Dogs fly to freedom
Avid dog lover, Cassandra Bergeron of Alabama recently shared a video to her TikTok page (@cassventures) as she flew 27 puppies from Alabama to Florida, in a bid to save the animals from being euthanised. Ms Bergeron and 2 of her friends were flown by a pilot aboard a light aircraft from Enterprise, Alabama to Orlando, Florida together with the animals who were destined to be destroyed.
Welcome publicity
The pilot, Michael Young heads up a charity, Alabama Rescue Flights, that has saved 7,000 animals to-date. His charitable venture is likely to go from strength to strength after the TikTok video went viral, and gained over 13 million views.
The rescue mission - an attempt to save puppies from overcrowded dog shelters - has recently garnered national news coverage - on October 13th the story was covered by ABC as part of its uplifting 'America Strong' segment:
Pandemic Puppies
The fact that dog shelters are so overcrowded is emblematic of a more serious problem though - that during COVID-19 lockdowns there was an unprecedented increase in people buying dogs. With plentiful free time at home, many took the opportunity to buy dogs and other pets. At the time, the price of puppies skyrocketed and many homes enjoyed pet ownership for the first time.
But as the world returns to normal and people are returning to work, many are struggling to take care of the animals they brought into their homes - and many such animals are ending up at overcrowded shelters.
Organisations such as Michael Young's venture in Alabama demonstrate that some are willing to take action to save these animals, recognising that they aren't at fault in effectively being homeless and at risk of being euthanized.
The publicity being brought about by Cassandra's video on TikTok may just help a few more puppies to get rescued which is a welcome thing, even if not all are flown to safety!
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