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A Puppy Needs A Ride (I should say several rides)

JakeLewis22

Well Known Member
A little over one year ago a young student (Tricia) in Fountain Valley, CA rescued a one year old Shepard/mix (Dakota) days before she was scheduled to be euthanized. Tricia has been accepted to a college in New York but can not take Dakota with her. 2-1/2 year old Dakota needs a new home but Tricia can't find anyone local willing to take her. I have been asking around myself and you wouldn't think it would be that hard to give away a dog but it is.

A family in Haymarket, Virginia have voiced an interest in adopting Dakota which made me think about Pilots N Paws. I am willing to fly Dakota on the first 2-3 hour leg of her journey which will get her as far as the Phoenix area.

I know there are a lot of unanswered questions but I'm testing the waters......

Are there enough RVers willing to relay her the rest of the way across the country?

FYI, She's a sweet heart!

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With such a cute puppy, I am so surprised that no one closer wanted here.

I would also be willing to fly her for 2-3 hour one way. Should this trip to Virgina fall thru and there is a need to take her north, we would be glad to help out.
 
Wow Mike! Six hours, that's very generous!

I plotted 6 hours at 160kts and that puts you a little east of Dallas, TX. Is that what you had in mind?

See, that's what these crazy efficient planes of ours do, make you think outside the box! I've done 2 legs / 6 hours in one day and it is not so bad. Two days of that back to back would be okay. If I had to go to the DFW area to make it happen, I would definitely need some Chicken Fried Steak at Babe's to fuel me proper on the layover, for those that know. :D
 
You Guys are Amazing!

My family is the one on the receiving end of Dakota and you are restoring my faith in humanity 1 post at a time. My three children are so excited this might actually happen and I am amazed. I left small aircraft for the airlines many years ago and after burning out on the life style forgot how much I enjoyed the small aircraft community. I haven't stepped foot near an airport for fun since 2000 and thanks to Jake I got to ride in his beautiful RV-7 and had a blast last weekend. Not only are you restoring my faith, I have been inspired to find an outlet locally to explore aviation again and maybe one day I can pay it forward. Thank you. For anyone who ends up near Dallas my sister is a dog lover and if in town would be happy to assist in the efforts even if it is only to babysit so you can get a good meal.
 
See, that's what these crazy efficient planes of ours do, make you think outside the box! I've done 2 legs / 6 hours in one day and it is not so bad. Two days of that back to back would be okay. If I had to go to the DFW area to make it happen, I would definitely need some Chicken Fried Steak at Babe's to fuel me proper on the layover, for those that know. :D

Mike,
If you can make it to DFW I have a Hangar (with a apartment) (52F) to store your plane overnight, and spend the night, Oh and I will definitely take you to Babe's. I'm not sure if I can make a portion of the flight it would depend on my schedule.
 
How do you think this pup will hold up in the back of an 8 for two or three days?

Is there a bed she has we can put back there? I'm ferrying my airplane from CA to NJ next week, trying to figure out if I can help out somehow.
 
See, that's what these crazy efficient planes of ours do, make you think outside the box! I've done 2 legs / 6 hours in one day and it is not so bad. Two days of that back to back would be okay. If I had to go to the DFW area to make it happen, I would definitely need some Chicken Fried Steak at Babe's to fuel me proper on the layover, for those that know. :D

Mike, you have inspired me!

I called my sister that lives in lives in Richardson, TX earlier this evening and told her about all this craziness. She is willing to give us and Dakota a place to stay for a night. She has never heard of Babe's but she's willing to drive us there. Her actual comment was "They have chicken fried steak everywhere in Texas but I'll take you there". I'll send you a PM with my cell phone number and we can work out the details.

I have no idea what Dakota is going to think of all this but having only one handoff should be much less stressful for her.

I also want to thank all the others that posted replies, you have to love RV people!

I have a question for Tim Blake or any other Dallas area RVers. Which airport would be our best option, Addison (KADS) or Air Park-Dallas (F69) for an overnight stay close to Richardson? Or, do you recommend we go elsewhere?
 
