Southwest Airlines lent a helping paw to dozens of cats and dogs in hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico this weekend with a special aid flight to transport the rescue animals to the Washington D.C. area where they'll be put up for adoption.
The special humanitarian flight landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico Saturday to drop off more than 14,000 pounds of supplies to be distributed on the island that's still recovering from the devastating effects of September's Hurricane Maria.
On its return, the Boeing 737 was filled with 62 cats and dogs heading back to the United States, operated by a Southwest crew that had volunteered their time for the trip.
A veterinarian, a medical doctor and several volunteers from Virginia-based Lucky Dog Animal Rescue were also on the flight.
That group's executive director, Mirah Horowitz, said the trip got its start after she sent an unsolicited email to Southwest's CEO Gary Kelly, leading to several months of planning ahead of Saturday's flight.
And we’re off! Stay tuned for live “pupdates” from the air! #iamluckydog #southwestheart #worldscoolestpilots pic.twitter.com/JOT1oIwuyv
— Lucky Dog (@DCLuckyDog) January 20, 2018
The group worked with the Puerto Rican rescue organization PR Animals, which vetted and cared for the dogs on the island before the flight.
Horowitz said the animals were rescued immediately before or in the aftermath of the hurricane. She said many were abandoned by their owners as they fled the island or were unable to care for their pets following the storm.
"The pet overpopulation problem which existed prior to the hurricane has become exponentially [worse]," she said. "These are really needy animals and they don't have any options on the island...we're thrilled to be able to help."
The pets traveled in the main cabin of the aircraft, with their carriers strapped into the seats during the flight.
Southwest operated a similar aid flight in September to evacuate 64 pets from Houston to Southern California following Hurricane Harvey.
