There are almost 1 million shelter animals euthanized every year in the United States, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
There is one pilot who is ready to say, “Not on my watch!”
Michael Schneider is the founder of Pilots to the Rescue, a nonprofit that uses volunteer pilots to fly all over the nation to pick up endangered animals. They see it as their mission to find forever homes with loving families.
The group was founded in 2015 when Schneider was searching for a new sense of purpose in his life. The pandemic shut down his corporate job, so he decided to take off with his new idea.
“So it took 45 years for me to realize what I wanted to do when I grow up. This is a real passion of mine and it gives me such a sense of fulfillment, and I love doing this work. It’s tremendous,” he told “NBC News Now” anchor Joe Fryer.
The pilots on this mission fly across the country to save all kinds of animals, but a recent call to them to Beaumont, Texas. It was there that they saved 26 dogs (most of them puppies).
Scarlett and her puppies were picked up from behind a house that was the scene of a recent murder. Because of space issues at the local shelter, Scarlett would have likely been euthanized.
Schneider was joined on this trip by fellow pilot Victor Girgenti, who donated his plane and his skills for the mission.
“You know, everybody says it’s better to give than receive? Well, until you do a dog/animal rescue mission, you have no idea how much better it is to give than receive,” Girgenti told TODAY.
The pilots load what they call the “pawsengers,” and head to Amazing Mutts Puppy Rescue on the east coast. They have volunteers there to care for the animals and find them new homes.
“It’s not just the 1,000+ animals that I’ve saved. Many times I’ve saved the families, too, because they say they’re the best part of their lives, their best friends,” he explained. “That kind of energy that comes back to you is priceless. And that’s really why I do this work.”
Watch this shelter dog getting adopted:
