There was little reason to believe that a 14-year-old dog facing euthanasia in a North Carolina shelter would be saved. Her owners had probably kept her outside for her whole life and had never taken her to the vet since she was covered with parasites and sores. They dumped her at a shelter after that. But, thanks to a very special pilot, Emma now gets to sleep on her very first dog bed. Paul Steklenski, an Army veteran and network engineer, decided to take up flying in the spring of 2013. He decided he wanted to add a puppy to his family while he was training and acquiring his license. At the time, these two events appeared to be unconnected.
“We went to pet stores and then to shelters and learned the difference,” Steklenski told The Dodo. Steklenski discovered an extraordinary network of animal enthusiasts dedicated to rescuing unwanted puppies from shelters. Steklenski discovered his new family member through this network he had never heard of before. “In August 2013, we adopted Tessa,” he explained. “It completely altered my life.” Everything about me altered as a result.”
Meanwhile, Steklenski finished his flight training and received his pilot’s license. He recalls thinking to himself, “What am I going to do with it?” “A lot of folks just fly around and eat at restaurants and things like that.” That is something I am unable to accomplish. I need a purpose to fly.”
Steklenski began volunteering with Pilots N Paws, an organization that connects volunteer pilots with animal rescue organizations in need of transportation assistance. But he couldn’t shake the sense that if he started connecting the dots on his own, he could save even more creatures. In 2015, he founded Flying Fur Animal Rescue to do just that. He’d rent planes from his home base in Pennsylvania and fly to North Carolina before returning to the New York region.
Flying is essential for assisting as many animals as possible in a short period, and Steklenski frequently spends his vacation days doing so. “It would be a lot harder if I were a ground-based rescue,” he added. “I can’t just take a half-day off and go to North Carolina and then back up to New York.” “At the end of the day, you’re taking 15 or 20 animals out of the killing facility with a plane,” she says.
Fortunately, other animal enthusiasts have chipped in throughout the years, and Steklenski has been able to purchase a plane just to rescue animals, save rescue organizations the cost and stress of coordinating transportation of shelter animals in need of immediate assistance. He stated, “It is the sole reason I fly.”
When something incredible happened, Steklenski was flying a 14-year-old dog who had been ignored her entire life across the East Coast. Because the airspace over New York City is one of the world’s busiest, tiny planes seldom gain permission to fly through. Until he was on the plane with Emma, Steklenski had never done so. “I was hit by a flood of emotion,” he explained. “I have a 14-year-old dog who wasn’t going to make it, and now she gets to experience all of New York City… Her entire life has been devoid of medical care and attention, and now she finds herself on a plane. “It’s simply amazing.”
Animals R Family, with the help of two wonderful rescue supporters, is financing Emma’s medical treatment. Emma is now in a foster home, but once she is well, she will be available for adoption. Emma was transported to the vet after stepping off the plane. Her skin was infected with yeast and germs, and she was heartworm positive. Her mouth was rotting from the inside out, and her teeth were falling out. Nicole Bruck, the founder of Animals R Family, told The Dodo, “She endured for years like this.” “With minimal veterinary care, all of these issues might have been averted.”
Emma is now having the chance to show how wonderful she truly is, despite everything she’s been through. “She’ll stick to her foster like glue and offer amazing little kisses,” Bruck added. “She’s one of a kind, and we consider ourselves fortunate to have rescued her.” “Paul is the lifeline that gets the dogs from rural North Carolina to Westchester, New York,” Bruck explained. “We wouldn’t be able to rescue dogs from that area without his assistance.”
It’s difficult to imagine what would have happened to Emma if she hadn’t taken that amazing trip above New York City with Steklenski by her side. Steklenski explained, “Sometimes I can’t even talk about it because I become so sad.” “And what I do is a drop in the bucket compared to what they go through; we’re simply trying to keep them alive.” “Education is the first step.”