How Dog Is My CoPilot Transports Dogs To Rescue

Every day over 2,000 healthy dogs and cats are euthanized in our nations shelters— the result of too many animals and too few homes. At Dog Is My Co Pilot, we are working to reduce euthanasia rates by transporting animals from places with overcrowded shelters to adoption centers in geographic regions where loving families are waiting to adopt them.

In our short history, we have flown over 11,000 animals to safety.

DIMC flies as many animals as possible in a single flight to maximize efficiency.  DIMC does not charge our partners organizations for our transport services. As opposed to long-distance ground transportation or the red tape of commercial flights, transporting animals via private aircraft is efficient and affordable — just $50 per animal, per flight. But resources are always in demand and DIMC looks to the public to keep flying.

DIMC’s success is due to its dedicated team of on the ground volunteers, partner animal rescue organizations and financial contributors. Here is a list of frequently asked questions to provide more background on our service:

Where Do We Fly?

We fly from overcrowded shelters, primarily in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California to destination animal rescue organizations located primarily in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

What Type Of Aircraft Do We Fly?

Dog Is My CoPilot operates a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, aka ‘The Big Dog’. Pilot Peter says, “with a 675HP turbine engine up front, there is more than enough power to fly abandoned dogs and cats to their new homes!”

How Many Animals Can You Transport On One Flight?

The Big Dog was retrofitted from a 12-passenger plane to one that can carry up to 250 animals dependent on animal and crate size.

Is It Safe For Animals To Fly?

Each animal that is transported is required to have a health certificate, vaccinations and have been examined by a veterinarian prior to flight. All pet passengers travel in crates to ensure their safety while flying.

What Type of Animals Do You Fly? 

DIMC’s passengers are predominantly dogs (80 percent versus 20 percent cats) who come from about 20 source shelters. Despite being called kill shelters, these open-admission shelters, often in crowded municipal areas, have staff that want the best outcome for the animals in their care — animals that may have been dumped at the shelter or born on the streets and removed for public health and safety reasons. DIMC rescue flights make working at those shelters a little more hopeful.

If you have any other qeustions, please do not hesitate to contact us flightupdates@dogcopilot.org