DDN – Two dogs that survived an animal-rescue flight crash that killed the pilot have found new homes, as the late aviator’s friends try to remember him by assisting other creatures, a shelter director announced Wednesday.
Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, died in a collision in New York’s Catskill Mountains on November 24.
He was a dedicated volunteer who transported cats and dogs from disaster zones and overcrowded shelters to rescue groups. His 1986 Mooney M20J crashed while he was transporting three dogs to the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley in Albany, New York.
Kim reported to air traffic controllers that he encountered moderate to heavy turbulence at 5,000 feet (1,520 meters), but then descended to about 4,300 feet (1,311 meters) and reported that conditions improved to light to moderate turbulence, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the crash. According to the report, he did not contact air traffic control again or issue any distress calls.
Two of the dogs survived: Whiskey, a Labrador-mix puppy, and Pluto, a young Yorkshire terrier mix. Pluto suffered internal bruises, while Whiskey was discovered curled in the snow with two shattered legs. The Lab pup then underwent surgery at Pieper Memorial Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut.
After several treatments and extensive physical therapy, 6-month-old Whiskey is back on his feet and playing at his foster home in Middletown, and the family who took him in has opted to keep him, according to Maggie Jackman Pryor, executive director of the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley
The foster family plans to formally adopt Whiskey this weekend.
Meanwhile, Pluto healed fast and was adopted a few weeks later into a home in Averill Park, a neighborhood near Albany, according to Pryor.
The remains of the third dog, a small one named Lisa, were given to Kim’s relatives at their request.
According to Pryor, the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley had requests from people all across the country interested in adopting the canine survivors. He advised some callers to search closer to home, however.
“These two dogs are amazing, but there are so many amazing dogs” in shelters, she stated in a phone interview Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kim’s friends and fellow rescue pilots are organizing an organization to carry on his legacy, Pryor added. She said plans include financing mobile spay and neuter clinics and establishing pet food pantries similar to the one he and his children created.
Reference: 2 dogs get new homes after surviving plane crash that killed rescue flight pilot
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