Animal lovers fly pets to a new life

PRINCETON - Dogs don't normally wear headphones, but a puppynamed Missy learned that they're required headgear whenever dogsboard private planes that fly them to a new "leash" on life.

Missy, now going by the name of Kalie, is what's called a heeler,a cattle dog that's about 8 weeks old. Those eight weeks of heryoung life have been difficult, but the homeless puppy's fortunesturned around when a passer-by found her in a roadway, picked her upand took her to the Mercer County Animal Shelter.

"She came in and the veterinarian thought she may have beenbumped by a car, and she was blind and she was having seizures,"Lisa Nisbet, the shelter's director recalled. "I took her home tofoster her, and she got some of her eyesight back, but she was stillhandicapped. She still has some eye deficiencies, but her seizureswent away."

Nisbet kept Missy now Kalie for a month. Then the decision wasmade to send her to an organization that aids pets with specialneeds.

"We have a special needs rescue we call Faith Hope inPennsylvania, and I contacted them," Nisbet recalled. "They hadtaken a dog from me before that had a deformed leg, and they saidthey would take her. They had arrangements made with Pilots N Paws."

Members of Pilots N Paws donate their time to fly dogs and catsto new homes. Most adopted pets are taken to their new homes bytruck or van, but long trips can be especially traumatic for dogsand cats with special needs, Nisbet said. Flying them to adestination is much quicker than a drive lasting for hours.

When the appointed time came on Dec. 11, the puppy was placed ina pet carrier and taken to the Mercer County Airport where Pilots NPaws volunteers prepared her for the flight. Headphones were placedon the puppy so the engine noise wouldn't harm her sensitive ears.

"First they went to Maryland, and there another pilot picked herup and took her to Philadelphia to her foster home," Nisbet said."They're taking her to a specialist to see how her deficiency is andif it can be corrected. Once she's checked over, spayed andeverything, she'll be adopted out."

Missy was renamed Kalie. She's doing well with a foster owner whotakes her to work every day, Nisbet said.

Pilots N Paws have transported distressed pets from othershelters to new homes. Last year the McDowell County Animal Sheltersent a dog out to a rescue organization, said Sharon Sagety of theMcDowell shelter.

"It's a wonderful program. They have wonderful pilots and theyuse their own private planes," she said. "Actually with ourtransport, three pilots transported one dog for us. It had been withus since it was a puppy and it was 3 years old, and she was aBurmese mountain dog."

The dog was placed with a New Hampshire family that had recentlylost an older dog. Due to the harsh winter of 2009, the dog had towait for two months before being flown to its new home.

"We had tried to get ground transport and there was no way wecould get ground transport," Sagety said. "These people volunteeredand they paid all expenses. They are truly animal lovers."

Not all the pets waiting for new homes can be transported by air.The McDowell County shelter has 26 pets that are waiting for a ride.Sagety will sometimes take the pets to a halfway point, but moredrivers are needed.

"We need volunteers who would be willing to transport animals,people with vans who would be willing to donate their time," Sagetysaid. "We are doing most of our trips to Pennsylvania, and we don'thave a van."