Woody the Great Pyrenees had a rough life.
The poor five-year-old dog had been living as a stray in North Carolina, trying to fend for himself on the streets. Eventually, the pup was picked up by animal control and brought to a local shelter.
The dog was covered in mange and fleas, and he also had heartworm and numerous other medical conditions. Treating Woody would be very expensive, and so the shelter made the hard decision to put him down.
Thankfully, before Woody was put down, LaMancha Animal Rescue stepped in.
LaMancha is a no-kill rescue that takes in dogs, horses, cats, goats, and more. LaMancha was happy to take Woody in, but there was only one issue: they were all the way in Pennsylvania.
LaMancha talked to their friend Paul Steklenski, a former Army pilot and the founder of Flying Fur Animal Rescue. Steklenski started the rescue about three years ago, and since then he’s flown about 1,000 dogs from high-kill shelters to no-kill rescue groups.
As soon as Steklenski heard Woody’s story, he agreed to fly Woody from North Carolina to Pennsylvania.
Steklenski rearranged all the crates in the back of the plane so he could fit both the 84-pound Woody and the four other dogs he was rescuing. With a little ingenuity, Steklenski figured out a way to comfortably fit everybody in. Soon, they were up in the air!
Once they were up in the air, Woody immediately got up from the nice spot Steklenski had made for him. He plopped into the space behind the co-pilot seat, where he had a great view out the window. He stayed there for the rest of the flight.
Steklenski was amazed by how friendly Woody was after everything he’d been through.
“It was great, he just wanted to be around us, and that blows me away,” Steklenski told The Dodo. “Here’s this dog, he has all these problems, but he doesn’t care, he just wants to be next to another being.”
Steklenski hit a bit of turbulence as he got near Pennsylvania, but Woody didn’t care. As long as he could look out the window at the world far below, he was happy.
“It was wonderful — I never expected him to climb forward the way he did,” Steklenski said. “He just wanted to be part of the action.”
Woody, making his way foward, knowing everything will be ok.
Posted by Flying Fur Animal Rescue on Saturday, August 4, 2018
When Steklenski landed in Pennsylvania, LaMancha was waiting for him.
They took Woody to their rescue center and began giving him the medical treatments he needed. After a week, Woody’s coat was white and fluffy, and he started feeling much better. Woody is in the perfect place to heal!
Woody was just days away from being put down, but thankfully a kindhearted pilot and rescue group stepped in just in time. We’re so glad Woody is in such a great place!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
