Animal Transports
Animal Transports
Transporting Animals To Safety
We began our transport program to bridge the gap between animals in need of care and available space and resources. We move at-risk animals to shelters in areas with greater adoption demand, easing pressure on overcrowded facilities, creating space and flexibility for shelter staff, and helping animals move more quickly into adoptive homes. We also transport wildlife to rehabilitation centers and sanctuaries to ensure they are well cared for, whether they’re working towards being released back into the wild or looking for a safe home to spend the rest of their days.
Whether it’s flying a heartworm-positive dog out of an overcrowded shelter, a cold-stunned sea turtle to warmer waters, or shelter pets to homes in the aftermath of a natural disaster, we move what’s needed to where it can do the most good—because the well-being of animals and the communities that care for them are linked.
Help a Shelter Pet Take Flight
Every $25 gift flies a shelter pet one mile closer to their forever home. Your donation helps cover fuel, crates, and veterinary care so more animals can make the journey.
- We strengthen the humanitarian response, not just animal welfare. Animal shelters play a much bigger role in community well-being than just the care of animals. Transport moves more animals from homelessness into homes, increasing community health.
- Capacity is freed up for the work that matters most. These flights allow shelters and sanctuaries to focus on other important work such as improving veterinary care and reducing overpopulation.
- Transport efforts tackle root causes, not just symptoms. Our transport team works in tandem with our other teams whenever possible to address underlying challenges like pet overpopulation and disaster response.
- Strong logistics build systems, not one-off fixes. By establishing a rhythm with our sending and receiving partners, we become familiar with one another’s processes, so we can respond faster and more effectively when disaster hits.
Our transport team establishes flight routes based on many factors. We consider community need, available shelter capacity, adopter demand, and the presence of trusted local partnerships to create a balance between areas struggling with homeless pet overpopulation and those with more opportunities for adoptable pets.
During times of crisis, we use our charter relationships and partner network to move critical humanitarian, pet, or other aid supplies into disaster areas, and adoption-ready shelter pets out. We never relocate pets who may still be waiting to be reunited with their families. Moving adoption-ready pets frees up space for injured or lost pets that need care and safety while they await reunification.
.jpeg "Volunteers unload heartworm-positive dogs from a Save a Heart flight")
Our Save a Heart initiative, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, focuses on addressing the heartworm epidemic in the South. We’ve transported and treated nearly 2,000 asymptomatic heartworm-positive dogs and provided shelters with medication to prevent and treat heartworm in thousands more with the goal of saving lives by reducing shelter euthanasia.
This incredible program wouldn’t be possible without the support of our incredible partners who are covering the cost of treatment for these heartworm-positive pets.
Thank you to our sponsors who make this work possible.
.png "I Heart Dogs Logo")
