Dog Is My Copilot Rescue Tales of Flying Dogs, Second Chances, and the Hero Who Might Live Next Door (Hardcover)

--volunteer rescue pilot, Sam Taylor

As a decorated helicopter pilot, Sam Taylor flew Search and Rescue missions during the Vietnam War. Today, his rescue work is closer to home—and extremely close to his heart. Taylor is one of roughly 2,000 private pilots who volunteer their time and their planes to fly abused, neglected, and homeless dogs from “high-kill” animal shelters to new “forever” homes across the country.

Dog Is My Copilot tells the story of Pilots N Paws, a high-flying animal rescue operation founded “accidentally” in 2008 when a private pilot offered to fly a mission of mercy to save an abused dog for a friend. Once on the ground, the pilot asked his friend if there was a big need to transport shelter animals from one part of the country to another. She responded, “You have no idea.” Since that time Pilots N Paws has grown to include thousands of pilots who have transported tens of thousand of “death-row dogs” (and a fair amount of cats and other animals), sometimes more than 1,000 miles away to new homes or no-kill shelters where they have a much higher chance of adoption

“People ask, ‘Why would you spend $500 of your hard-earned money to fly a single dog?’ My answer: ‘It means a lot to that particular dog, and it's not just about the animals—it's about all the people who are also affected by his/her transport.’”

--Pilots N Paws pilot, Brett Grooms

The true heart of Dog Is My Copilot are the 24 real-life rescue stories collected from pilots and their animal rescue counterparts on the ground. The short, captivating stories are accompanied by over 100 charming, poignant, color photos—most taken by the pilots themselves—of their canine passengers in flight. 

Unexpected things can happen when dogs reach cruising altitude, and the stories in Dog Is My Copilot run the emotional range from hilarious to heart-rending—but the endings are always happy. These dogs are the lucky ones, and most of the pilots will tell you that when they get on the plane, they know it. After all, waiting for them on the ground hundreds of miles away is a second-chance at a happy life with a loving forever family.

Dog Is My Copilot—it’s Chicken Soup for the Soul meets Marley and Me…with just a dash of The Right Stuff. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Pilots N Paws organization.