realizing, I could get them to their
new homes even faster!A mission of love
After getting his pilot’s license,
Paul bought a small plane, and in
2015, Flying Fur Animal Rescue
(FlyingFurAnimalRescue.org) took
f light. At least two weekends a month,
Paul f lies to states where kill shel-
ters are common and picks up about
15 dogs and a few cats, and transports
them to no-kill shelters in the north-
east and to the hope of a forever home.
And every special “paw-senger” gets
first-class treatment. Paul talks to them
and showers them with affection.
Kendall was a rescue
pup from an abandoned
property in North
Carolina, where 22
animals were living in
squalor. As Paul loaded
the pup onto the plane,
Kendall shook nervously.
“You’re going to be okay,” Paul
soothed. And then, smiling, he opened
the crate and settled Kendall on the
seat beside him in the cockpit. The
dog was timid at first, but as Paul
gently petted him and sang to him,
Kendall warmed up, snuggled close
and even fel l asleep in Pau l ’s lap.Other dogs happily board the air-
craft. Sammy, Simon and Heather had
all been badly abused and were seri-
ously injured. Yet they sat calmly and
gazed at their pilot with sweetness in
their eyes. “You know, don’t you?” Paul
said softly. “You will live. Today you
know you will live a long, happy life
and bring joy to others.”New “leash” on life
To date, Paul has saved more than
1,000 animals, and counting.
Bo had been found by the side of
the road after having been hit by a car.
He suffered severe nerve damage and
was unable to control his bowels or
hind legs. Paul flew him
to a rescue in New York,
where he received the
medical care he needed,
and today Bo has made
a full recovery and is
loved and cared for.
And there was
Maximus. Badly abused and left to
die in a cemetery with more than
150 infected wounds, even the local
vet wanted to put him down. But Paul
stepped in and f lew him to a rescue
willing to give him a chance. And
although his leg had to be amputated,
Maximus recovered and was adopted.love
“It’s not just
the rescue
animal whose
life is changed,
it’s mine too!”Paul (left) has flownmore than 1 , (^000) dogs
to loving new families
8/26/19 First for women 91
1
THEY WARD OFF LONELINESS!
Pet owners are 36% less likely to
feel lonely, but you don’t need to have
a pet of your own to experience their
benefits! Studies show that petting
any furry friend lowers your heart rate
for 15 minutes while flooding the brain
with the happiness hormone, oxytocin.
2
THEY UP PRODUCTIVITY!
It turns out that scrolling through
those adorable pictures of puppies at
work also helps you get more done! A
recent study found that when shown
images of baby animals, participants
significantly outperformed their peers
and increased their attention to detail.
3
THEY SOOTHE STRESS!
Recent studies have shown that
watching animals in nature helps
decrease stress. In fact, researchers
in the U.K. found that people who
bird-watch are at lower risk for anxi-
ety, and gazing at fish for five minutes
significantly reduces blood pressure!
Dumbledore^
is just^ one^
of Paul’s^
many^ furry^
co-pilots
Today Maximus has two furry sisters,
one of whom also has only three legs.
Best of all, Maximus’ forever home
is only 45 minutes from Pau l ’s house,
so he has been able to visit and give
him belly rubs.
But Paul says over the past three
years, he has gotten so much more
than he has given. “To see them happy
and loved is my best reward,” says
Paul. “It’s not just the rescue animal
whose life has changed, it’s mine too!
I know how much comfort and love
these animals will bring to their new
families. To help bring about so many
second chances and happy endings,
there’s just nothing better.”^
3 WAYS ANIMALS IMPROVE OUR WELL-BEING
many happy
reward!”
TE
XT
:^ D
IAN
E^ N
ICH
OL
S