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WHO/WHAT: On Saturday June 13, Wings of Rescue in partnership with the Petco Foundation will fly an emergency evacuation flight from animal shelters in the South (New Orleans, La. and McComb, Miss.) with more than 80 at-risk shelter dogs to New Castle, Del. where they will be received by Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA). The dogs on the flight are all fully vetted and health certificated. They will go to the BVSPCA New Castle Campus, where they will be evaluated and receive any follow-up medical needed. They will begin going up for adoption on Tuesday at the BVSPCA New Castle, Dover and Georgetown Campuses. WHY: All of the shelter dogs being flown by Wings of Rescue were at impacted shelters prior to Tropical Storm Cristobal and are being airlifted to safety so that the local shelters have room for any pets displaced by the storm so they will not have to euthanize any pets to accommodate them. Special Dedication Flight This flight will be dedicated to Des Pulliam, the Behavior Coordinator at the Brandywine Valley SPCA’s New Castle Campus, who lost her life tragically at age 29 on May 30. Des was struck and killed by a tractor trailer driven by an allegedly intoxicated driver that veered onto the shoulder of an interstate where Des was assisting a friend with a disabled vehicle. SHELTER PARTNERS: • Receiving Shelter: Brandywine Valley SPCA • Sending Shelters: (Louisiana) Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, CARA’s Place, Ouachita Parish, St. John Parish and St. Charles Parish and (Mississippi) St. Francis Sanctuary and Southern Pines WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, June 13, 2020 Departure Airport Load in of 53 shelter dogs: 5:00 AM/CT Departure: 6:00 AM/CT New Orleans Lakefront Airport Flighttime First 6101 G Belanca New Orleans, LA 70126 Arrival Airport at 12:30 PM/ET* New Castle’ Dassault Aviation 191 N DuPont Hwy New Castle, DE 19720 *NOTE: You can track the flight by visiting www.flightaware.com and entering the tail number: BYA377 ABOUT WINGS OF RESCUE Wings of Rescue is a donation-based charity flying large scale transports of at-risk shelter pets from overcrowded shelters and disaster areas to shelters where there is empty kennel space and where no local shelter pets are displaced by the flights. Founded in 2012, Wings of Rescue utilizes volunteer pilots flying rescue missions in their own planes as well as chartered cargo planes to “Let the Fur Fly.” Since inception, more than 40,000 pets have flown to safety. To donate, please visit: Wings of Rescue and Facebook. ABOUT THE PETCO FOUNDATION At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we’ve invested more than $280 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. Through our Think Adoption First program, we partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we’ve helped more than 6.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we’re just getting started. Visit www.petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved. ABOUT THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY SPCA Founded in 1929, the Brandywine Valley SPCA is the first open admission no-kill shelter in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 2019, the BVSPCA cared for more than 13,000 stray, owner-surrendered, wayward owned, and abused and neglected animals while achieving a 96% live release rate. The BVSPCA provides animal protective services for Chester County and much of Delaware County in Pennsylvania, and it holds a five-year contract with the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare to provide state-wide animal services for dogs. Animals are placed through four adoption centers: Dover Campus, Georgetown Campus, New Castle Campus, and West Chester Campus. In addition, the BVSPCA provides families with safety net and low-cost veterinary services at its four clinic locations: the Malvern Animal Health Center, the New Castle Animal Health Center, and the Georgetown Animal Health Center. The BVSPCA also operates the Animal Rescue Center (ARC), a facility dedicated to helping animals with additional needs prior to being ready for adoption, such as cruelty cases, disaster victims, and infants. www.bvspca.org.