Dogs from all over the tri-state area will be traveling to the Bainbridge-Decatur County airport Saturday, March 1, to catch their flights to a better place.
Jeff Bennett of Key West, Fla., one of the pilots with Pilots & Paws flight service, has organized the First Annual Spruce Creek Fly Out, an event coordinating the taking of dogs to rescue and other shelters that have room to accommodate the canines.
Beth Eck, director of the local animal shelter, said she has been working with Pilots & Paws for several years. During that time they have transported hundreds and hundreds of animals from our shelter for placement in foster homes and other rescue centers, primarily in the central Florida area.
She expects to send at least 38 dogs and puppies this time.
Eck said this is the first big fly-out organized by Bennett and he chose Bainbridge as the central point for the other organizations to meet the more than 20 planes that will be coming in to pick up the pups. More than 178 animals have registered to be transported.
Many of those will be coming from Alabama, which historically has a low adoption rate, according to Debbie Clark of the Wannabe Rescue center in Selma.
She is quoted in an article published in The Selma Times- Journal as saying “We just don’t have enough adopters here in Selma.” Without being adopted, many animals are tagged for euthanization.
“It’ll be a bit chaotic, I’m afraid,” said Eck, who is calling on her entire staff of seven workers, plus volunteers, to get the site organized.