June 2025

Pilots To The Rescue News- June 2025

Summer means more rescues - and more second chances. With our rescue plane cleared from maintenance, Pilots To The Rescue saved more than 300 dogs and cats from euthanasia just this month!  Who made it possible? You did. Requests for our services tend to skyrocket during the summer, and your support is the number one reason we can keep saying “yes” to every call for help.  In this month’s newsletter, we’d like to introduce you to two very special dogs: Darla and Tofu. Both faced unthinkable pain - from an abusive household to a rare, life-threatening disease - but never lost hope.   Read on to see how your compassion changed their lives fur-ever!  Thank you for your support in making these missions possible!

Abandoned, Injured, Yet Full of Joy : Darla's Flight to Freedom

Darla is one of the sweetest, most loving dogs you’ve ever met.  You’d never think she was treated with such cruelty by her former owner. Darla and her 7 puppies were dumped at a vacant campground in Tennessee, with no food or water.  One pup had already died when they were found.  At the shelter, staff discovered a deep neck wound that worsened by the day. An X-ray revealed the shocking culprit: a .45 caliber hollow-point bullet.  Can you just imagine the cruel life she escaped?

Darla was rushed into emergency surgery. When she woke up from the procedure, Darla felt so much better that staff members said she was literally dancing around in celebration, wagging her tail and giving kisses - her way of saying, “thank you.”  On June 19th, Pilots To The Rescue flew Darla along with 20 other dogs and 5 cats from Tennessee to New Hampshire in this life-saving joint mission with BISSELL Pet Foundation and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. 

Because of your support, a dog who was left for dead is about to start a new life with a loving family. It’s what she deserves, considering everything she went through. Amazingly, all of Darla's puppies have already been adopted, so now it's her turn to live a life free from pain, filled with endless summer days surrounded by love.

A Record-Breaking June for Pilots To The Rescue

Darla survived the unthinkable, but the final chapter in her story was written by you. If it wasn’t for your support, we wouldn’t have been able to fly her safety and complete a record eight consecutive rescues to give over 300 animals a second chance!

In the month of June, we rescued an unbelievable 190 dogs and 124 cats from overcrowded shelters across six states, including Maryland, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana.  Like Darla, every one of these animals had a story of heartbreak and hope. 

There’s Nemo and Dory, two Chihuahuas who had been rescued from a horrific hoarding situation. Someone had more than 30 Chihuahuas living in a single home!  

Then there’s Sadie, a 60-pound lovebug who had been waiting at a shelter for more than 2 years before Pilots To The Rescue swooped her up.  Once she arrived at Freedom First Rescue in Eastern Pennsylvania, it took less than two weeks for her to find a new family!  And it was worth the wait: Sadie even has a doggy brother to play with. Here she is with her new mom!

Brave Tofu Fights his Way to a New Life

Meet Tofu, a tiny pup facing a big challenge. When he was found, staff members noticed that Tofu was not only much smaller than his siblings, but extremely weak and emaciated.  A veterinary examination revealed that Tofu has “Mega-E” (Megaesophagus), a rare condition in which the esophagus is enlarged and unable to move food and liquid to the stomach.  In other words, he was slowly starving because he was unable to swallow! That's why Tofu weighed just 2.5 lbs while his siblings were three times his size.  Since Tofu was unable to eat, his survival was uncertain. But in a marvelous act of compassion, medical sponsor group Mardi Paws was able to raise nearly $10,000 towards his life-saving medical treatments.

The procedure was a success, removing the obstruction that prevented Tofu from eating and drinking. However, the volunteer-driven shelter that had been caring for Tofu - still less than 10 weeks old - had never encountered this medical condition before, and didn’t have the resources to keep him on his long road to recovery.

That’s when Pilots To The Rescue and our incredible partners at BISSELL Pet Foundation stepped in.  On June 26th, we flew Tofu along with 25 other dogs and 3 cats to Syracuse, New York. That’s more than 1,500 miles in the air, and every minute of flight was directly fueled by your support.  As you can see below, Tofu was having the flight of his life!  

   

He spent the whole flight playing, posing for photos, and soaking up the love from Pilots To The Rescue Top Dog Michael Schneider, Co-pawlet Ryan Ortiz, and Director of Development Jennifer Xu.  Due to his fragile state, Jennifer fed this little guy in her lap by hand.  

Tofu is now safe in the care of Friends Forever Animal Rescue, and no longer fighting to survive. Veterinarians are optimistic that with regular medication and daily doses of love, he can live the life he always deserved.  Stories like Tofu's show the true power of collective compassion.

Were you moved by Tofu’s journey? If so, please consider donating so we can continue saving more dogs like him, dogs who are clinging to life and hope.  To keep soaring, we need you on board. Give today and help us save more Tofu's!

From our Team at Pilots To The Rescue, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!