Hauling puppies

[poadeleted20]

Seven lab mix puppies hauled from a kill shelter in NC to a foster facility in Poughkeepsie NY today. I tried to load them in a single layer, but that didn't last long. Here's what they looked like in flight. Well, not quite like that -- I was not in knife edge flight, but I don't know how to rotate that picture upright. And yes, there really are seven of them in that heap.

 

[Matthew]

That's a pile o' puppies!

 

[murphey]

Trust me, they didn't care if they were squashed or not. They were happy to be cuddled up with siblings.

 

[Unit74]

What kind of dawgs?

 

[poadeleted20]

What kind of dawgs?

Momma was a Lab, but since two of the puppies are brindle, I suspect Daddy was some sort of bulldog. I did the middle leg ORF-MIV. It was interesting at the transfer -- two were crawling out of the crate as soon as the door opened, three just lay there and let me pick them out, and two huddled together in the back and had to be dragged out. Personalities forming already...

 

[coma24]

Great job, Ron! I can't wait to get back to animal rescue as my kids get a bit more comfortable with longer flights.

 

[poadeleted20]

Great job, Ron! I can't wait to get back to animal rescue as my kids get a bit more comfortable with longer flights.

The way this one broke down, nobody had a leg of more than about 1.5. The pilot who did the initial INT-ORF leg had his maybe 8-y/o son along to help him handle puppies. Kid was really enjoying being part of the activity.

 

[Morgan3820]

Seven lab mix puppies hauled from a kill shelter in NC to a foster facility in Poughkeepsie NY today. I tried to load them in a single layer, but that didn't last long. Here's what they looked like in flight. Well, not quite like that -- I was not in knife edge flight, but I don't know how to rotate that picture upright. And yes, there really are seven of them in that heap.

Was it Cartaret County? They are notorious. I pulled my rescue out, on the way to the kill room. I swear the dog knew something bad about to happen too. She won't kennel when we go on trips, so we usually just take her.

 

[poadeleted20]

Was it Cartaret County?

Dunno -- just know the pickup was at INT.

 

[ki4lzk]

Back in August I did a similar mission. TYR - MHK with 7 lab/pit bull puppies, their mother, and a 4 month old Weimaraner. It was my first PnP mission. I really enjoyed it.

 

[SCCutler]

Bravo Zulu, Ron.

 

[poadeleted20]

Wasn't really looking for kudos, more to encourage others to participate. See http://www.pilotsnpaws.org/ to get involved.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

yup....I figured you to be an old man with puppies.

 

[Henning]

lol, cute.

 

[Velocity173]

Gotta be IFR rated to volunteer for PNP?

 

[poadeleted20]

Gotta be IFR rated to volunteer for PNP?

Nope -- that's an Angel Flight thing. But if you're not, it can cause a lot of frustration for everyone else involved.

 

[Marauder]

Was it Cartaret County? They are notorious. I pulled my rescue out, on the way to the kill room. I swear the dog knew something bad about to happen too. She won't kennel when we go on trips, so we usually just take her.

These dogs do know something is up. Every PnP flight I have made, you can tell the dog appreciates it.

 

[nddons]

Wasn't really looking for kudos, more to encourage others to participate. See http://www.pilotsnpaws.org/ to get involved.

Ron, do you do any walking the pups, or do volunteers have that covered at each end of the flight?

Also, thanks for doing this!

 

[KSCessnaDriver]

The biggest load I ever had was something like 8 or 9 dogs. Which, in a Beech 1900, was nothing. But the company realized that we might as well use those empty legs we were flying for something. It was a nice change of pace.

 

[poadeleted20]

Ron, do you do any walking the pups,

Depends on the situation. Usually, we take the dogs for a little stroll at each changeover point. However, with these 8-week-olds, who haven't had their shots yet, we can't let them touch the ground or have any possibility of contact with other dogs. They must hand-carried from crate to crate (I carry a box of those blue nitrile gloves for handling them) until they reach their destination care facility where the floors have been sanitized and the puppies can be secured in an isolated environment. It also means I have to wash out the crate with bleach/water before and after the run, and I can't put the usual chew toys in the crate (since other dogs have used them).