Jake,
Addison (KADS) is a nice airport but very busy, I'm sure you can get overnight parking but it will cost you.
Collin County at McKinney (KTKI) is a nice airport that is not busy and would have overnight parking.
Dallas airpark (F69) small field not busy not sure about overnight parking.
Aero Country (T31) Small field and best location if you can get overnight parking.
The closes Babe's to you will be in downtown Carrollton, try the smoked chicken its great.
Babe's Chicken Dinner House
1006 W Main St, Carrollton, TX 75006 ? Northwest Dallas
(972) 245-7773 ?
 
AZ NM leg

I could do the leg from Phoenix to the west coast of Texas. Albuquerque or dalhart maybe. Monsoons are active right now though.
 
If someone can cover El Paso to Odessa, then I will take care of Odessa to DFW. Do we have dates in mind?
 
Jake if things go sideways, shoot me a PM. I can turn south depending on where I'm at and help out. I'll be going CA to NJ via the north route (WY, NE, IL, OH, PA) between about the 17th and 20th.
 
CA - NJ may be perfect. I am sure she has a bed. Let me pow wow with Jake and be in touch. What day are you planning to leave and what will you do with her in the evening?
 
CA - NJ may be perfect. I am sure she has a bed. Let me pow wow with Jake and be in touch. What day are you planning to leave and what will you do with her in the evening?

You guys have your hearts in the right place but can't you ship a dog on a commercial flight?
I was just thinking about the expense and liability involved in trying to get a bunch of people coordinated for flights. Most of us make the same decision for ourselves when we are flying any great distance and we logically pick the airlines. Just curious.
I'm sure the dog doesn't care how it gets anywhere considering the alternative.
 
Pilots N Paws does this sort of thing continuously and I've taken part in several transfers myself. Sometimes weather gets in the way, but it all works out. I wouldn't even consider putting this dog on an airline and subjecting it to flight connections, heat, uncaring ground handlers and the like. My plane is down for maintenance until mid-Sept or I'd sign up for this.

And by the way, if an overnight or two is needed in the Memphis area, let me know! We can keep her as long as necessary for the next leg to pick her up.
 
What a Fantastic Offer

Sig600, what a generous offer. Jake, this would be a whole lot easier than trying to coordinate numerous legs. I think she'd be just fine back there for a few days. You might need to make slightly shorter legs to allow her to stretch, but that's about it.

I post a lot of stories for Pilots N Paws and saw a set-up in the back of an 8 that looked perfect. I wish I could find the picture, but I can't seem to locate it. In essence, he took out the back rest of the back seat so he could use a little of the baggage space and put some blankets/towels/pillows to make the transition a little smoother. The pilot then used a pop up crate since it could mold to the area and also tethered the dog since the crate is not exactly dog proof. The crate will help keep the dog from scratching something as well as comfort as it is a little den. Putting the dog's bed in there would give him even a little more padding and also some comfort as the smell would be familiar.

Target, Walmart, online, etc...
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As far as overnights, I bet you won't have any trouble. There are some hotels that accept pets, LaQuinta is one, but there are other options. Another option is to call the FBOs. You'll be amazed at how many of the workers will care for a dog overnight. The last one I contacted was hoping for bad weather so he could hold on to the dog for a few more days.

Also, Pilots N Paws has a list of volunteers across the country willing to be temporary fosters. They can be contacted through the board. From the following tool, you can select fosters but be sure to extend out the date from 3 months to all volunteers. It will give you an idea of where they are located. They might even offer to foster you. http://pilotsnpaws.org/maps/maps_volunteers.php I'd be happy to send out notes when you know your stops.

In this case, the VAF white pages would also be a resource.

I'd be surprised if the adopter wouldn't drive to NJ to pick up the dog, but just in case there is a conflict, I bet a pilot in the northeast can be found to cover the distance through PnP.

If the flight isn't already deductible, be sure to get it posted to Pilots N Paws to get the tax deduction.

Be happy to help in any way.
 
Pilots N Paws does this sort of thing continuously and I've taken part in several transfers myself. Sometimes weather gets in the way, but it all works out. I wouldn't even consider putting this dog on an airline and subjecting it to flight connections, heat, uncaring ground handlers and the like. My plane is down for maintenance until mid-Sept or I'd sign up for this.

And by the way, if an overnight or two is needed in the Memphis area, let me know! We can keep her as long as necessary for the next leg to pick her up.

