‘Every animal that you save, saves two; It’s the one you save and the one that takes its place’
A 67-year-old former doctor is giving thousands of dogs and cats a new lease of life.
Dr. Peter Rork has dedicated his retired life to rescuing dogs and cats that would otherwise be euthanized in shelters that can no longer keep them.
After learning, on average, thousands of healthy animals are euthanized in U.S. shelters every day, the orthopedic surgeon, who retired in 2012 following his wife’s demise decided to do something about it.
Through his nonprofit organization, Dog Is My CoPilot, which he founded with his friend Judy Zimet, a friend and attorney, Rork now transports animals in his plane from shelters where they are considered “code red,” or on the verge of being euthanized, to no-kill shelters.
His non-profit primarily picks up at-risk-of-being euthanized animals from shelters in Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona and flies them to organizations in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
He has saved nearly 16,000 animals in the span of eight years.
‘Doing what we can’
“You can be part of the solution or part of the problem,” Rork said. “I’ve always wanted to be part of the solution.”
He recalls that on his first trip he safely transported 20 to 30 rescue dogs and cats in his single-engine 4-seater plane, packing the animals into his plane “like a game of Tetris.”
NowThis reported that it took the organization a couple of years to streamline the process and with the help of Rork’s friend Kara Pollard, the team went from transporting 20 to 30 animals on board at a time to more than 100 dogs and cats during a single flight.
Since then, donations and grants have seen the organization grow to expand its team of volunteers and purchase a bigger plane that can fit up to 251 crates.
“We’re doing what we can, where we can,” Rork said. “Our biggest hurdle is financial. Somehow we manage to stay wheels up doing all these rescue flights.”
‘Be part of the solution’
While Rork has put his flying skills to good use, he wants more people to further his cause of saving animals.
“I want people to be part of the solution. We can’t do it by ourselves,“ Rork told NowThis. “Adopt, don’t shop, and spay and neuter.”
He continued: “Every animal that you save, saves two; It’s the one you save and the one that takes its place.”
He added that people who are not able to adopt should at least reach out to local shelters and help them in whatever way possible.
While the pandemic slowed things down, Dog Is My CoPilot is now running full throttle.
“We had a large backlog of animals after we had a lot of canceled flights,” Rork said. “We’re now busier than ever and have been flying every single day.
“Now that I’m eight years into it, I’m already looking forward to the next eight,” he said.
According to Rork, this work has given his life a new purpose. “As much as I rescue them, they rescue me,” he said.
You can learn more about Dog Is My CoPilot here.
Share this heartwarming story with others!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 28th January 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, once infamous for his digs at vegans, has taken a sharp turn in the kitchen. Ramsay has teamed up with Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, as its global ambassador, marking a bold new chapter in Flora’s “Skip the Cow” campaign. Flora, established in 1964, has long been a household name …
The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 27th January 2025
Latin America is experiencing an extraordinary rise in plant-based dining options. A new study, spearheaded by Veganuary in partnership with the food discovery platform HappyCow, reveals that Latin America now boasts over 10,000 vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants—an impressive 21.6% jump compared to last year. Brazil takes the crown as the number one country, with …
Continue reading “The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God