Pilots N Paws Charity crosses 1,000th save mark

Florida pilot flies 1,000th animal to safety

Published On: Jun 21 2012 07:24:26 AM EDT   Updated On: Jun 21 2012 12:53:56 PM EDT
Jeff Bennett pilot for paws
GREENVILLE, Ala. -

A Florida man who flies animals from high-kill shelters to rescues, foster homes and no-kill shelters around the South has made his 1,000th save.

Jeff Bennett of Big Pine Key, Fla., volunteers for Pilots N Paws, a non-profit charity that works with pilots helps transport animals.

Last Friday, Bennett flew from Florida to Greenville, Ala., where he picked up 23 dogs and packed them in his small plane. A fuzzy, mixed-breed puppy was his 1,000th animal, and Bennett and other rescuers celebrated by putting a party hat on the dog and taking photos.

Bennett flew the dogs to Lakeland and Naples in Florida, where they will be adopted or housed in foster homes.

Alabama rescue volunteers say the dogs would have been euthanized if Bennett hadn't taken them to Florida.

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