescue Beagle Flights Has Landed
Working in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States and the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, we were honored to carry the last group of what was originally over 4,000 orphaned beagle puppies destined for medical research on to a host of partner shelters in Maine where many of them have already been adopted. In these pics you can see the enthusiasm of Operations Director Ashley Wright as she unloads our plane and shows one of the happy beagles to our co-pilot for the flight.
A Happy Ending to a Sad Story, Thanks to Our Pilots Kale and Anji
Meet some of our crew on a recent mission trsanporting pets from Puerto Rico to Virginia. From left to right is pilot Pete (who starting flying when he was 15), Wings of Rescue CEO Ric, Operations Director Ashley and co-pilot DJ. Big thanks to all!
See the schedule below for our upcoming flights, and look for Wings of Rescue to announce additional Operation Pit Stop programs soon as well as several other exciting partnerships and innovative ways we can save even more pets. We are grateful for our corporate sponsors and individual donors, who make all of this magic happen.
And we think you might enjoy this extended video interview with our CEO, which appears on the Aerotime website:
Operation Pit Stop is coming soon to Texas where we will be offering free spay and neuter procedures to bully breeds during the months of November and December. In October, we completed over 500 procedures in the Miami-Dade area as part of this ongoing program. Watch for details which will be coming soon!
A Busy Schedule Allows Us to Save Thousands of Pets Each Year
Arrivals
26 November Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville 60 dogs, 40 cats
17 November Fort Worth – Spokane – Bend Oregon 12 dogs, 44 cats
12 November Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville 51 dogs, 67 cats
7 November Bend – Olive Branch Mississippi – New Castle 97 cats
29 October San Marcos – Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville 57 dogs, 64 cats
15 October Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville 85 dogs, 39 cats
14 October Caldwell New Jersey – Coatesville – Hammond 1 dog
12 October Bradenton Florida – Hagarstown – White Plains – North Clarendon Vermont. 28 dogs
10 October – San Juan – Kansas City Missouri . 28 dogs
9 October San Juan – Naples – Chicago – Kalamazoo. 43 dogs, 73 cats
6 October San Juan – Richmond – Charleston West Virginia. 94 dogs, 31 cats
3 October Naples – New Castle. 15 dogs, 51 cats
2 October San Juan – Morristown. 27 dogs
1 October Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 78 dogs, 35 cats
29 September Charlotte – San Juan – Wilmington North Carolina – Morristown. 104 dogs, 27 cats
24 September San Juan – Miami. 27 cats – 3 dogs
17 September Delaware – Coatesville. 15 cats
17 September – Fort Worth – Coeur d’Alene – Arlington Washington. 25 dogs, 10 cats
17 September – Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 111 dogs
10 September Foort Lauderdale – Puerto Plata Dominican Republic – Toronto – Cleveland – Canton. 108 dogs, 4 cats
4 September Hagarstown Maryland – Portland Maine. 100 dogs
8/27 Fort Lauderdale – San Juan – Fort Lauderdale – White Plains – Portland Maine. 85 dogs, 56 cats
8/27 Fort Lauderdale – San Juan – Fort Lauderdale – White Plains. 80 dogs, 87 cats
8/27 Bend – Merced – Calgary – Bend. 33 dogs
8/20 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville – 87 dogs
8/10 Fort Worth – Coeur d’Alene – Seattle – Bend. 38 dogs, 27 cats
8/6 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 91 dogs, 29 cats
7/27 Hobbs New Mexico – Dubuque Iowa. 26 dogs
7/26 Bend Oregon – Fort Worth – Waukesha, Wisconsin. 37 dogs
7/23 Hammond – Georgetown – New Castle. 88 dogs
7/10 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 110 dogs, 25 cats
6/29 Freeport – Fort Pierce – Farmingdale New York – Portland Maine. 20 dogs, 44 cats
6/24 Conroe Texas – New Castle 111 dogs
6/22 Hammond – Georgetown – New Castle. 88 dogs, 21 cats
6/22 Bend – Van Nuys – Fort Lauderdale – San Juan – St .Vincent – Tampa. 32 dogs
6/18 Bakersfield – Coeur d’Alene. 4 dogs
6/11 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 86 dogs, 22 cats
6/11 Bend – Van Nuys – Fort Worth – Tampa – Fort Lauderdale – San Juan. 6 dogs
6/9 Bakersfield – Coeur d’Alene. 4 dogs
5/14 Hammond – Salisbury Maryland – Coatesville. 84 dogs, 14 cats
4/30 Hammond – Georgetown. 66 dogs, 22 cats
4/24 Nassau – Portland Maine. 53 dogs, 98 cats
4/20 Merced – Arlington Washington- Omak Washington. 42 dogs, 38 cats
4/18 Tulsa – Sookane – Portland. 80 cats
4/16 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 87 dogs, 39 cats
4/15 San Angelo Texas – Portland Maine. 55 dogs, 11 cats
4/13 Fort Worth – Waukesha Wisconsin. 46 dogs, 48 cats, 3 guinea pigs
4/12 Bend – Merced – Logan Utah. 15 dogs, 3 cats
4/9 Bend – Bakersfield – Shelby. 35 dogs
4/5 Bend – West Memphis – Everett. 6 dogs, 90 cats
4/2 Hammond – Georgetown. 57 dogs, 20 cats
3/25 Freeport – Talahassee – Portland Maine. 18 dogs, 48 cats
3/22 Fort Lauderdale – San Juan – White Plains. 39 dogs
3/19 Hammond – Georgetown – Coastesville. 67 dogs 24 cats
3/17 Visalia – Portland Oregon. 28 dogs
3/5 Hammond-Georgetown – Coatesville. 80 dogs, 11 cats.
