Aviation Group Airlifts Dogs, Cats From Wildfire Region

Wings of Rescue transports animals surrendered before blazes began in Southern California in order to make room for those displaced during the emergency.

Monday, January 13, 2025 at 04:58 PM ET

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Rescue flights flew from Bob Hope Airport (KBUR) in Burbank, California, to KBFI by way of Portland-Troutdale Airport (KTTD) in Oregon. [Courtesy Ric Browde/Wings of Rescue]

Key Takeaways:

Volunteer pilots from Wings of Rescue, in partnership with organizations like Paws for Life K9 Rescue and Seattle Humane, transported animals from overcrowded Southern California shelters to Oregon and Seattle.
The primary goal of these flights was to create critical space in California shelters for pets displaced by the ongoing wildfires, allowing sufficient time for owners to reunite with their lost animals.
Animals moved were those already in the shelter system *prior* to the fires, a strategic move to accommodate newly displaced pets who require a 30-day holding period for potential owner reunification.
Wings of Rescue, which relies on donations and volunteer pilots, also uses return flights to deliver essential supplies to disaster-affected areas and plans similar rescue missions to other states.

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Amid the ongoing wildfire emergency in Southern California, volunteer pilots helped clear shelters in the region to transport animals to opportunities for new forever homes in Oregon and Seattle over the weekend.

Wings of Rescue, in partnership with Paws for Life K9 Rescue, transported animals surrendered to five city shelters and seven county shelters in the Greater Los Angeles area before the onset of the wildfires in order to make room for pets who have been separated from their families during the fire and need temporary shelter.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.