TAMPA, Fla. — Lady Di is a lovely purebred collie with a pleasant disposition, just like lots of other dogs dumped at shelters in areas that lack anywhere near enough would-be owners.
Unlike all but a lucky few of those animals, she got a plane ride away from death row.
Along with one of her sick, emaciated pups, Lady Di recently was brought to a shelter in Clanton, Ala., where healthy dogs and cats are euthanized by the hundreds every week because there’s just no more room.
Shelter workers knew the collies stood a better chance somewhere else.
That’s when Lady Di met private pilot Jeff Bennett, a volunteer with Pilots N Paws, a group that moves pets from overwhelmed shelters to communities, often ones with higher median income, where they’ll stand a better chance at adoption. The pilots donate their time, planes and fuel.
