Ponca City dogs getting ready for flight to Seattle and new futures

By Beverly Bryant/News Director

A baker’s dozen of rescued dogs will be saying goodbye to Ponca City this weekend and winging their ways to Seattle.

When they arrive in the Pacific Northwest, they will all have a new chance of adoption through Seattle rescue groups who have agreed to take the dogs, who have not found permanent homes here in Oklahoma.

Patricia Amador, executive director of the Ponca City Humane Society, said she is sending 10 dogs from her shelter. Three other dogs will be sent by another rescue group, Paws First.

Amador said the local pooches will be loaded and ready to leave by 3 a.m. Saturday to catch their flight with the Wings of Rescue Valentine airlift called "Love Is In The Air."

The pets will be loaded at 6:30 a.m. at Will Rogers World Airport before taking off at 8 a.m. In all, 80 dogs are expected to fly out of Oklahoma.

Their air-mail destination is the Museum of Flight in Seattle, where they will be sent to six rescue groups for Valentine’s Day adoptions.

The “Love is in the Air” Freedom Flight will use seven airplanes, with arrivals at the Museum beginning at 12:30 p.m. The dogs are coming from California as well as Oklahoma, and organizers expect to welcome 150 pups.

Amador said most of the dogs being sent from the Ponca City Humane Society have been in the shelter for more than six months. Two of the dogs have been there since 2012, she said.

The local canines were rescued in a variety of ways, with some taken from Animal Control and others found or dropped off with Amador.

She said each of the six Seattle groups has agreed to take at least one of the Ponca City dogs.

"We have received a lot of blankets to help make the dogs comfortable on their flight, but we can use more," Amador said . "We can use collars and harnesses if anyone wants to donate those, and leashes. We did get a bag, but if one breaks or something, it would be nice to have extras."

Plenty of Ponca City residents are working hard to support the dog transfer.

"Two volunteers/supporters, Rhea Jones and Terri Ward, will be here at 3 a.m. with me to help get the dogs ready and load on Saturday," Amador said . "Rhea will be helping me transport all 13 dogs, so we will caravan to Oklahoma City. Departure will be no later than 4 a.m."

Thursday, Amador said Dr. Lisa Good helped get everyone ready for transport.

"We went back and forth to her office starting at 9:30 a.m. and she stayed after she closed at work at noon," Amador said. " Jodi with Pretty Coat Junction is helping us get everyone nice and clean tomorrow. So we start first thing in the morning and she will bathe them. PetSense is donating ID tags for all the dogs so they have personalized tags to go along with the rabies and microchip tags.

Wings of Rescue is a 501 C-3 of volunteer pilots conducting on-going, life-saving sustainable airlifts that have save 17,252 high-risk shelter pets and counting.

Wings of Rescue is committed to saving the lives of shelter dogs and cats that are facing certain death by transporting them from over-crowded shelters to shelters that are under populated and in need of animals for adoption. Each flight costs thousands to execute and Wings of Rescue rely solely on donations to pay for the cost of each rescue flight.

To donate, please visit wingsofrescue.org or call 516-567-5205.

Donations can also be made to the Ponca City Humane Society by calling 767-8877.