Fierce Love® Saves us All

The morning of May 24, 2021 started earlier than usual for Sunny and fifty of his furry friends who had been collected from shelters in Texas where they were at risk. Life hadn’t been easy so far for these pups and today started out no differently. Uncertainty unfolded as they were put into small crates and into transport vehicles. Expecting to go to another crowded shelter, there was surprise, no doubt when they arrived on a tarmac and unloaded next to a plane.

People, cameras, new sounds and smells. It was all quite a bit to take in and then the crates were moved again, piled on top of one another into the “Big Dog.” That’s the nickname of the retro-fitted Cessna plane that would be flying these lucky dogs to their new forever homes. The barking and whimpering stopped when the engines started and from the moment the dogs took flight, there was peace. Sunny didn’t know it then but as Peter Rork, co-founder of the rescue organization Dog is My CoPilot, put it: These dogs just won the golden ticket, they’re on their way to freedom." All of these dogs were being saved by Fierce Love®. It’s the kind of love that will go to the ends of the Earth for you. The kind that will never give up. The kind that always offers hope and hugs.

Dog is My CoPilot is a life-saving non-profit that transports at-risk animals from overcrowded shelters to adoption centers in other geographic regions where loving families are waiting to give them a new home. For our rescue flight, they partnered with rescue organizations The Underground Dog and One Tail At A Time Dog Rescue plus El Paso Animal Services.

The May 26th flight was made possible by you, our Wonder Pack! Your purchases of our special-edition holiday sampler boxes allowed us to fund the first rescue flight from Texas in 2021 and together with Dog is My CoPilot and the partner organizations we helped these fifty furry friends avoid euthanasia and find a new, better life. Fierce Love® goes out to all of you and all the partners who made this flight possible.

We were honored to be part of the day, filming the wonderful life-saving moments, hearing from the partners and families, and even helping to transport the pups. Our Creative Director, Chris Merriam, shared a few of his thoughts:

“When I arrived at Troutdale Airport outside Portland, Oregon my focus was solely on the checklist.. Camera

settings. Check. Are we on schedule? Check. There was a chance of rain that day but you wouldn’t have known by the piercing blue sky mottled with clouds. You could see white capped Mt. Hood peeking over the treetops in the direction of our anticipated flight. I watched the plane land through the screen on my phone as I recorded. The faint chirp of the wheels making contact with earth made me sigh with relief and smile. The dogs have made it home!

In less than a minute of the plane coming to a stop, volunteers raced toward the plane in what felt like a well choreographed production. Doors up, dogs out. It was happening fast. After a few minutes of documenting the action I knew I had the shots I needed. I set my camera down and jumped in to help. A news camera person put their camera down to help too. The height of the plane put the dogs at eye level so you could make eye contact with them as we unloaded. I kept saying “Welcome home little buddy” to each one as we unloaded.

Once all the dogs were out, they were united with their new families just on the other side of the fence. One by one, names were called out and the hand-off was made. The emotion I felt watching these pups come off that plane then jumping into the backseat of a car destined to a new home was a feeling I will never forget.”

Sunny and Claire will never forget it either because it was the day their new life together started.

Oh, and check out a couple of Sunny’s friends who made the journey with him and are now enjoying their days in bliss.

And this is Bubbles. As People.com reported, “Bubbles is one of the dozens of dogs who went from the euthanasia list to a loving home thanks to this rescue flight. The rescue dog was found at a Texas car wash with her jaw detached. She has gone

through several surgeries to help with her injuries and maybe needs a few cosmetic procedures in the future. Luckily, those potential operations are now her biggest problem since she is now living in a devoted Oregon foster home committed to her full recovery.” You’ve come a long way, Bubbles, and we love you.

Good things go on.

Our partnership with Dog Is My Copilot will continue. Our founder and CEO, Stephanie Boone, shares, “We love the idea of gifts that give back and will continue to look for ways to give our customers the opportunity to help us do good.”

“Bubbles is one of the dozens of dogs who went from the euthanasia list to a loving home...”

– People.com

Before

Thank you One Tail at a Time Portland (OTATPDX.com) and Brooklyn Yard Veterinary Hospital for opening a new chapter in Bubble's life.