2/8 Hobbs – St. Louis. 21 dogs
2/5 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 79 dogs, 6 cats
2/28 Bend – Blythe – Bakersfield – Calgary. 24 dogs
2/19 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatsville. 109 dogs, 26 cats
2/18 Hobbs – Kansas City. 34 dogs
2/14 Fort Worth – Coeur d’Alene – Arlington. 42 dogs, 11 cats
2/12 San Juan – White Plains. 105 dogs, 13 cats
2/12 Nassau – Halifax. 118 cats
2/12 Fort Lauderdale – Georgetown – Portland Maine. 79 dogs, 37 cats
2.1 Merced – Arlington. 40 dogs, 31 cats
1/22 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 80 dogs, 38 cats
1/19 Fort Worth – Coeur d’Alene – Arlington. 38 dogs, 9 cats
1/18 Hobbs – Kansas City. 39 dogs
1/11 Freeport – Fort Pierce. 21 dogs, 9 cats
1/8 Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville. 90 dogs, 20 cats
Departures
7 December Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville
8 December San Juan – Dayton
9 December Houston – Dover
11 December San Juan – White Plains
18 December Hammond – Georgetown – Coatesville
Wings of Rescue Flies Where We're Needed When We're Needed
We Fly All Over North America Saving Pets and Delivering Veterinarian and Humanitarian Aid
Thanks to our extensive network of planes and pilots, we have the ability to fly on short notice to rescue and transport helpless pets out of overcrowded shelters and from disaster areas. We also have the ability to respond to natural disasters, such as hurricanes in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas, tornados in Alabama, floods in Tulsa and Nebraska, earthquakes in Haiti and Puerto Rico, and a volcano in St. Vincent. On these missions we deliver urgently needed veterinarian and humanitarian relief aid and supplies on our in-bound flights.
Our Flights Help Shelters Reunite Families with Pets Lost or Displaced During Emergency Situations
When Conditions Require that Pets Need Help, it Often Means the Human Community Does Too
While the mission at Wings of Rescue is to primarily help pets in need, during times of natural disasters we work very hard to deliver relief for the human community as well by loading our incoming planes with whatever supplies will do the most immediate good. It is our mission to help alleviate suffering and make the world a better place with each of our flights. In addition to supplies for pets, we have delivered human medicine, food, water, blankets, a complete field hospital and just about anything a community facing challenges needs. Our versatile fleet and experienced pilots go where we’re needed.
We Invite You to View "Coming Home," a Video About Wings of Rescue
Safety is Our Highest Priority
We fly only pressurized and temperature-controlled aircraft suitable for safe long-distance and high-altitude journeys. We have worked with other national pet welfare organizations and veterinarians to develop strict transportation protocols that both we, as well as our shelter partners, must follow in order to keep our pet passengers safe and comfortable while on the ground and in the air. Our highly experienced pilots and Wings of Rescue crew members are extensively trained on the intricacies of handling pets, safe and efficient loading, and how to handle emergencies should they come up. Additionally, all pets meet strict medical requirements and carry with them any medical, behavior or other records available.
Why Our Services Are Needed so Badly
A great deal of success in reducing unwanted pet populations has been achieved in recent years thanks in great measure to the implementation of successful spay-and-neuter programs, comprehensive behavior training, and low-cost vaccination clinics. The availability of educational resources has also proliferated, which helps give people the skills they need to successfully retain their pets and not discard them in shelters. Yet sadly in many areas, especially those that have been hard hit by economic and housing challenges, pet overpopulation and high euthanasia rates remain an issue. Irresponsible backyard breeding also contributes to the pet-population problem. This means that local shelters, which are already often underfunded, end up with far more pets than their staff and facilities can care for.
So that’s where we can help. Wings of Rescue partners with outstanding animal shelters and a number of prominent rescue groups throughout North America to facilitate the transportation of at-risk pets. These partners not only have the available space to take in and care for our at-risk passengers, but also have dedicated staff and volunteers who work in their local communities finding responsible and loving individuals and families to adopt each and every rescue.
Wings of Rescue will never transport pets to communities where locally sheltered animals would be displaced by our arriving pets.
Wings of Rescue often responds to tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters by delivering emergency humanitarian and veterinary aid, and pet supplies, to disaster victims and pets throughout North America by making use of the space on its incoming flights sent to rescue at-risk shelter pets in the afflicted areas.
