Retired Military Pilot Has Flown Over 360 Rescue Dogs Closer To Their New Homes

As he told Madison Magazine, this came after he spent 15 years as a rescue helicopter pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force and another 25 years as a professional aviator.

And now, he flies animals in need in a two-person Italian plane known as Aermacchi SF-260, which is similar to the craft he used while learning to fly all those years ago.

In Tan's words, "There are just some terrible stories out there [about] how cruel people can be to animals, especially down south; the abandonments are horrible. A family would just leave them, discard them like a piece of old furniture or something. So that kind of gets me. I feel good when at least … I can contribute toward where they go."

And if that rescue record doesn't establish that Tan never knows who he's going to pick up on its own, that should definitely become apparent in this photo of one incident that saw him transport a mother dog and all eight of her puppies.

Since the pilots in this program fly at their own expense, they tend to work together and break their trips up in 250-mile legs. Together, they fly 15,500 rescue animals to new homes or facilities with more appropriate resources for them every year.

Tan usually undertakes at least one rescue flight per week, but that massive number should give you the sense that there's always more work to be done than he could ever keep up with.

That's because he knows that they're on the hook for all of the animals' food and medical costs, so he sees them as needing the money far more than he does.

He's also not what you would call a glory-seeker and sees the rescues as doing the real work while he's putting something he would have to do as a pilot anyway towards a helpful purpose.

As he put it, "If you fly, it’s a perishable skill and you must keep current. So rather than take a flight and go somewhere for what we call the proverbial $200 hamburger, I’d rather be flying dogs.”

h/t: Madison Magazine