Giving Thanks to our Volunteers and Partners

Our partners and volunteers are the glue that makes our mission possible and we’re humbled to have their constant support. From the logistics of flying throughout the West to the physical moving of crates on the tarmac, our volunteers and partners are the ones on the ground who get thousands of rescued animals into forever homes.

We wanted to take a minute to highlight a few stories from this amazing group of people that make our flights happen as they are the reason we are able to rescue so many deserving animals every year. Be sure to watch this heartworming video that our amazing partners from Petco Love showcased.

Meet a few of our Partners

Matthew Lit with Colorado Dog Photography has been volunteering with us for several years.  He has photographed hundreds of dogs and cats when they arrive in Colorado and always captures the tender moments of any rescue flight. “Puppies and airplanes! [I’m just] doing a small part to help DIMC get its message out”, said Matt. Thanks Matt for capturing so many special moments!

The Palm Valley Animal Society is a new partner for us and on any given day, they can have upwards of 1,000 animals in their care! There are so many animals that come to the shelter, there is no way to get them all adopted, finding transportation solutions is a must. “The joy we receive from the early morning load-up of so many animals flying off to our rescue partners has truly been overwhelming. Our partnership with DIMC has been crucial to the success of our lifesaving work,” said the Executive Director, Donna Casamento.  You can learn more about their positive impact for animals on their Facebook page.

The Seattle Humane Society has been one of our partners for over 5 years.  When talking to a few of their staff members, Jessica Charlton and Sarah Davidson, they both remember an epic rescue adventure from a few years ago. The original rescue was a ground transport from Texas and the vehicle ended up in an accident. We were called to help with the emergency and Peter made an unscheduled flight to Southern Wyoming to pick the animals up. On his way to Seattle, Peter was grounded because of bad weather so Jessica and Sarah traveled over 12 hours out and back to get the animals in Wenatchee, WA. When the animals finally arrived at the shelter, they were greeted by happy adoption families and adoption partners. “It was one of the wildest 48-72 hours we’ve had, but we’re forever grateful for the partnership that we have with DIMC!,” said Sarah Davidson of the experience.

American Pets Alive and Archangel Animal Network are two organizations with some very special partners that we get to work with on a very regular basis!  Clare Callison has this to say about the work she is doing in Texas, “I work for American Pets Alive and focus on our national transport and rescue partnerships. I work regularly with organizations that are transporting out or looking to increase their local adoptions. I support shelters with their own transport and adoption programs, and am focused on building a Texas transport “hub” right here at Austin Pets Alive. I believe that there is an adopter out there for every shelter pet, we just need a little transport help to distribute them better!”

Delia McLinden had this to say about her work focused in Texas and our partnership, “After being a dog rescue volunteer and foster parent for 20+ years, I founded Archangel Animal Network in 2018 because I feel so strongly that rescue transport is a way to make an impactful difference NOW. In less than 2 years, we’ve been able to transport 2,000+ dogs to Northern rescue partners. Working with Dog is My CoPilot has been life changing, and I cannot express enough thanks and gratitude for their compassion, hard work and continued commitment to save more animals! Peter, Kara and all the volunteer pilots who dedicate their time are the most passionate and hard working people I know. I am honored to work alongside them to save animals.”

Laredo Animal Care Service has been a partner for 2 year.  Angie González has been working with the shelter as a volunteer and helps the staff organize the dogs for rescue day.  As you can imagine there are a lot of logistics involved in making sure that the animals are ready for flights. Angie had this to say, “Since day #1 my heart have been full with joy helping for this project. It have been a wonderful opportunity for me. Every single second have been a special memory.” They have rescued over 800 animals in the last 2 years with the help of our free flight services.

Meet our Volunteer Pilots

We have an amazing team of dedicated volunteer pilots that fly the Big Dog for our rescue missions.  This volunteer pilot team saves our organization over $100,000 a year in pilot fees, which goes directly into rescuing more pets!  We feel so fortunate to have these amazing pilots who spend long days in the cockpit loading and unloading all our passengers! We couldn’t do this work without them.

Our volunteers and partners are the backbone of our organization.  We will be highlighting more stories as we go through the holiday season and hope that you join us on Facebook or Instagram to learn about the men and women who help make our mission possible.