A Southwest pilot rescuing shelter pets devastated by Hurricanes Milton and Helene ended up taking one of his furry passengers home with him.
On October 12, Southwest Captain Matthew Prebish transported more than 150 animals from hurricane-ravaged shelters to homes in the Midwest as part of a cooperative effort with Greater Good Charities, Southwest Airlines, and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
LuckyDog relocated the animals from facilities in Tennessee and Florida to its South Carolina Rescue Campus in Florence, South Carolina, prior to their rescue trip to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin.
But one of them, a lovely kitten named Avery, found a new home before the plane landed. With the captain, no less!
“It was love from 30,000 feet. “I don’t think Captain Matt expected to adopt a hurricane evacuee from Tennessee when he agreed to fly this incredibly special flight, but some things are meant to be,” Lucky Dog CEO Mirah A. Horowitz told People.
“Avery, the kitten, is truly fortunate, and he felt completely at ease with his new father in the cockpit during our landing and parking.” Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is really glad to have contributed to this happy ending.
Earlier this week, Greater Good Charities distributed humanitarian goods, including shampoo, hygiene products, and emergency kits containing mylar blankets, socks, wash sheets, and other items, to families affected by Helene in and around Asheville, North Carolina. The emergency kits were among the 6,000 pounds of relief goods flown for free by Southwest Cargo.
Whitney Eichinger, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Southwest Airlines, stated, “We know there are many experiencing devastation due to the recent hurricanes, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to help by delivering humanitarian supplies and making donations to partnering organizations.”
