Five puppies are now in possession of an animal rescue organization in Ohio after taking a most unusual path to safety.

They were discovered about two weeks ago wandering aimlessly in Henry County, Tennessee after their mother was apparently struck by a vehicle and died. Eventually, they came to be in possession of the Murray-based Lost But Loved animal rescue group.

However, Lost But Loved was short on foster caregivers, meaning another means of helping the young pups along was needed. Enter Pilots N Paws, an organization that allows retired and current pilots to use their talents to transport rescued animals via the skies.

Andrea Braike/Whispering Hope Ridge Photography
Pilot takes puppies to Ohio
Pilot Jim Carney is shown with one of five puppies he flew to Ohio after they were rescued by the Lost But Loved organization of Murray

“Really, it was just a situation where a lot of places came together to help,” said Laura Cherry, Lost But Loved’s director, observing that two pilots actually participated in the transfer to Ohio, while Petsense, a recently-opened pet store in Murray, also was instrumental in preparing the litter for its journey, donating time to bathe and groom the animals. “You’ve also got to give credit to a person in Tennessee who let me call places, trying to find a place that could accept them, while she took care of them (temporarily).”

Linda Cherry, Lost But Loved’s fundraising and communications coordinator, said Jim Carney, a retired pilot from Memphis, Tennessee, who

previously flew 747 jumbo jets, arrived at Murray-Calloway County Airport/Kyle-Oakley Field on Aug. 10 to transport the puppies, which she described as being three mixed-breed dogs and two catahoula breeds, to Lebanon, Ohio.

“What we found out later is that Carney actually flew them to an airport in Elizabethtown, which I would assume was for a fueling stop, and while there, either he or another pilot, I can’t remember which, actually tended to the puppies in the time the plane was on the ground,” she said. “Someone let them out of the crates they were in and let them run around for a little bit, which is needed. These people really care about what they’re doing, and it just added to the feeling of the community getting involved in this cause.

“Lots and lots of people were the reason this worked out so well.”

The puppies, at only a few weeks, are still too young for extensive training. However, that appears to be in their future as the place they were taken was the Circle Tail group, which specializes in developing service dogs, especially for people with hearing or vision loss, as well as other disabilities.

“They also will prepare them for adoption, and they do a good job, from what we’ve seen. They screen people before allowing them to take a dog home,” Linda Cherry said.

Subaru and Petmate are proud sponsors of Pilots N Paws.

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Posted by Kathleen Quinn Charleston Executive Director, Pilots N Paws