Senior Business Analyst Blake R. is a private pilot working to accumulate flight hours towards his commercial flight certificate. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic he uses his free time to volunteer himself and his airplane to assist the nonprofit Pilots N Paws (PNP).

PNP saves the lives of innocent animals through volunteer pilots who fly abandoned pets, mostly from kill shelters and rescue groups, to safe shelters, foster and permanent homes across the U.S.

Blake has volunteered with PNP for about 6 months. When he recently heard about a mother dog and her 10 puppies who needed transport to their new home, he flew in to help.

“Initially all I knew about this trip was that there was a heap of puppies that needed transport from Odessa, Texas to Georgetown, Texas, because the owner was unable to care for so many dogs,” says Blake. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so I enlisted the help of my commercial pilot friend, Michelle, to help me wrangle the unusual payload.”

Shortly after arriving in Odessa, Blake was climbing through 6,000 feet with 10 six-week-old puppies and their mom toward their new forever homes in central Texas.

When Blake isn’t flying with puppies, he’s working as a Senior Business Analyst in St. Louis.