A heartwarming story of a pilot adopting a kitten after an emergency airlift due to Hurricanes Milton and Helene has become viral. Greater Good Charities teamed up with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and Southwest Airlines to conduct an emergency flight of 145 shelter animals impacted by the catastrophic storms to the Midwest from the Southeast. The joint initiative also helped North Carolina communities by delivering supplies during the crisis.
An adorable kitten named Avery was the first shelter pet in this large group to find its forever home. Matthew Prebish, the captain of Southwest Airlines who flew the emergency flight, ended up adopting Avery from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
Southwest pilot adopts kitten after airlifting 145 shelter pets from hurricane zones
Matthew Prebish, a Southwest Airlines Captain who piloted the emergency airlift, gave one of the rescued kittens a loving family by adopting her. According to Southwest Airlines, Prebish said it was an honor for him to fly the rescue flight as well as help at least one shelter pet. Moreover, he expressed his contentment at being able to provide the kitten with a “fur-ever home.”
Meanwhile, Southwest Newsroom reported that Whitney Eichinger, the Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Southwest Airlines, shared thoughts on lending the aircraft for the emergency airlift. Eichinger said, “At Southwest Airlines, we lead with our Hearts to provide assistance where it is needed.” They added, “We were honored to lend an aircraft for this rescue flight to transport these animals to their forever homes.”
All the shelter animals onboarded on this rescue aircraft were under the care of shelters in Florida and Tennessee before the disastrous hurricanes hit the region. The joint initiative transported them to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue’s South Carolina Rescue Campus, which is located in Florence.
