I've flown 43 PnP rescue flights and transported 190 dogs since 2011. I've learned much in the process. I think many of us get involved because it sounds like fun / kind of a cool thing to do. It is! But as you start to work with certain groups you become aware of the issues that drive the need for these flights which is often heart wrenching. I would like to emphasize the following:
As mentioned earlier, one of the differences between PnP and some of the other rescue groups is that PnP does no vetting of the requests; the onus for legitimacy is on us (pilots). If a rescue flight goes "bad" they will not stand behind you as a pilot but remind all parties of the disclaimer on their pages: "Rescue flights are the responsibility of the sending and receiving parties and pilots. Pilots N Paws is only an electronic meeting place for those seeking to make arrangements for rescue flights. Pilots N Paws does not arrange for rescue flights, coordinate transports and/or rescue animals."
I unfortunately experienced this first hand on my 4th flight when I ignorantly (and innocently) got caught in a dispute between sending and receiving parties after repositioning for the first-leg on a multi-pilot, multi-state flight. Before I knew what was happening Police and ACO (animal control officers) in two states were involved and I was caught in the middle of a real-to-life dog caper. I honestly thought I was making the flight under the auspices of PnP; when I contacted PnP for help and asked that they speak with the rescue groups and knock some sense in them (I actually got through to someone while standing on the tarmac), they washed their hands of the matter and reminded me of the disclaimer on all the pages. Unfortunately that sentiment took volunteerism to a new level and required I reach out to AOPA Legal for help.
I've seen this same attitude of PnP "Admin" on their bulletin board (even recently) ... instead of taking the lead when pilots raise questions about certain groups or legalities, their response is often defensive and along the lines of "let's remember we are doing this for the animals" and "why can't we all get along?" What we need is a customer-centric approach: "let us use our resources to understand the issue and we'll immediately communicate what we learn to all pilots." I've never seen that happen.
- Don't Compromise On The Required Paperwork
In the excitement of some puppy love, keep in mind once these dogs are on our planes and carried across state lines, we (pilots) are the transport of record. If dogs are found to be sick, stolen, or do not meet some other import criteria, we can be held accountable.
One of the first lines of defense is to ensure the sending group includes valid Health Certificate or CVI (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection) with the dogs. I recently flew for a group that uses KHNZ as their pickup point. When I asked about the CVI's they responded "pilots don't need certificates because its a private transfer - instead, we send the dogs along with an Animal Report Card that is more detailed." They went on to say they have transferred dozens of dogs this way using many different PnP pilots.
When I indicated I had gone to the NJ Dept of AG website (the dogs final destination) and confirmed this requirement ... and that I would by happy to ask one of their officers to call them, they very quickly back peddled and indicated they would have the certificates. Unfortunately, many volunteer pilots don't understand any of this (there is no mentoring of new pilots on behalf of PnP), and jump in as innocently as I once did. These rescues know what's needed and in some cases are clearly taking advantage of pilots ignorance or those just getting their feet wet. If the rescue is not aware of the regs, it should not be our role as pilots to educate them nor do I believe they should be making requests on PnP w/o some kind of supervision. PnP says there are too many requests to moderate ... they obviously have not participated in active discussion forums where we know its done successfully all the time.
A Health Report Card is not a valid document for interstate transport, nor is it a legal Health Certificate. Candidly, this is a ploy for groups to save money on vet bills and one for which I have no tolerance. Any request on PnP where the Health Certificate field indicates "at the discretion of the pilot" or "if needed" should be carefully scrutinized or even flagged. And do check the paperwork the morning of the flight.
I made it very clear to the rescue group that sending a volunteer pilot over state lines w/o the proper paperwork was a) putting the pilot at risk for being fined or cited and b) the dogs at risk for being confiscated. And then what would be the point? It has happened. Although its rare for us to be met by an ACO at the small airports we use, land with a plane full of dogs enough times and you will (I've been met 3 times out of the 43 flights).
- As Pilots, Let's Keep an Eye on PnP
After PnP was featured on the NBC Nightly News, I noticed the verbiage on some of their "Donate Now" buttons had changed to "All proceeds go directly to our mission of providing free transport for rescue animals." Hmm ... we know who is providing the free transport and its not PnP. If I were a layperson visiting their site that would lead me to believe my monies were going to pay for these flights, not that the monies were being used to "facilitate" the transport of rescue animals, or bring awareness to the issues of overpopulation. I have to believe that change in phraseology was no accident but carefully crafted by a wordsmith.
Our relationship to PnP as pilots is an interesting one; on one hand they say the flights are not for them but for the rescue groups and PnP has no accountability. On the other they refer to us as "PnP pilots" and benefit from the success we bring to the program in both exposure and possible donations to the organization. Yes, this is about the animals, but I don't want to see our generosity abused as can happen with many non-profits.
For a lot of us these flights fill many needs. For me, its everything from the humanitarian aspect to new flying experiences; the challenge of coordinating schedules and the camaraderie of working with pilots and very compassionate folks on the ground that share a common cause. But in the four years I've participated I've learned of just as many pilots that have dropped out after a flight or two as they felt they were being taken advantage of by questionable groups. It does happen, so just be careful (and alert) out there!
