Austin Pets Alive!, Best Friends Animal Society and Wings of Rescue join forces to fly pets from San Marcos to safety

To provide direct relief to communities affected by the dev­astating Texas floods, Wings of Rescue, in partnership with Aus­tin Pets Alive! and Best Friends Animal Society, will make an emergency flight on Wednesday, July 9, of approximately 125 dogs and cats, trans­porting them to Ft. Worth where 50 will be taken in by local humane organizations with 75 flying on to Kanab, Utah to Best Friends Animal Soci­ety’s Sanctuary.

SUN File Photo

This lifesaving airlift will move dogs and cats already in shel­ters out of the area to provide space for pets displaced by the floods, as well as help reduce overcrowded conditions in shelters directly impacted by the floods.

“We are heartbroken by the devastation and loss of life caused by the Kerr County floods,” said Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Ani­mal Society. “We are immensely grateful to our partners for col­laborating with us to help bring these pets to safety. When disaster strikes, we’re fortunate to be in a position to help and will continue doing everything we can to support those affected by the floods.”

Austin Pets Alive! has been the lead ani­mal rescue organiza­tion with boots on the ground in the area, helping Kerrville Pets Alive! and the affected community. This sup­port includes conduct­ing search and rescue missions, providing veterinary care and vaccinations, trans­porting pets to APA!’s Austin location, as well as distributing food, supplies and other tactical support.

The Wings of Rescue twin-engine turboprop plane will depart from San Marcos, Texas, make a brief stop in Ft. Worth and then con­tinue to Kanab, Utah.

Wings of Rescue re­sponds to disasters and overcrowded shelter conditions throughout North America. All Wings of Rescue planes are pressurized, tem­perature-controlled aircraft and all pets are medically cleared for travel and several safeguards are built in to avoid ever transport­ing a pet that is simply lost. For more informa­tion, visit bestfriends.org, austinpetsalive.org and wingsofrescue.org.