(PRESS RELEASE) AUSTIN, TX — Timed with National Pet Month, Austin-based Wondercide, the leader in safe and effective, plant-powered pest protection for pets, people, and homes, announces participation and funding of its second annual Texas-based pet rescue flight. Set to take off on May 10 from Austin, TX, brand partners Dog Is My CoPilot (DIMC), Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), Matt Beisner of “Dog: Impossible” on Disney+/NGW and rescue organizations in need have come together to save 50+ dogs and cats from euthanasia.
Dog Is My CoPilot is a national nonprofit that transports at-risk animals from overcrowded shelters to adoption centers in other geographic regions where loving fosters and adoptive families are waiting for them. DIMC was founded by Peter E. Rork, a retired orthopedic surgeon and lifelong pilot. To date, the organization has flown almost 22,000 pets to safety.
According to the ASPCA, each year, approximately six million dogs and cats enter U.S. animal shelters, and about one million are euthanized due to overcrowded shelters, pet illness, and behavior issues such as aggression. Overcrowded and underfunded shelters turn to transport programs offered by organizations such as DIMC to get dogs and cats safely from kill shelters to no-kill rescue organizations that are dedicated to finding forever homes for these adoptable animals. The challenge is local funding for both transport to get the pets from rural rescues into a centralized location, as well as the cost of medical exams and certificates needed before pets can take flight, which most smaller shelters can’t afford.
Austin nonprofit Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), a nonprofit organization that pioneers comprehensive, innovative programs designed to save animals most at risk, offers neighboring rescues transportation assistance for adoptable pets as well as veterinarian services to provide the medical tests and vaccinations, such as rabies, required for pets to cross state lines.
“We estimate that approximately 150,000 pets are euthanized each year in Texas alone, but there is a national crisis,” said Clare Callison, director of National Pet Supply & Demand at Austin Pets Alive! “Many organizations don’t even have the funding to pay for food for the animals, much less vet checks, tests, or flea-and-tick protection. No-kill rescue organizations have vet check requirements that must be met before receiving adoptable pets, so there’s a big need to find a way to make this care available. We saw the struggles our neighboring rescues were having and we knew we had to help to increase the rate of live outcomes for these pets who otherwise wouldn’t have much hope.”
For the past two years, Wondercide pledged to donate a portion of sales from select promotions and holiday scent sampler boxes to Dog Is My CoPilot, and the non-profit is pleased to announce this year’s entire flight has again been made possible by Wondercide customers and this generous donation.
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“We’ll continue to find ways to support the rescue community and the organizations that go to the end of the earth to save pets across the country,” said Stephanie Boone, Founder and CEO of Wondercide. “The volunteers at DIMC, APA!, and the underfunded shelters are shining examples of leading with Fierce Love. These inspiring people are doing everything in their power and beyond to save pets and we couldn’t be more honored to be a small part of this big love.”
In honor of the flight and National Pet Month, Wondercide is teaming up with certified professional dog trainer and star of the Disney+ show, “Dog: Impossible,” Matt Beisner (CPDT-KA), to provide helpful training tips for fosters and for new pet parents who adopt to ensure a happy outcome. Matt Beisner has spent his career dedicated to serving dogs like these whose behavioral issues are a typical response to the very environments they need to be rescued from.
Beisner, an ambassador of the Texas Humane Network, is a supporter of the rescue community and has changed dangerous, fearful and confounding behaviors in dogs without relying on the use of fear, force, commands or control. “In each dog, as in each of us, there’s a possibility for transformation regardless of the life we’ve been given,” said Beisner. “It’s our duty to teach those once impossible dogs, scared dogs and dogs who have never been loved by humans, that we are here to protect them so they can thrive.”
“We believe that collaboration is key to saving more lives and are humbled by the generosity of companies like Wondercide and APA! who share our mission to help protect as many pets as possible,” said Peter Rork, M.D., chief pilot and president of DIMC. “This rescue effort is a model for partnership and we hope it will inspire more people to work together for the greater good of our animal friends. These dogs think we’re saving them, but at the end of the day, they save us. They give us the chance to do good and help, to live with a greater purpose than ourselves.”
The May 10 flight will save approximately 50 at-risk dogs and cats from all over West Texas. The flight departs Austin around 5:00 am CST and will make stops in Fort Collins, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho, where rescue partners will usher the pets to their new, wonderful lives.
About Wondercide
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Founded in 2009 and as seen on Shark Tank in 2016, Wondercide is an Austin, TX, company on a mission to protect pets, people, and homes from pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes with safe, plant-powered, proven-to-work solutions. The complete lineup of products is powered by natural essential oils. Wondercide is woman-founded, eco-conscious, and made in the USA. To date, they’ve protected 1.5 million families and counting! Wondercide is driven by Fierce Love to help you Protect Your Pack and is available for purchase on Wondercide.com, on Amazon.com, on Chewy.com, and at select pet-specialty retail stores nationwide. For more information, visit wondercide.com.
About Dog Is My CoPilot
Dog Is My CoPilot is a 501(c)3 that transports at-risk animals from overcrowded shelters to adoption centers in other geographic regions where loving families are waiting. Peter E. Rork, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and lifelong pilot, co-founded the organization in 2012 with the goal of saving as many animal lives as possible. Dog Is My CoPilot works collaboratively with city shelters, local animal welfare organizations and individuals in 15 western states to coordinate transports. The organization provides its air services at no cost to the shelters and adoption centers with whom they partner. Since its inception, Dog Is My CoPilot has helped save the lives of over 16,500 dogs and cats with our transport flights.
About Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive! is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Austin Pets Alive! is focused on saving the healthy and treatable pets at risk of euthanasia at city shelters. Our mission is to promote and provide the resources, education and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. For more information, visit www.austinpetsalive.org.
About Matt Beisner
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Professional celebrity dog trainer, Matt Beisner (CPDT-KA) is the founder of THE ZEN DOG and star of the popular international show “Dog: Impossible” on Disney+ and National Geographic Wild. Matt has spent his career dedicated to serving dogs whose behavioral issues are a normal response to the very environments they need to be rescued from. Matt, an ambassador of the Texas Humane Network, is a supporter of the rescue community and has worked with dogs to help change their dangerous, fearful and confounding behaviors, without relying on fear, force, commands or control. Matt’s work deeply reflects his personal commitment to hope, something that every dog – and their human – deserve, no matter the mistakes they’ve made. He now lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Brooklin, their son and daughter, and their four once “impossible” dogs.”
