For the Love of Dogs and Flying
We often hear from our volunteer pilots that flying with Canadian Wings of Rescue is the perfect intersection between their love of animals and their passion for aviation. For many of our hobby pilots, transporting an animal in need gives them an opportunity to earn their flying hours while giving back.
For pilots like Ken, earning hours and giving back aren’t separate goals, they’re part of the same flight plan. On December 30, he put that into action with a transport that covered serious ground in a single day.
A Year-End Rescue Across Provinces
Ken helped close out 2025 with one last flight —a transport that covered serious ground in a single day.
Six abandoned puppies were found living outdoors in Saskatchewan, and with no available fosters locally, they urgently needed to move across provinces to access care and placement.
Ken flew the puppies from Saskatoon, SK to Victoria, B.C., delivering them safely to our partner rescue Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, where they could begin the next stage of their journey: medical care, fostering, and eventually adoption.
Not long after, Ken flew another transport bringing seven puppies to Calgary for our trusted rescue partner, Calgary Animal Rescue Society.
Ken and his wife with their beloved pup, Murphy.
A Pilot Who Loves Flying… and Loves Dogs
When asked what motivated him to volunteer with Canadian Wings of Rescue, Ken’s answer is easy:
“I like dogs and I like flying. It’s an easy way to keep up flying hours.”
Ken earned his private pilot licence (PPL) in 2007, fulfilling a long-time goal. Like many volunteer pilots, Ken first discovered Canadian Wings of Rescue through social media and quickly found that rescue flights are not only meaningful, but also build strong real-world flying experience.
“You land in many different places which is good for maintaining your proficiency,” Ken said. “It can get you to think outside the box when deciding where to go and how to load the plane when there are multiple animals and/or crates.”
A New Aircraft: The Piper M600 Turboprop
Ken is one of our only volunteer pilots currently flying a turboprop aircraft, and this particular mission was a perfect example of why aircraft choice matters.
Normally, Ken would have tried to use his previous plane — a Bonanza — but winter weather and mountain conditions made that option far less feasible for this time of year.
“This plane (the M600) is new to me,” Ken shared. “The previous five years, I flew a Bonanza. I chose this plane for the speed, weather ability and pressurization.”
The puppies travelled well in the pressurized cabin, and Ken was able to complete the mission safely despite the distance and seasonal challenges.
How Donations Help
Rescue flights come with significant operational costs. Every donation helps ensure that pilots can say yes to animals in need, even when flights are unusually long, expensive, or hard to otherwise complete.
Thank you to Ken for volunteering his aircraft, time, and expertise and for stepping in when this transport would have otherwise been extremely difficult to complete.