I see what you mean about the airlines. I've heard many horror stories describing conditions just like you described...oh, wait, those were people describing their own experiences on the airlines:D
 
An overnight lodging offer

If one of you find yourself needing to overnight in the North Alabama area, contact me. I have a hangar with enough space to squeeze an RV in with my 172, and we have room and will be willing to overnight both a pilot and a dog.

We do have a short out of town trip planned within the next couple of weeks, so if you need to overnight with us, contact me ahead of time to make sure we're in town. Email me at rv7boy ...at...yahoo...dot...com if you need to.

I've done several Pilots N Paws flights myself and am happy to see so much interest in getting this pup to a new home. RV's make great PnP machines because of their superior speed and range.
 
Jake if things go sideways, shoot me a PM. I can turn south depending on where I'm at and help out. I'll be going CA to NJ via the north route (WY, NE, IL, OH, PA) between about the 17th and 20th.

Sig,

When you first offered the use of your RV8 I couldn't picture a dog trying to hang on to the small back seat of an RV8 for 12+ hours of flight time. I sent you a PM with my phone number so we could discuss it but thought I'd ask all the 8 owners if my idea could work.

Could we pile up enough blankets and pillows (etc) to level out the back seat so Dakota has comfortable place to lay down? Maybe even a large trash bag full of Styrofoam packing peanuts that we can conform to the shape we need??

Also, are the rear seat rudder pedals far enough forward that they wouldn't be restricted by our makeshift bed?

It makes a lot more sense to send Dakota on ONE RV that's already going her way.
 
Sig,

When you first offered the use of your RV8 I couldn't picture a dog trying to hang on to the small back seat of an RV8 for 12+ hours of flight time. I sent you a PM with my phone number so we could discuss it but thought I'd ask all the 8 owners if my idea could work.

Could we pile up enough blankets and pillows (etc) to level out the back seat so Dakota has comfortable place to lay down? Maybe even a large trash bag full of Styrofoam packing peanuts that we can conform to the shape we need??

Also, are the rear seat rudder pedals far enough forward that they wouldn't be restricted by our makeshift bed?

It makes a lot more sense to send Dakota on ONE RV that's already going her way.

Jake, please be sure and read Tanya's post #17 above.
 
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All,

Just got off the phone with Jake and we're going to try and make this happen. Here's my tentative plan...

I'm heading out to Reno to pick up my airplane on the 17th, and am going to fly down to CA to meet Jake and pick up the pup. From there I'll fly back up to the Reno area and spend the night with some friends. Then Dakota and I will launch pre-dawn to land in the Salt Lake City area to top off at sunrise, and make the high long push over the continental divide and stop for gas in Nebraska or east Wyoming.

From there the last leg of the day will be into Iowa/Illinois area. If there is someone that can offer a hangar to over night in we would be much obliged, then on the 19th we'll launch early for the last leg to Trenton NJ.

If there is someone that would like to pick up Dakota in Trenton for the leg to Virginia (or anywhere before that) I can meet you.

Right now the plan is tentative and will be fluid with weather and locations.

Thanks all in advance!!!
 
The Exchange

I will be coming from Haymarket, VA to get her. Manassas is the closest field west of DC but I will drive to New Jersey if necessary to make it work. Courtney
 
We have a hanger that we could make available at Ankeny, Iowa KIKV if that works for you. We would be happy to host you overnight as well. Send me an email if you want to discuss details.

Ted Lockard
 
Thanks ted. I'll be on the road the next few days checking in, as the weather pans out and I finalize a plan jake and I will update this thread.

Thanks all.
 
DO YOU STILL WANT THE LAST LEG?

I'll cover the last six hours of flight time to KHEF.

Mike,

SIG600 and I are still working out the details on this end but at this point I'm either meeting him in Santa Maria, CA or Reno, NV on Sunday.

If you're still willing to fly the last leg, would you be interested in picking up Dakota at KTTN and taking her to KHEF?
 
Trenton (KTTN) to Manassas (KHEF)

That would be greatly appreciated if you are as the drive for me to NJ is about 4 hours without traffic. As it looks like this is coming together I have told my 3 boys and they are so excited. Thank you gentleman. You are making my little ones so happy.
Courtney
 
Mike,

SIG600 and I are still working out the details on this end but at this point I'm either meeting him in Santa Maria, CA or Reno, NV on Sunday.

