On Saturday, October 4th, the Driggs Reed Memorial Airport was buzzing with joy as a Dog Is My CoPilot (DIMC) rescue flight landed carrying more than 60 dogs. The plane’s arrival marked a special celebration, DIMC received a $40,000 gift from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, the Vodka for Dog People, to support El Paso transport flights and DIMC’s Pilot Training Program.
Flights out of El Paso frequently include animals from more than one organization. El Paso Animal Services is the municipal shelter serving the city, a busy, full-service agency that takes in thousands of animals every year. Many of the dogs DIMC helps on El Paso flights begin their journey here!
Separately, One Tail at a Time West Texas (OTAT-WTX) is a regional rescue effort that works across remote, rural areas in West Texas to deliver fostering care, local adoptions, spay/neuter services, and community support. OTAT-WTX also places animals into DIMC transports when relocation is their best chance at adoption!
By working together, these two groups help ensure that pets in need from both the city and rural communities can find their way onto DIMC flights.
The $40,000 donation from Tito’s Handmade Vodka is earmarked for flights originating in El Paso and for DIMC’s Pilot Training Program. That means more scheduled transports from an area with very high intake, and more trained volunteer pilots prepared to fly lifesaving missions.
“Thanks to Tito’s Handmade Vodka, we can save even more animals in El Paso and West Texas, some of the nation’s most overwhelmed shelter communities,” said Dr. Peter Rork, Founder and Chief Pilot of Dog Is My CoPilot. “This gift not only fuels transport flights for hundreds of dogs and cats in Texas, but also helps us train the next generation of volunteer pilots who make our mission possible.”
This gift will fund a several-day, advanced flight training course for two pilots, which is required annually for each of DIMC’s pilots. Conducted through a professional aviation company, the training ensures pilots remain certified and fully prepared to safely operate aircrafts under demanding conditions.
DIMC is proud to have three full-time pilots and six volunteer pilots, whose dedication allows the organization to provide consistent, safe, and lifesaving flights for animals in need.
“Every new pilot trained means more flights we can organize, and more lives we can save,” said Dr. Peter Rork, Founder and Chief Pilot of Dog Is My CoPilot. “We’re grateful for this support that helps us keep saying ‘yes’ when shelters call for help.”
Since 2012, DIMC has flown more than 43,000 dogs and cats from overcrowded shelters to adoption programs and communities where loving homes are waiting. This gift from Tito’s Handmade Vodka ensures DIMC can keep answering calls from shelters in crisis especially out of high-need areas like El Paso Texas and continue training the pilots who make it possible.
🐾 Thank you to Tito’s Handmade Vodka for supporting this lifesaving work and to everyone who makes these flights possible. Together, we are changing lives, one flight at a time.
Photos: Bob Clark
