A former Air Force pilot has spent the last 10 years flying hundreds of rescue dogs and other animals to safer pastures as part of a fleet of volunteer pilots who do this at their own expense.
While many of us would be quick to recognize the hard and life-saving work that animal rescue workers do every day, it's easy to underestimate how important pilots can be to their mission.
Some have offered their services to save a staggering number of animals from euthanasia, while others have been the reason why an ambitious rescue effort in China and an even more pressing mission in Afghanistan were even possible.
But while one of those pilots has found a lot of fulfillment from the way he's volunteered in a similar way, he still maintains that the shelters he helps are doing more for the animals who hop aboard his plane.