Recently, I had the pleasure of flying my first animal rescue mission. Words can not describe what it felt like that day. It was a first for
CBHR (Carolina Basset Hound Rescue), as well. The following is how the story unfolded from inception to the end. I apologize now if it is a bit winded but I assure you that you'll leave this blog with a smile.
Not too long ago, a 35 pound, female Basset Hound was homeless in Hertford County, North Carolina. Her name was Trudy. She wondered the area in search for food and shelter. What she received was much worse. Trudy was struck by a car one day but she managed to pull herself to a neighboring yard to look for help. Luckily, the owner of that house scooped Trudy up and took her to the shelter in town. The vet that saw her diagnosed her with a pelvic fracture and a torn ACL in her right leg. The prognosis was not good for little Trudy. There was no money for the expensive surgery and she was put on the list to be euthanized. In Hertford County, the "kill" shelters use gas and from what I understand of it, it is very cruel. They load dogs into large trailers, stacked on top of each other, place a tube into the trailer, and then turn on the gas....killing the dogs on top first....eventually killing the rest. I try not to even think of this because it disturbs me too much.
Stephanie Holt, a rescue worker for
Paws of Hertford County saw Trudy and called CBHR's Foster Home Coordinator, Brandi Smith. (I have to stop for a second and thank Stephanie for everything she did. Without her help, Trudy would not be with us today.) Brandi got the word out to fellow CBHR volunteers and tried to coordinate getting Trudy down to Charleston, South Carolina. As Hertford County, NC is close to the Virginia border, it was becoming more difficult to find the drivers necessary to get Trudy down to SC. This is when I stepped in.
My wife, Kim, called me one night and asked if I could fly up and transport Trudy to Charleston. I didn't even hesitate. I started flight planning, looking at available airports in the area to use. I asked Stephanie if she was willing to drive 2 hours south to Kinston, NC to deliver Trudy (who by now was being renamed Twinkle Toes by CBHR). My flight from Hilton Head, SC to Kinston, NC was about 2 hours, 20 minutes and worked out perfectly with fuel planning.
On January 9, 2009, I took off on the journey to Kinston and my first (as well as CBHR's) aerial transport of a rescued animal. My father was visiting from NC and he accompanied me on this historic flight. Once we landed, I was amazed to see Twinkle Toes walking around...knowing of her injuries. Her tail was wagging and she seemed happy to see us, though we know she was hurting. After a short break, we loaded TT into the plane, said our goodbyes to Stephanie, and took off for Charleston, SC.
The flight to Charleston was about 1 hour and 50 minutes. TT slept the entire way! She definitely earned her wings. :) When we pulled onto the ramp at
Odyssey Aviation at
Charleston International Airport, we were greeted by a host of CBHR volunteers as well as media. Those in attendance from CBHR were Sue Baughman, President of CBHR, D. Thompson, VP, Pauline Grimball, and Sue Ramsey. The latter two ladies are the ones who will be taking care of TT while she undergoes the surgery to fix her injuries.
Once TT was whisked away via personal vehicle to her new temporary home, my father and I loaded up and headed back to Hilton Head, our mission accomplished.
Below are the various links to a newspaper story, as well as pictures and a video. The pictures I took of that day are also posted below. I am very grateful to be a part of such a great network of people!
Captain Tedward
http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/jan/10/a_hound_just_too_sweet_put_down68007/http://cbhr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=57http://picasaweb.google.com/a8ezbnd/TwinkleToes#Twinkle Toes with Sue Ramsey (left) and D. Thompson
Boeing's 747 Dreamlifter
Christina and Jason in front of the USS Yorktown
The Ravenel Bridge
I think they forgot to let this guy out of the jail cell.
Downtown Charleston, SC
