How this former doctor ended up flying thousands of dogs across the country to save them

[douglas9]

It’s 4 a.m. in Los Angeles, and Peter Rork is loading dozens of animals onto an aircraft.

“By 5 a.m., it’s wheels up,” said Rork, who typically spends an hour attempting to securely fit 150 crates into his Cessna Caravan.

“It’s like a giant Tetris game,” he explained.

This is a typical morning for Rork — a 67-year-old former doctor who dedicates his life to rescuing dogs and cats that would otherwise be killed in shelters that don’t have room for them.

Through his nonprofit organization, Dog Is My CoPilot, Rork transports adoptable animals from areas with high euthanasia rates, delivering them to shelters and rescue organizations in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest and Pacific regions of the country.

Over the span of eight years, he has saved nearly 16,000 animals.

Becoming a pilot for pets was not the career path the retired orthopedic surgeon had in mind.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/08/31/how-this-former-doctor-ended-up-flying-thousands-dogs-across-country-save-them/

[DonaldsRump]

1. "Dog is my Co-Pilot": What a great name! And what a great person is Peter Rork!

My dog loves to sit in the front seat of the car (seatbelted of course in a harness) gazing out the window and protecting me from the terrors of all sorts of things like a dog walking its human.

Remember Chewbacca from Star Wars fame? Here's where he got his name:

Chewbacca's creation as a "gentle, hairy, non-English-speaking co-pilot" was inspired by George Lucas seeing his own dog sitting up on the passenger seat of his car. It is said that Chewbacca's name is derived from собака (sobaka), the Russian word for dog.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca

Sincere kudos to Peter Rork! What a great soul he is to save so many wonderful pets!