 

[Tom-D]

Depends on the situation. Usually, we take the dogs for a little stroll at each changeover point. However, with these 8-week-olds, who haven't had their shots yet, we can't let them touch the ground or have any possibility of contact with other dogs. They must hand-carried from crate to crate (I carry a box of those blue nitrile gloves for handling them) until they reach their destination care facility where the floors have been sanitized and the puppies can be secured in an isolated environment. It also means I have to wash out the crate with bleach/water before and after the run, and I can't put the usual chew toys in the crate (since other dogs have used them).

Good Job !

 

[murphey]

Depends on the situation. Usually, we take the dogs for a little stroll at each changeover point. However, with these 8-week-olds, who haven't had their shots yet, we can't let them touch the ground or have any possibility of contact with other dogs. They must hand-carried from crate to crate (I carry a box of those blue nitrile gloves for handling them) until they reach their destination care facility where the floors have been sanitized and the puppies can be secured in an isolated environment. It also means I have to wash out the crate with bleach/water before and after the run, and I can't put the usual chew toys in the crate (since other dogs have used them).

I have a large bag of old towels and flannel sheets for the crates. They get washed after every trip. Never thought about chew toys. I'd be worried something would happen and I wouldn't be able to deal with it while flying. Most of the time, the dogs are asleep. One german shepard spent the entire trip watching out the window. Seemed to enjoy it, too.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Seven lab mix puppies hauled from a kill shelter in NC to a foster facility in Poughkeepsie NY today. I tried to load them in a single layer, but that didn't last long. Here's what they looked like in flight. Well, not quite like that -- I was not in knife edge flight, but I don't know how to rotate that picture upright. And yes, there really are seven of them in that heap.

Here you go Ron. I saw that mission come by.

 

[gkainz]

This is odd ... on my iPhone, Ron's original picture showed up right side up when I clicked it open ... on my Windoze desktop, it stayed rotated. MacMagic ...

 

[eman1200]

good stuff!

 

[AggieMike88]

PnP is a wonderful way to build time. Gives you a great reason to get out there and experience new airports, airspaces, and meet some wonderful people.

 

[murphey]

PnP is a wonderful way to build time. Gives you a great reason to get out there and experience new airports, airspaces, and meet some wonderful people.

And most of the time, get a tax deduction, assuming either one or both of sending/receiving parties is 501(c)3.

 

[midlifeflyer]

This is odd ... on my iPhone, Ron's original picture showed up right side up when I clicked it open ... on my Windoze desktop, it stayed rotated. MacMagic ...

Even weirder. All on the same PC:

When I looked at Ron's post it was rotated. I downloaded it in order to turn it around but when I opened it on my PC, it was correct. I only renamed it and uploaded it into my post where it remained correctly rotated.

Go figure.

 

[Steve Foley]

And most of the time, get a tax deduction, assuming either one or both of sending/receiving parties is 501(c)3.

Pilots N Paws is a 501(c)(3) organization. You should be covered.

Note: The deduction is only good for out of pocket expenses. Rental, gas, oil, parking, fees. You don't get to deduct engine depreciation or your calculated hourly rate when you own the plane.

 

[charheep]

I have tried a bunch of times to do a PnP trip. My experiences were weather cancelled a few of them (to be understood) but 2 were scrubbed because the pick up pilot 1)stopped responding to texts and emails too late to find a alternate 2)the pick up pilot sent all the pilots in the email chain that he didnt like the way the puppies were being cared for and wouldnt participate in the flight. Both times I think the dogs had to be driven some distance.
Maybe I am just bad luck, but I have had some weird issues just trying to secure a transfer.

Glad to see you got them to the destination.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I have tried a bunch of times to do a PnP trip. My experiences were weather cancelled a few of them (to be understood) but 2 were scrubbed because the pick up pilot 1)stopped responding to texts and emails too late to find a alternate 2)the pick up pilot sent all the pilots in the email chain that he didnt like the way the puppies were being cared for and wouldnt participate in the flight. Both times I think the dogs had to be driven some distance.
Maybe I am just bad luck, but I have had some weird issues just trying to secure a transfer.

Problem is that unlike the Angel Flight/Lifeline/Grace Flight organizations which hire coordinators, PnP is very loose and relies primarily on the pilots themselves. Unless the requester has done it a number of times, I've found many to have no real concept of what it takes to coordinate a trip.

