PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A California-based non-profit is flying 28 rescue dogs to Portland Thursday, hoping the city’s high demand for adoptable pets will help the K-9s find new homes.
Wings of Rescue is transporting the dogs from the Tulare City Animal Shelter in California. The plane they’re flying in is expected to land in Portland at around 12:15 p.m. and the dogs will be taken to Oregon Humane Society facilities where they’ll be placed for adoption.
Wings of Rescue says OHS adopts more animals from its Portland shelter than any other single-facility shelter on the West Coast.
“We are thrilled to be working with our friends at the Oregon Humane Society, the ASPCA and the City of Tulare to give these deserving dogs a second chance,” said Ric Browde, president of Wings of Rescue.
The non-profit said the dogs on the flight are a mix of breeds and sizes and should all quickly find new homes in the greater Portland area. Transporting pets from overcrowded shelters to areas where there is available shelter space helps save animals lives by decreasing euthanasia rates.
Wings of Rescue is the largest pet air-transport agency operating in North America. In 2020, it flew 104 rescue missions in eight countries, transporting more than 8,500 pets to safety. It also delivered 33 tons of humanitarian and veterinarian supplies to disaster areas and communities in need.
Since it was founded in 2012, Wings of Rescue has transported more than 61,000 pets.
In 2020, OHS adopted 7,204 animals and its rescue rate is consistently three to four times greater than the national average