A man felt he needed to change something and make a difference in the world he lives in. He saw the problem of abandoned animals on a death row. All of them could have had a better life in their new families, but someone decided they needed euthanasia.
An Army veteran learned how to fly and bought his own plane so he could rescue hundreds of death row dogs.
Kind-hearted Paul Steklenski, 45, forked out £50,000 for an aircraft which he fills with crates of unloved pups facing euthanasia. The tank operator-turned-IT expert realised he wanted to save animals after adopting a homeless pooch, Tessa, from a rescue centre.
At first, Paul considered driving to kill shelters in the US and transporting the canines elsewhere by road to help them find owners.
But he knew he would be able to give dozens more abandoned pets new lives if he transported them in another way.
He had coincidentally started learning how to fly in 2013 as a hobby, but realised at the same time that he wanted to rescue animals, so went on to get his licence.
Then in May 2015 he set up Flying Fur Animal Rescue and says he’s single-handedly saved 742 animals since then, many which were neglected or abused. In February the US Army ex-serviceman of eight years – an SPC who trained troops in Kentucky, USA – even bought his own PLANE to help with the task.
Paul, who lives with his wife, fellow IT expert Michelle, 46, takes off a day or a half day once a month to fly to shelters, where he picks up some cats as well as dogs. In order to transport the animals, he ripped up the interior of the five-seater Beechcraft Bonanza and bought a host of pet carriers to place in the back.
