Pilots To The Rescue: Transporting at-risk animals
How Northeast shelters and rescues can join the mission to save more lives
Sponsored Content
The mission of Pilots To The Rescue is to prevent at-risk animals from being euthanized by transporting them via air and ground transportation to give them the best chance at adoption.
Volunteer pilots fly animals from critical situations to safety, ultimately saving lives.
Since 2015, we’ve partnered with more than 100 shelters to fly over 6,200 animals to safety, and we’ve built a nationwide community of everyday heroes who believe animals deserve a second chance.
Pilots To The Rescue primarily transports animals from overcrowded shelters in the Southeast to partner shelters and rescues in the Northeast with available capacity. Additionally, the organization’s fleet of rescue vans helps support last-mile transfers and rural communities underserved by air transport.
Pilots To The Rescue flies its rescue plane out of Essex County, New Jersey, and as of February 2026, has completed 372 missions, saving over 6,246 lives.
“Every week, shelters and rescues in the South reach out to us for help transporting cats and dogs facing euthanasia simply because there isn’t enough space,” says Michael Schneider, founder and executive director. “We’re asking shelters with the capacity to take in animals to open their doors—and their hearts—so we can save even more lives.”
Flights to safety
It’s not just shelter pets being saved. In recent years, volunteer pilots have transported endangered sea turtles, endangered red wolves, a monkey and even a 250-pound neglected pig, who is now thriving in a sanctuary in upstate New York.
In disaster situations, aviation can be the only viable option to evacuate animals quickly, safely and efficiently when roads are impassable and shelters are overwhelmed. Pilots To The Rescue serves as a first-response transportation partner during disasters and has partnered with national animal welfare organizations to help move animals out of shelters in the paths of hurricanes and floods, creating space for pets impacted by these emergencies and in urgent need of rescue.
If your shelter has the space and commitment to take in at-risk animals, Pilots To The Rescue invites you to add your organization to our database. A member of our transport team will then reach out with next steps to help you become part of this lifesaving network.
The need for receiving shelters is greatest in the following states:
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
We hope you will join us in giving more pets a second chance. Let’s fly to save lives together!
Advertisement
