More Than 400 Dogs and Cats to be Transported Across the Country in Hopes of Giving Them New Forever Homes

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 400 pets will get a second chance at life thanks to an extraordinary effort by hundreds of animal advocates are flying or driving them tens of thousands of miles to find forever homes. From October 1-3, American Humane Association's Red Star® Rescue team and a 50-foot-long Lois Pope Red Star Rescue Truck will join hundreds of Pilots N Paws pilots in every state in the union to help transport pets facing an uncertain fate to safe shelters, fosters and rescue groups. The massive transport is part of an ongoing campaign to save more of the 3-4 million animals who are relinquished to shelters and euthanized each year.

On the morning of Thursday, October 1, one of American Humane Association's two 50-foot Lois Pope Red Star Rescue vehicles began a 2,500-mile journey, leaving its home base in New Jersey and making its way to a shelter in Hollywood, Florida where at 7:00 am today, the Red Star team began carefully loading up 17 dogs for a journey northwards. Among the dogs, who are on the larger side and are more comfortably transported by ground than by small private airplane, will be Blondie, a lab mix; MacKenzie, a Shepherd mix; Marshall, a terrier mix; Jake, a black lab mix; Bandit, a female Shepherd mix; Sophie, a Jack Russell mix; Hutch, a Great Dane mix; Vanna, an American Bulldog; Lili, a  terrier mix; Summer, a Dutch Shepherd mix; Scruffy, a terrier mix; Venus, a black lab mix; Princess, a Rat Terrier mix; Tommy, a black lab mix; Bentley, a terrier mix; Daisy, a mix; and Loki, a Black Shepherd.

By Saturday morning, the dogs will be in Four Oaks, North Carolina as hundreds of volunteer pilots from Pilots N Paws across the country take part in a massive national airlift as part of its 7th Annual Flyway Event. American Humane Association's new Red Star National Director Randy Collins will be joining the Lois Pope Red Star Truck, which is sponsored by philanthropist and American Humane Association board member Lois Pope and Banfield Pet Hospital, and they will continue north to Townsend, Delaware, where they will deliver their precious cargo to a Mainline Animal Rescue facility.

This is the second time this year that American Humane Association has joined Pilots N Paws in a transcontinental transport of hundreds of animals. In May, more than 200 animals were carried to safety from shelters in Alabama and Virginia. Those transports are the subject of a film that will be broadcast nationwide during the 2015 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards, airing on Hallmark Channel October 30 at 8 pm Eastern Time/7 pm Central.

"For nearly 100 years, our Red Star Rescue team has helped rescue and care for animals," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane Association president and CEO. "Far too many wonderful pets end up abandoned, facing uncertain futures. We are honored to work alongside the remarkable people at Pilots N Paws to make a real difference for animals in need."

"It is a life-changing experience for me to participate in this combined rescue event," said Debi Boies, founder and president of Pilots N Paws. "Working side by side with the American Humane Association's Red Star team, and numerous sending and rescue organizations, our volunteer pilots are making flights and saving lives. It's heartwarming to look into the eyes of these precious animals and see that the fear is gone as they head to their new lives."

To follow the progress of the transport, please visit American Humane Association's Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/AmericanHumane and follow them on Twitter @AmericanHumane.

About American Humane Association
American Humane Association is the country's first national humane organization and the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Since 1877, American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting our most vulnerable from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today we're also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

About Lois Pope, The Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, Inc., and LIFE (Leaders in Furthering Education)
As one of America's leading philanthropists, Lois Pope has positively impacted the lives of individuals at the local, national and international levels.  She has established three separate organizations dedicated to helping those in need.  These organizations are the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, Inc., Leaders In Furthering Education (LIFE), and the Disabled Veterans' Life Memorial Foundation.  For more than 20 years she has been the driving force behind the Lois Pope LIFE Center at the University of Miami School of Medicine, The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, and a groundbreaking new program with American Humane Association in Palm Beach County. Lois Pope has recently donated two Lois Pope Red Star Rescue Vehicles. Each rescue vehicle is a 50-foot long response unit, complete with a Ford F-350 truck and trailer, which is specifically designed and outfitted to provide an array of animal emergency services and cruelty responses within the region. 

Mrs. Pope recently saw the completion of a decade's long dream – the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which was dedicated by President Obama in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 5, 2014. The Memorial will forever stand as a reminder to the public and legislators of the courage and sacrifices of the four million living disabled veterans and all those who died before them for the need to be vigilant in assuring their support, as well as being aware of the human cost of war.

A mother and a grandmother, Lois has trained for and completed five New York City Marathons.

To learn more visit www.life-edu.org or call 561.582.8083. 

About Pilots N Paws
Founded in February of 2008, Pilots N Paws has made a difference by saving the lives of more than 75,000 innocent animals. Partnered with Subaru and Petmate, Pilots N Paws is a 501c3 national charitable organization who through the help of more than 5,000 general aviation volunteer pilots transports rescue animals by air free of charge.  The mission of Pilots N Paws is to provide a user-friendly website communication venue between those that rescue, shelter, and foster animals and pilots and plane owners willing to assist with the transportation of these animals.  The goal of Pilots N Paws is to continue to promote awareness of animal overpopulation and to implement education programs to end this problem in our lifetime.

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SOURCE American Humane Association

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org