If you're still willing to fly the last leg, would you be interested in picking up Dakota at KTTN and taking her to KHEF?

Depends on the timing, fall sports start for us next week and that clogs the schedule a little.

Looking at great circle direct TTN, and making a comparison, Frederick MD (KFDK) only adds 20 additional flight miles to the route, and is an easy 1+15 up US15 from Haymarket.

Just another option, since, well . . . (started to make a joke about Springsteen and his first wife using the B-word and going from CA to NJ, but I am pretty sure it's only funny to me, so I'll skip it :rolleyes:).
 
Paws n Pilots

I have registered our trip with Paws N Pilots and have asked for assistance there as well. They are a 501c3 charity which may make those who have offered to transport Dakota a charitable deduction. I am not sure if the pilots need to register on their site as well but our request has been submitted.

If there is not a pilot able to make the trip from Trenton I will make the drive. We are grateful we were able to coordinate her transport this far and will do what is necessary on the final day to make the handoff successful. Thank you again. :)

Warmest Regards,
Courtney
 
Mike,
I'm looking at an arrival on the afternoon of the 19th, but with a coast to coast flight obviously weather is the driving force here. I have to be back and ready to go to work by the 23rd. Once I make it over the Rockies I'll have a better idea on when I can make it in.

Courtney, I'll keep updating here as able, once I'm on the road if jake is willing, I'll update with him to post here.

My last concern is if I break down somewhere and have to leave the airplane. We'll cross that bridge if it happens.

I may have a friend with a Cherokee that can take Dakota to VA. He's not sure if he can get his days off and my arrival to line up. He and I will try, but if someone rogers up before then, you're in!
 
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The road ahead . . .

I completely understand as a former flight instructor and commercial pilot that we are at the mercy of the plane and weather. I will standby for updates and pictures if you have them.
 
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Mike,
I'm looking at an arrival on the afternoon of the 19th, but with a coast to coast flight obviously weather is the driving force here.

Tuesday/Wednesday actually looks good right now on my schedule, keep me/us updated.

Mike
 
Dakota's First Leg SoCal - Reno

Dakota is with Jake preparing for her first leg to Reno. There may be a delay in Pat's arrival in Reno and if anyone out there is available to dog sit for a few hours it would be appreciated. I am calling the FBO now to see what accommodations they can provide. Keep you fingers crossed for good weather and strong tailwinds Monday - Tuesday.

Also to tcard. Thank you for the heads up on the health certificate. We had no idea and were able to secure it yesterday.
 
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I'm in SFO currently trying to get to Reno. It's been an opportunity to practice coordination and patience. Jake and Dakota are currently airborne, hoping to catch up with them in a few hours.

Just got this text from Jake "We are at 8500' over the Lake Hughes (LHS) VOR and Dakota is doing great"
 
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Also to tcard. Thank you for the heads up on the health certificate. We had no idea and were able to secure it yesterday.

Thank you so much for the word. She has been fretting about having said anything for days, for fear that you wouldn't go anyway.
 
I have registered our trip with Paws N Pilots and have asked for assistance there as well. They are a 501c3 charity which may make those who have offered to transport Dakota a charitable deduction. I am not sure if the pilots need to register on their site as well but our request has been submitted.

...a couple things:

Pilots n Paws is a great organization. WARNING: be careful, because if you do this flight, you'll get hooked and want to do it over and over... :)

The direct expenses of the flight with a Pilots n Paws dog are deductible as a charitable donation for the PnP pilot. You can access the official letter from the FAA on this topic here: http://www.pilotsnpaws.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6605

Registering as a pilot with PnP is quite easy; here is how you register: http://pilotsnpaws.org/forum/ucp.php?mode=register

Finally, make sure you adequately prepare your plane for a dog or dogs: I use a piece of visqueen that I tape up to provide (vomit and urine) protection under and around the crate. This is important; ask me how I know! Towels and blankets in the bottom of the crate or under the animal are useful.

A large dog may not be able to be crated, so it is recommended that they be secured with a leash. You don't want him jumping up into the front and hitting the stick or...
 
