Flight Escort Volunteers
Did you know that your upcoming vacation can be more than a fun and relaxing time with friends or family?
What if we told you you could save multiple lives – with hardly any effort on your part?
We have partner rescues in several U.S. and Mexican locations. We are always looking for flight escorts flying with Air Canada, Air Transat, or WestJet to help dogs get to (or across) Canada to begin their new lives. By escorting a dog, you’re not only saving that precious life, but also another because of the space that is freed up at the shelter!
So what’s involved in such an adventure?
First we need you to email our Imports Coordinators at flyingwithdogs@pawsitivematch.org to let them know of your upcoming flight so we can begin working on details with our partner rescues and have you book crate space on your flight as needed.
We may ask if you’d be willing to bring crates with you on your trip to hand off to our partner rescue. These can be checked at the same time you check your regular luggage at the airport and a rescue volunteer will take them from you after you land at your destination! Crates are extremely difficult to find in Mexico, and if they are found, they are very expensive for the shelter to purchase.
Restrictions on transporting dogs may be in place from mid-May to the end of October, so please contact us or your airline to confirm!
Enjoy your holidays as you normally would!
You will receive a couple of e-mails of instruction towards the end of your holiday. On the day you leave, a volunteer from our partner rescue will meet you at the airport with the dog(s) as well as the necessary paperwork. They will stay and help you get checked in and through security. The paperwork is handled by us, our partner rescue, and the airline. If your dog(s) are travelling as checked luggage, once they’re checked in, the rest of your flight is as normal! If you have a dog travelling as carry-on, you just have an extra cute travel partner to enjoy the flight with.
Upon landing in Calgary you will pickup your luggage as normal and collect any dogs that were checked from the “fragile/oversize baggage” area. You will then head over to “Secondary” at customs where they’ll go through your paperwork, check on the dogs, and charge you the GST (which we will reimburse). In our experience, this takes approximately an additional 20 – 60 minutes.
Once finished in Secondary, you meet up with our transporters at the door just outside Customs. They will take the dogs from you and transport them to our shelter facility where they will be settled in with food, water, and their own bed. You are free to head home knowing you just did a great thing!
Any charges or fees incurred to the traveler when booking crate space or while going through Customs will be reimbursed by Pawsitive Match.
Why Flight Escorts Save Lives
Mexico
Since the beginning, Pawsitive Match has had a focus on saving dogs from Mexico, where there is an abundance of unwanted and unaltered animals – which only increases the overpopulation problem! We are proud to partner with local rescues and shelters in Mexico to assist in their goal of spaying and neutering local animals to reduce the future populations, increasing education and awareness of the locals, as well as finding loving homes for the current dogs in the shelter to allow more needy dogs to be saved.
The United States
Pawsitive Match also works with rescues in the United States to re-home small dogs. Chihuahuas are the second most common dog turned in to our partner rescues, and sadly, many are euthanized due to lack of room.
Why Import Dogs? Aren’t there enough to save in Canada?
The truth is, we have many large dogs in need in Calgary and surrounding areas, but there are very few small dogs. Almost all the dogs that are local or from other areas of the province or country are 40 pounds or larger. In the meantime, there are many thousands of small dogs that are in overcrowded shelters in the U.S. and Mexico who need rescues from outside their areas to step up and save their lives.
Though we are involved in the rescue and re-homing of dogs originating in other countries, Pawsitive Match is well aware of the overpopulation of dogs on local reserves as well as puppy mills and abandoned dogs across Canada. Pawsitive Match remains committed to assisting and re-homing local dogs and works closely with the Canadian Animal Task Force and other rescue groups to find these dogs the forever homes they also deserve.
I’m in! What’s next?
If you are interested in sharing your ride with a deserving pup, or if you would like some additional information, please email flyingwithdogs@pawsitivematch.org and we’ll be happy to answer any questions!