Petmate partners with Pilots N Paws for Operation Special Delivery

Via PRNewswire - More than 300 homeless dogs will be rescued from Georgia kill shelters and airlifted from MidCoast Regional Airport at Wright Army Airfield in Hinesville, Ga. on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Pilots N Paws' Operation Special Delivery.

Petmate will provide travel carriers, harnesses, collars and leads to make sure all transported pets are safe and comfortable for this life-saving trip.

Multiple rescue organizations are taking part in the year's largest single-day air and land rescue of animals in the Southeast. Starting at 7 a.m., the dogs will be carefully loaded aboard planes, and dozens of volunteer pilots will fly them to the waiting arms of rescue organizations up and down the East Coast with the ultimate goal of finding each dog a forever home. Volunteers will drive about 100 additional dogs to various rescue organizations.

Pilots N Paws is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to saving the lives of pets by rescuing them from kill shelters and transporting them to rescue groups. Petmate, a leading maker of innovative pet products, has supported Pilots N Paws for the past four years by donating more than $100,000 in pet travel gear to facilitate the safe transport of pets to rescue organizations across the country for adoption.

"The work done by Pilots N Paws and its hundreds of volunteers not only has saved countless wet-nosed lives, it's brought joy to the many families who have welcomed these animals into their homes," said Petmate EVP of Marketing & New Product Development Larry Baab. "We are incredibly proud to be a part of this wonderful mission that brings families and pets together safely."

The day's events will include rescuing all of the dogs from the Fort Stewart shelter. Those dogs will be transferred to Animal Aid USA's Miracle Ranch in Hinesville to be evaluated and possibly trained to become PTSD dogs, helping veterans through Guardians of Rescue's "Paws of War" program.

"We could not do this important work on behalf of our four-legged friends without the support of our many volunteers and partners like Petmate," said Pilots N Paws founder and President Debi Boies. "The safe transport of the animals is at the heart of our mission, and the carriers, crates and leads Petmate provides ensure they arrive safely, comfortably and ready to find their new families."

For more information about Pilots N Paws, visit http://pilotsnpaws.org/