06:00, 30 January 2025
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
If you’ve ever seen a picture of a cat in a cockpit when scrolling through Instagram, chances are you’ve stumbled across Pilots to the Rescue.
A charity based in the USA, Pilots to the Rescue is an awesome organisation that tasks volunteer pilots with flying across the country to rescue animals from kill shelters. In many cases, there are other shelters in other places that have space - there’s just no way to get to them in time.
That’s where ‘Top Dog’ Michael Schneider comes in.
“In the States, there's no shortage of animals that need to be transported or rescued,” Michael says, sitting down to chat with Smiley News from his hangar in the US. “We're still euthanising nearly a million cats and dogs in the United States [every year].”
Thanks to partners across the country, Michael and his team of volunteers at Pilots to the Rescue can be contacted whenever there are animals in need. Most of the time this is for dogs and cats that are about to be euthanised due to space shortages - other times, it’s to pick up elderly or sick creatures that couldn’t handle ground transportation or even endangered animals.
“We do quite a bit of endangered species work. We do sea turtles, we're in conversations for big cats, like tigers, which is really rewarding work,” explains Michael. “Endangered species is a big topic. They're part of our ecosystem, and when you eliminate part of our ecosystem, then … you've disrupted the balance of nature.”
Michael has been an animal lover his whole life, even boarding animals at his parent's house when he was younger - so when the opportunity came up to join his love of flying with his love of animals, he couldn’t resist.
Michael went on his first animal rescue mission ten years ago, all the way back in 2015. He heard about a group of puppies abandoned in a ditch in rural North Carolina who, along with a brand new litter, were due to be euthanised. All of this was simply because the local shelters were too overcrowded to take care of the pups.
Along with his longtime friend and fellow pilot Brian Orter, Michael flew over an hour to North Carolina to pick up the puppies and deliver them, safe and sound, to the East Coast. Here, they were given the care and attention they needed and, eventually, found their forever homes.
Michael went on to crowdfund more than $12,000 in less than 48 hours to get Pilots to the Rescue off the ground, and a new charity was born.
“The charity … was always sort of a side project. I ran it for six years without any salary,” explains Michael. “[Then] COVID destroyed an event planning business I ran; meanwhile the charity just skyrocketed.”
During COVID, Michael explains, when people were home all the time, so many wanted a pet. Then when lockdowns were lifted and the transition back to in-person events and work began, many were unable to care for them. Sadly, this led to a huge number of animals being abandoned at rescue centres and shelters.
It was here that the charity really took off (so to speak). Now, in 2025, the Pilots to the Rescue is a huge success, with a list of volunteers who love to get stuck in. They have one plane, which Michael still flies, as well as two ground vehicles, enabling them to help even more animals than ever before.
“We have a network of volunteers across the US that have access to aircraft,” adds Michael. “They volunteer their time and money renting the aircraft, it comes out of their own pockets to do these missions. Due to the FAA rules, we can't reimburse them.”
While the plane owned by Pilots to the Rescue is an incredible resource, it has its drawbacks. Each hour the plane is in operation, it costs around $750, putting a limit on how far they can fly it on a regular basis.
Thanks to the charity’s incredible sponsors and partners, as well as the generous donations from supporters across the globe, they are able to keep doing what they do best; saving lives.
Since that first flight in 2015, Pilots to the Rescue has launched an incredible 277 successful missions, covering 301,734 and saving 3,602 souls.
Michael might no longer have his events planning business, but the heart of what he does with Pilots to the Rescue more than makes up for it.
“That's one of the key secrets to being happy; giving back and making a difference,” says Michael. “Rolling up your sleeves and getting involved in a cause that you really care about, that ultimately leads to fulfilment and happiness.”
“I'm making less than half what I was before, but I'm more than two times happier.”
To learn more about Pilots to the Rescue and the work they do, you can visit their website by following this link, or follow them on Instagram here.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
RSPCA. This is the leading animal welfare charity in the UK, and they specialise in animal rescue & furthering the welfare cause for all animals. Find out more here.
Four Paws UK. This charity is an animal welfare organisation, working globally to help animals in need. Learn more here.
Wildlife Justice Commission. This international foundation works to end animal trafficking around the globe. Find out more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Life on Land, Partnership for the Goals.
