ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Every week hundreds of animals are killed at shelters across the Carolinas. Now, one group is trying to save as many as they can by taking to the skies.
At the Rock Hill Airport, more than a dozen dogs cautiously sniff and scout the people and animals around them. For some it's been a rough past few weeks.
Some of the dogs came from area shelters while others were dumped on neighbors' doors.
Take the story of one sweet puppy named Duke. His foster mother, Mary Cervini, says, "He's blind from detached retinas."
Cervini says his blindness occurred because of head trauma he endured while being chained next to several other more dominant dogs. He was one of 104 animals tied up in the backyard of a South Carolina man's home.
"Just really very terrible conditions for these animals," said Cervini.
That's why she stepped in to help rescue all of them.
In fact, all of the people at the airport are partners with different rescue organizations trying to keep these dogs out of the shelters.
"You'll have individual shelters that will put down 300 animals a week just due to overpopulation," says Ted Dupuis.
He's a dog lover who says, "After I adopted my first dog I very quickly realized that there was a need to help."
Luckily for these dogs, he's also a pilot.
"We can fit 15 to 20 animals at a time," he says, standing in front of his large twin-engine plane.
He started packing his personal plane full of animals over a year ago. He flies them from Rock Hill to cities up north where shelters have fewer dogs available for adoption.
"If an animal gets on this plane, 99 percent chance it's going to get adopted," says Dupuis. "That's a great feeling. It's the most rewarding thing I do."
Kylie Troy is the transport coordinator for the Animal Adoption League. She helps find the dogs that are most in need of this life-saving flight.
"Without Ted we really don't have a way to move the animals," says Troy. "So he's really a lifeline for them."
Even after a short time with foster parents, saying goodbye is never easy. Cervini says every time, "(I) absolutely cry. It's just like putting your child on a plane to go to a new home. It's just that traumatic to see them go."
Today with Duke it's especially hard for her, "It's those eyes!" What makes it easier for her is knowing, "They're going to a better life than they've had."
The dogs are placed in kennels, which are stacked in the back of the plane. Surrounded by cages and uncertain dogs, Dupuis fires up his engines and lifts off into the blue. As he does a group of foster parents cheer and wave. They hope to get a picture of their foster dog with their new permanent family soon.
The flights are organized by a nonprofit called Cloud Nine Rescue Flights. Today the $2,500 tab for the flight is being paid for by one very generous donor. Without that donation, this flight might not have gotten off the ground. You can find more information about the group at www.cloudninerescueflights.com.
