Pups on a plane: Man flies to save 49 furry friends

PHOENIX — As shelters in the Phoenix area overflow with animals, a surgeon and a lawyer had an idea: Transport pups to areas that have more demand.

The problem is that Phoenix, which has recorded a temperature as high as 122 degrees, is as much as 1,000 miles from many of those places.

"Chihuahuas and pit bulls and cats are the most populated pets in Maricopa County," said outreach manager Erin Denmark of with HALO Animal Rescue, a Phoenix-based no-kill shelter. Finding a Chihuahua a home outside Arizona is easier than here because fewer are available for adoption elsewhere.

In 2012, lawyer Judy Zimet of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Dr. Peter Rork, a retired surgeon from Wyoming, decided to tackle this supply-and-demand problem. Zimet listened as Rork told her that his wife had died and he didn't want to work as an orthopedic surgeon anymore.

“He called me and said, ‘I don’t have the heart for this anymore. I just want to fly my airplane and save animals,' ” Zimet said.

Monday Morning Joy: Give love to a rescued puppy

The plan was to turn Rork's small Cessna plane into a lifesaving vessel for dogs and cats at risk for euthanasia. They named the animal-rescue venture Dog Is My CoPilot because Rork liked to think of his own shelter black Labrador retriever, Doyle, as his canine co-pilot.

Zimet started searching for shelters willing to promise to keep animals until they found each one a home.

“We also have them sign an agreement that no animals will be displaced and that they have a demand for the animal,” she said.

After the first few flights, word spread of the airplane that specialized in giving animals a second chance.

Soon Zimet realized she didn't want her work with Dog Is My CoPilot to be temporary. She jokes now that she’s still a lawyer so she can finance her animal-rescue work.

“It’s just an incredible opportunity to bring happiness, as corny as that sounds,” she said.

The nonprofit operates primarily from donations and doesn’t charge rescue organizations for the flights.

Since the first flight in 2012, nearly 3,500 animals have been saved. The organization now flies to 11 Western states.

In March, Dog Is My CoPilot bought a bigger plane, potentially doubling the number of animal lives they save.

Puppy would have never walked if not for this

Zimet expects the extra cargo space to increase the number of animals flown each year from about 1,000 to at least 2,500. The bigger plane also means extra room for saving bigger breeds such as pit bulls or German shepherds, she said.

On a cool morning in March, Rork piloted the maiden flight for the new plane from Arizona. He carried 49 animals, mostly Chihuahuas, in many shapes, colors and sizes.

Shelter volunteers from HALO and Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, where the dogs had been staying, met Rork and Zimet at Scottsdale Airpark to help the animals board the plane. They sweet-talked the nervous, wiggly dogs heading to the Idaho Humane Society in Boise.

They cuddled Oreo, who loves to play with other dogs, and Frankie, who likes to burrow in his blankets, and little Sara, who’s known for being shy when you first meet her but warms up after building a little trust. They hoped all the pups on the flight soon would find families.

“It’s great to give these kind of dogs a quicker chance to get their forever family rather than have to sit in a shelter,” said Denmark, the Halo manager.

Ten days after the flight, Zimet got an update. All but about a dozen pups already had a new home, a family.

The remaining dogs are getting extra training and care so they're ready for their new homes, said Allison Maier, an Idaho Humane Society spokeswoman.

"These little dogs, they go fast here," Maier said.

Zimet likes to think of each flight as a lifesaver for puppies on the plane as well as ones in Phoenix who still need a home.

"Not only have we saved 3,500 animals, but every time we move another animal out of the shelter, we’ve made room for another,” she said.

Rork and Zimet will remember the March flight for another reason.

Two days after flying the 49 dogs from Arizona, Doyle, Peter's canine co-pilot, died. Zimet posted the news, along with photos of Doyle on a mountain hike, in the airplane and guarding his favorite tennis ball, on the nonprofit organization's Facebook page.

It is a very sad day...Doyle, the original CoPilot, our mascot, our logo inspiration, and Pilot Peter's best friend crossed the rainbow bridge this evening. He will be furever missed, and furever the top "Dog" at Dog is My CoPilot.

Hundreds of people left prayers for Rork and for Doyle. Soon the retired surgeon posted a thank-you and a promise.

I want to thank all of you for your kind words about Doyle. When 10,000 dogs are killed every day, it seems small to mourn the passing of one, but I was Doyle's people, and he was my dog. He flew many rescue flights with me. So with our new plane, we hope to double or triple our numbers of transported animals.

Doyle was a rescue. I owe this to him and the thousands like him.

Follow Dianna M. Náñez on Twitter: @DiannaNanez