Good Samaritan Rescues Animals

This week's inspiration is Jeff Bennett, who just rescued his 1,000th animal (a dog). The 53-year-old pilot and animal lover started rescuing animals over three years ago, flying them to safety in his Cirrus SR22 plane. He has since customized the airplane by removing some seats, in order to accommodate more animals.

Mr. Bennett, who lives in the Florida Keys, volunteers for an organization in South Carolina called Pilots N Paws. They use pilots and airplane owners who volunteer to transport all manner of creatures who would otherwise be euthanized. Pilots N Paws puts the pilots in touch with shelters and rescue sites who are able to care for the critters.

Jeff has a reputation for not being unwilling to fly any type of animal at all to safety. Literally any type of animal. I guess some pilots can be a bit squeamish about flying with certain species other than cats and dogs, but Mr. Bennett has no problem rescuing anything from large snakes (which he sometimes drapes across his shoulders during the flight) and lizards to rodents and all manner of birds.

As a fellow admirer of all creatures great and small, I found this story to be heartwarming. True, we're not all pilots, but small gestures count too, and we can all pitch in in other ways. Donate money to The Humane Society of the United States. Donate blankets and towels to your local shelter. Adopt a forever friend from your local shelter. Volunteer to walk shelter dogs, clean cages, cuddle cats, foster animals at your home, etc. We can all do something to help.

If you'd like to read more about Jeff Bennett and his rescue efforts, here is the article which originally caught my attention.