More Than 60 Dogs Scheduled for Departure on Plane
July 26, 2024
More than 60 Riverside County dogs will fly hundreds of miles on Friday morning to find forever homes in Utah, Idaho and Oregon.
The transport flight comes shortly after a period when Riverside County Animal Services officers rescued dozens of dogs in three separate hoarding cases in the Coachella Valley. One of those cases remains active in the Sky Valley community near Desert Hot Springs.
Friday’s flight is a partnership between the county, the Humane Society of the Desert Foundation and Wings of Rescue. The flight itself received funding from the Humane Society of the Desert and one of its volunteers worked with the county to make the transport happen in quick fashion.
Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said he was excited to see the transport’s support was sparked by residents and a longstanding organization within his Fourth District.
“I have been watching the recent challenges facing our employees at Animal Services and that’s why I am so proud to witness Coachella Valley residents step up and be heroes to animals that desperately need second chances,” Supervisor Perez said. “I want to personally thank Malinda Bustos for her assistance in making this transport happen.”
Ms. Bustos is the president of the Humane Society of the Desert Foundation.
Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said she was excited the help came so promptly at a time of crisis after the department’s Thousand Palms-based officers responded to three separate hoarding cases in less than two weeks and impacted an already overcrowded Coachella Valley Animal Campus. Those cases accounted for approximately 80 dogs so far – with more impounds expected from the Sky Valley case.
Some the dogs from those cases will board the Wings of Rescue flight, she said. Final destinations will include the Humane Society of Utah, the Idaho Humane Society and Cache Humane Society.
“This is a fantastic example of how the community can help with this crisis,” Gettis said. “These volunteers secured funding for the flight, started calling northern shelters to locate Idaho and Cache and through our past partnership with Outcome for Pets, we connected with Utah Humane.”
Wings of Rescue CEO Ric Browde (pronounced “brow-dee”) will be at the airport on Friday to see the pets take off, but it will be longtime volunteers Kale and Anji Garcia handling the flying this time. The couple is responsible for sending more than 2,000 pets to forever destinations.
All told, the nonprofit Wings of Rescue has saved more than 73,000 pets since its start in 2012, amassing an incredible 2.2 million flying miles.
“Our success in transporting pets to new, available homes has everything to do with the dedication and perseverance of hard-working shelter partners on the ground,” Browde said. “The Riverside County team, the staff at the Humane Society of the Desert, and a number of generous donors came together to save these pets under extraordinary conditions. We are honored to provide the transportation link in this incredible rescue.”
Wings of Rescue only flies pressurized, temperature-controlled aircraft and only delivers pets to shelters where no local pets will be displaced, open shelter space is available, and local demand for pets is high.
Animal causes are near and dear to county Supervisor Perez. Next week, on Tuesday, Supervisor Perez and Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez will request support from their Board of Supervisors colleagues for an ad-hoc committee that will study Animal Services’ operations, listen to advocates, and form solutions to support the department’s goals and growth.
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