My first PnP mission was an English Pointer travelling from Memphis to Virginia Beach. I wound up being the only pilot - on the last leg - after Hunter went through 7 different car rides to get to me.

 

[Hawker800]

This is what makes it worth it.
http://youtu.be/P-8v-_kaZ38

 

[Marauder]

I have tried a bunch of times to do a PnP trip. My experiences were weather cancelled a few of them (to be understood) but 2 were scrubbed because the pick up pilot 1)stopped responding to texts and emails too late to find a alternate 2)the pick up pilot sent all the pilots in the email chain that he didnt like the way the puppies were being cared for and wouldnt participate in the flight. Both times I think the dogs had to be driven some distance.

Maybe I am just bad luck, but I have had some weird issues just trying to secure a transfer.



Glad to see you got them to the destination.

Unfortunately this has been a problem for PnP. I find when the legs get more than 2, it is worse. I have had success reaching out to a few pilots and helping drive the coordination.

 

[Brad Z]

Unfortunately this has been a problem for PnP. I find when the legs get more than 2, it is worse. I have had success reaching out to a few pilots and helping drive the coordination.

Agreed. I do a lot of flying between two rescue groups: one in NC and the other in Philly. The lady who runs the sending facility sends out an email blast to a large number of pilots and we're generally able to do the flights easily with two legs, transferring somewhere in the DC area.

The system works pretty good for these flights, but it seems like there's a better solution for getting pilots and rescues together than constantly scanning the PnP site. I'm hoping someone can come along and do an app that matches the rescues with the pilots (including a rating system, lol--some pilots are notoriously unreliable!)

 

[Brad Z]

Looks like he's ready to get out of that crate for many reasons...

 

[Marauder]

Looks like he's ready to get out of that crate for many reasons...

Actually he was asking when the heck they were leaving. He is the transfer pilot's Piper waiting for them to get in. He was great in our Mooney although a little gassy.

 

[AggieMike88]

Problem is that unlike the Angel Flight/Lifeline/Grace Flight organizations which hire coordinators, PnP is very loose and relies primarily on the pilots themselves. Unless the requester has done it a number of times, I've found many to have no real concept of what it takes to coordinate a trip.

Well said.

Tim Winters remembers the San Antonio to Pennsylvania "bunny hop" lady who tried to mix in ground transpo with us pilots. Wanted to work out something like 15 legs, each no more than 90 miles in length.

But there are some real pros out there. Blanche, Clark, and I have flown for www.MountainPetRescue.org, and PilotTangoCharlie and I have done work for Texas Sporting Breeds Rescue. So there are many good ones out there who are a pleasure to fly for.

 

[murphey]

Pilots N Paws is a 501(c)(3) organization. You should be covered.

Note: The deduction is only good for out of pocket expenses. Rental, gas, oil, parking, fees. You don't get to deduct engine depreciation or your calculated hourly rate when you own the plane.

But you're not flying under PnP auspices. PnP is just the bulletin board at the airport. PnP is not the sending or receiving organization. Do we have a tax lawyer around who can comment.?

 

[murphey]

Problem is that unlike the Angel Flight/Lifeline/Grace Flight organizations which hire coordinators, PnP is very loose and relies primarily on the pilots themselves. Unless the requester has done it a number of times, I've found many to have no real concept of what it takes to coordinate a trip.

My first PnP mission was an English Pointer travelling from Memphis to Virginia Beach. I wound up being the only pilot - on the last leg - after Hunter went through 7 different car rides to get to me.

The concept of logistics is foreign to 99% of the populace. I can manage an overseas trip for a dozen people without breaking a sweat. BTDT. I've been a project mgr for years and use Microsift Project for parties, not just $$$M contracts.

I'm thinking that I'll look into some scheduling and/or route management tools for PnP. Might be a good project for some of my students.

 

[dans2992]

I once coordinated a local "foster" person to watch a German Shepard overnight between two PnP legs. (We couldn't make the schedule work on the same day.)

Day 1 the dog flew from Houston to El Paso. The next day, I picked him up in El Paso and took him to Phoenix.

I think the PnP people were shocked that I did all that coordination, but I really wanted to do the flight!