UNBELIEVABLE ANGELS ARE AMONG US..."OPERATION CHRISSIE AIR LIFT"!

Just added: the precious Border Collie mix pictured below is the infamous "Chrissie" (thank you Kim for sending us the picture).

This is a condensed version of our amazing day... A woman named Anita and her husband, Brad, found themselves searching for a "lab" on Petfinder (sadly, they had lost their lab, Cody, the day before...). They clicked on a link that took them to our very own Ben and Leo ! After reading their story, Anita and Brad decided these were the dogs for them. The plan was for the Rescue Group to bring them back to Maine when they visited several weeks ago, however Leo was not quite finished with heartworm treatment at the time.

Sooo....Anita mentioned to her friend and colleague, Dwight, that Ben and Leo would be coming at a later date once they coordinate transportation. Being dog lovers, Dwight and his wife, Kimberly, offered to donate hours that they had purchased to use a private jet service (Marquis Jet which offers private access to NetJets) in order to bring Ben and Leo to Maine. The private service was originally purchased so the family could travel with their personal pets, one of whom was named Chrissie). Chrissie was also a "rescue dog" who has since passed. Anita has decided to name this trip "Operation Chrissie Air Lift" in honor of Chrissie.

All of a sudden, news spread quickly....why??? Well it turns out that this wonderful woman, Anita, just happens to be the Chair of the Board for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Dwight is a fellow board member! The Press was alerted here and well....our very own Ben and Leo are probably the most popular dogs right now! After coordinating between all parties involved (initiated by Anita thankfully), it was determined that there was no sense in taking just 3 passengers, when they could fill the jet with more pups waiting to go North. Therefore, thanks to Anita and the extreme generosity of Dwight and his wife, Kimberly, PAWS of MARION sent 10 lucky dogs and puppies to Maine today! 3 adult dogs and 7 puppies were the lucky chosen. A special thanks to the Airport Manager, Lynda Avery, at the West Memphis Airport for accommodating our crew!

We have posted some of the pictures below depicting this absolutely amazing story! Ben and Leo's foster parents, Kevin and Allison, couldn't have found better "parents" for their babies. Thank you Anita and Brad for believing in them! We are also incredibly grateful for our wonderful foster families and sponsors because without you, this would not be possible.

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