If you need a hangar in NE Ohio...

Sig, let me know. It doesn't sound like you will layover that far east. But if you do, let me know. I have a brand-new hangar that I haven't moved into yet. This is at 1G5, Medina, just south of CLE.

Jake, glad to hear you have exercising your RV! I've got fifty hours on my RV-6 so far.

Let me know if I can help in any way.
 
Dakota's adventure has begun

Dakota made the first leg of her trip from Corona, CA (KAJO) to Reno/Stead, NV (KRTS) on Sunday
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She spent most of the trip checking out the scenery but took a break for a group shot
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Time for some rest
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First stop, Reno/Stead where I handed Dakota off the Pat (SIG600). Pat went above and beyond to meet us there on Sunday. We had a group text going to keep us up to date and at one point Pat was nominated for Sainthood.
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Pat getting his beautiful RV8 ready for the trip with my son Nick and Dakota looking on
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Pat and Dakota ready for a quick 25 minute flight East of Reno for the night
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That looks like a happy dog!
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Meeting new friends!
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Time for a night cap, "Pass me another Bud, Pat!"
 
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Dakota's Big Trip

I second the nomination for sainthood! You guys are all amazing and we so appreciate your efforts truly. We are all excited to meet her tomorrow. Based on your feedback we have had fun getting our house ready for her. The final items were purchased today and the pee post will go in tomorrow.
 
First, thanks to Ted for offering up his place for us to crash. I was about to launch from his place until I realized I wouldn't be able to make NJ in time for tomorrow. Had to bug out and haul to Chicago so I could make the FBO before the closed and could get me in their hangar.

Headed to bed, I'll post pictures later, but we made it to Chicago today. Could've gone all the way, but I was wiped, and didn't really feel like flying the last leg at night.

Thanks for everyone's help! Post more upon mission success.
 
If someone knows how to flip these pictures over, I'm apparently not that smart....

I also didn't realize these would be huge!!!!

Dakotas adventure starts with me, at the end of a four day trip. Heading into NYC for a 2300 land time.

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I spent the night in the airport on a couch, hawking the availability for open seats. Typical Sunday rush with everything over sold, it was going to be a challenge.

After getting bumped from many flights, I finally made it into Reno and up to Stead to meet up with Jake, his son and Dakota. We took a short hop over some hills, and some good friends put us and the plane up for the night.

She wanted to go play in the fields with some cows!

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Good eats with good friends. "You gonna eat that?"

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Rise and shine pup, it's 0345 and we gotta get to the airport!

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My buddy runs a 135 company and owns a few Bonanzas, he let us park in the corner for the night and even loaned us his truck!

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Dakota, ready to go!

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Rise and shine!

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Someone hasn't had their coffee yet.

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Starting the leg over the continental divide. We refueled outside Salt Lake with the intent of going high and really stretching out the legs of the RV-8 to get into Nebraska, avoiding the winds and density altitude of WY. Also the reason for the predawn departure.

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Turned out to not be a problem as we were blessed with clear skies and tailwinds the whole way!

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Dakota requested some old school jams.

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Passing Elk Mountain WY. One of my favorite stops on I-80 if you ever have to drive through.

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"Hey, how you doin up there?!?"

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Into the midwest!

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Gotta love ADS-B.

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So we landed at LXN for some gas and a little planning with the intent to stop at KIKV and stay with Ted. Then I did math and realized we wouldn't be able to make NJ today in time to meet Mike. We needed to push one more leg, so we went on to Chicago and landed in Joliet where my in-laws put us up for the night. Thanks again to Ted for the offer! Gotta love airplane folks! We stayed with my wifes parents and were treated to some good good and a lot of well earned Zzzz's.

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This morning we launched for what would by my last leg with Dakota. She spent the night curled up next to me, and is a fantastic pup, she's headed to a very lucky family!

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There be monsters out there, thank you ADS-B!

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Had to do a little pilot stuff and some decision making.

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Had to get old school with the water bottle trick to determine if we needed to climb to get over some weather. We're safe, and cleared it.

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The changing of the guard... from me to Mike. One hour to the new family!

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Time to go! Last leg pup!

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They're off! You can see her peeking over the canopy rail. One last goodbye!

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Mission success!

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