Initially, Steklenski hoped to get involved with Angel Flight, which provides free transportation for passengers in need of medical treatment. That did not work out but he soon realized a similar setup could be used for dogs, those who were in danger of being euthanized!

In May 2015, Steklenski’s nonprofit, Flying Fur Animal Rescue, was born. How it works: Volunteers pull animals out of shelters, transport them across state lines and find new sites that can foster them until adoption.

“The idea is to take them from a kill environment to a no-kill environment,” Steklenski explained. “Not everything works out all the time, but (the shelters) pledge to protect them and make sure they’re going to a good home.”

“I’m part of them,” Steklenski said of the dogs. “I can remember each flight like it just happened.”
To minimize the hassle of flight planning, Steklenski invested in his own $70,000 aircraft. He also spends about $1,000 of his own money on his monthly trips.

The return is priceless: Steklenski has saved more than 700 dogs thus far. “I’m part of them. I see it, I experience it,” he said. “I can remember each flight like it just happened.”

To learn more, including Steklenski’s transport of a more than frightened dog named Henely, go to Life With Dogs.

Sometimes it just takes one good guy with a big heart, a need to make things right, that makes people realize the world and our future may not be as bleak as it can often seem. We salute Paul and his want and will to make the lives of dogs better, simply by delivering them into the hands of warm and loving homes!

Featured Image via Life With Dogs