It's heartbreaking to think of pets abandoned in shelters over the holidays.
In southern states like Louisiana, where there is an abundance of strays, shelters face the problem of caring for these animals with limited resources, space, and staff.
Enter Good Flights.
Good Flights began operations in April 2021 to conduct life-saving airlifts and ground transports for at-risk and vulnerable pet populations with a heavy focus on homeless cats, asymptomatic heartworm-positive shelter dogs, disaster relief, and harder-to-place large dogs.
Photo © Greater Good Charities
From Shelters to Forever Homes: Good Flights Reaches 200 Lifesaving Flights
Photo © Jefferson Protection & Animal Welfare Services
I had the honor of attending the milestone 200th Good Flight as content manager for Greater Good Charities. Despite the extreme cold, the on-the-ground team waited on the tarmac with Santa hats and smiles, ready to bring more than 45 pets to local shelters.
As soon as the cargo door opened, the team rushed to get these pets safely into the transport vans so they wouldn’t experience too much of the frigid Wisconsin cold.
"This milestone truly gives pause and reminds us that when people do good things for the right reasons, miracles happen. I am emotional knowing that in less than three years, Good Flights has transported 12,000 shelter pets to new homes and created more space in shelters to save the lives of even more to double our impact."
Erin Robbins, Greater Good Charities Vice President of Pet Transport
Within 15 minutes, the plane was unloaded, and the pets were off to receive much-needed TLC from the shelter volunteers and staff. I was invited to HAWS (Humane Animal Welfare Society) to follow the journey of our 12,000th pet, Frisco, as he was welcomed into their shelter.
Photo © Greater Good Charities
Ready for Forever Families: Finding Homes for Rescued Animals in Days
After the pets were checked in, volunteers and staff gave them lots of hugs. Bathtime came next, and as each animal took their turn, multiple volunteers stood by to keep them calm and happy. A bowl of treats hung outside each crate so anyone who passed by could give them some extra love.
Jen from HAWS said most of the animals would be ready for adoption in a matter of days, and often, they are home with their new forever families within a week.
And that was my experience after meeting Willow.
As the dogs were checked in, this sweet pup caught my eye. She had two different-colored eyes, massive puppy paws, and one adorable floppy ear. As I bent down to say hello, she energetically came over and I knew right at that moment I was done for.
Photo © Greater Good Charities
It was short work to convince the rest of the family we needed another dog. Two days after I met her, we hopped into the van to meet our new family member. Our other dog, River, took her under her wing immediately, and Willow fell in love with her big sister. They've been inseparable ever since. Our family is incredibly grateful for our newest addition, and Willow was able to spend the holidays in her new forever home.
Caring donors like you make Good Flights like Willow's possible.
Thank you for being a hero to shelter pets this holiday season. With your continued generosity, we will reach new heights in 2024. Just like Willow did.
