“Then she gave me one paw and then the other,” he recalls.
“Then she laid her head on my lap. To me, that’s huge. That’s all that matters. That’s the reward in itself.”
Paul was so happy that he was able to help this senior dog find some happiness once again.
In fact, the footage shows him getting emotional when he thinks about the possibility that this would be Ashley’s final trip.
The man founded the Flying Fur animal organization a couple of years ago, after combining his passion for flying with his love for pups. When Paul adopted a dog of his own, he realized that there were hundreds of other pups who could’ve been adopted, but didn’t have a means of transportation.
So what if he could combine his hobby of flying with giving pups a chance at a new life? The idea for Flying Fur Rescue was born.
“I never would have imagined finding something so satisfying, so rewarding, that it would eclipse most all else of my time on this Earth,” the pilot concluded.
Even though Ashley was only given a few weeks to live, her condition started noticeably improving.
Tracy Lander would foster Ashley and give her all the love and attention she deserved. She recalls that meeting Paul and Ashley at the airport was a heartbreaking moment.
“When I picked her up from the airport, her condition destroyed me,” Tracy remembers. “She was down to 39 pounds — her ideal weight is between 65 and 70. She came to me with a sweater on — when I took it off, I could see every rib.”
Paul and Ashley parted ways and this dog was happily invited into Tracy’s home. The woman does a fantastic job of caring for her, as she feeds her plenty of delicious treats and food to get her weight back to normal, and the dog was also provided multiple supplements for her medical issues.
“She’s getting around more,” Tracy noticed. “She’s a great eater … and she’s very attached to me.”
Ashley is most definitely having tons of fun. In fact, she’s already made a new canine best friend in Angel, another pup that Tracy is caring for.
“He’ll go up to Ashlyn and just start licking her,” the woman said about Angel. “He thinks he can heal everybody with his tongue.”
Senior dog Ashley was welcomed into the family in January of 2018 and is still very much going strong – her positivity is back and she feels energetic again. She clearly enjoys every single moment life has to offer.
“She knows she’s loved,” Tracy said. “Whatever happens she knows she’s loved.”
Before the magical plane trip, Ashley was depressed, severely sick and underweight – but just look at her cute smile now!
Thanks to the efforts of the animal shelter, pilot Paul and wonderful foster mom Tracy, this dog gets to enjoy life to the fullest again.
