West Coast Winston Goes East!

Our Waggy West rescue mission relies on volunteer chaperones who have room in their hearts and their hand luggage to bring back a shelter dog from the over crowded and under funded shelters of LA to the waiting arms of foster homes and adopters in NYC!

If you have been wondering or worrying about flying with one of our dogs because you've never flown with a dog before, take a look at what Leticia had to say about chaperoning our boy Winston from LAX to JFK!

"I had never travelled on a plane with a pet before, so I was pretty nervous about it and unsure what to expect. Turns out my nerves were unnecessary as chaperoning Winston was super-easy and straight-forward."

"His LA foster mom, Holly, dropped him to me the morning of our flight. He was scared and nervous, and when Holly left he cried for her and tried to go after her =(. I wanted to distract him, and as he and I had about an hour or so to spend together before leaving for the airport, I took him for a walk along the beach (he was about to become an East Coast pup, so I figured he should have one last Californian beach stroll!) in the hopes of him feeling more comfortable with me before the flight.

I think he did, as he came over and softly gave me a few kisses on my face after our walk (he is the SWEETEST love bug ever). I wanted him to trust me and know I was going to take care of him. From there we hopped in a cab and headed for the airport."

"Going through security was a breeze, Winston was in his carrier and once it was our turn to go through the XRay scanner, I took him out of his carrier and held him as we walked through the scanner together. And that was it. I placed him back in his carrier on the other side, we found a spot to sit, and he sat on my lap for a while until we boarded.

Once it was time to board I placed him back in his carrier (which he seemed to like, I think he felt cozy and safe in there and Holly had left him with some toys and a shirt that had her scent on it). Once in our seat, I placed him in his carrier under the seat in front of me and he basically slept the entire way! He stirred a couple of times towards the end of the flight, so I opened the top and put my hand in to pet him."

"Once we landed at JFK we headed outside to the pet relief area and then got in a cab to the city. I dropped him at his new Foster mom's place that evening."

"It was a super easy process and I'm so happy Winston found his forever home so soon in New York! He is an absolute beautiful little pup and deserved a good, loving home. I've told all of my friends about my experience, and have told a few of them they should consider bringing pups back with them the next time they go to LA for work. I'd definitely volunteer to be a chaperone again!"

If you are planning a flight from LA to NYC in the near future and can carry one of our rescue pups with you, let us know! We will provide a carrier and pay for the pup's ticket!

Email us at: waggytailwest@gmail.com!

Winston was adopted and is now living happily with his family in Staten Island :)