Woman Flies 50 Stray Dogs To Safety

In spite of the fact that we’re facing a global pandemic, animal rescues aren’t stopping their essential work of helping to save animals in need. And we cannot help but admire the countless volunteers out there who are courageously continuing their work.

There was one “brave and selfless” woman who organized a means of transport to the UK for 50 desperate dogs – the poor things were near starvation and in need of care. As the charity Dogs 4 Rescue shared on their Facebook page, volunteer Andrea Siddons set up a Boeing 747 cargo flight to help transport dogs from Cyprus back to the UK.

Siddons normally works with the Cyprus Dog Rescue, trying to help them get a grip on the massive stray animal problem facing the small country. Currently, Cyprus has about 200,000 stray dogs and nearly 2 million stray/feral cats!

As the Facebook post read, “When the virus stops passenger flights and no dogs can leave Cyprus the number of skeletal dogs on the streets and in the pounds increases and they are also the lives lost due to corona but Andrea Siddons went to extraordinary lengths at a huge personal cost both financially and emotionally as she arranged for a 747 to fly 50 dogs to freedom.”

It added, “Some of the dogs she saved who were starving a few weeks ago have landed here in the UK safe and ready for homes. We are in constant awe at her ability, will, and determination. These are the luckiest dogs – almost as lucky as those waiting in the pounds that will now be rescued as there is room for them.”

The Dogs 4 Rescue has stated that it is extremely proud and grateful to Siddons, as well as all others who were involved in the cargo flight arrangement. This included “Amanda of 101 Pet Express,” who pulled an all-nighter picking up and transporting the dogs.

The Facebook post added, “The behind-the-scenes level of organization and stress to make it happen is hard to comprehend. So brave and so selfless.”

In a follow-up post, they said, “She transforms them with love, care, and wills them to make it. It’s incredible that dogs so close to death can look like all the others again in such a short time and that’s all down to her determined dedication to make a difference. Sadly dogs like this are the norm for Andrea – not the exception.”

All 50 dogs were brought to the UK via a British Airways 747 cargo flight. During the flight, they were looked after by trained specialists who provided them with in-flight care.

One of the flight crew members who assisted in the rescue mission, British Airways Captain Paul Walker-Northwood, said to MailOnline, “We were pleased to support this mission to bring these new four-legged family members to the UK to give them the chance of better, more comfortable lives here with their new owners.”

Additionally, Airbridge International Agencies’ Mark Andrew, stated, “We’d like to offer a special thank you to all of those involved in arranging this special flight and are proud to play our part in delivering these pets to their new home.”