This summer has put many pets in a tough spot: as COVID restrictions wind down and families go on vacation or back to work, few fosters or adopters are available for the many animals who need help. So when Petra heard about two sets of moms and puppies who had been surrendered by an owner and urgently needed a safe place to stay, she was thrilled to map out a flight plan to fly them safely to the Charles M. Schultz Airport in Santa Rosa, California.

After the morning haze receded in Los Angeles, Petra flew up to Visalia, California to meet the amazing Angela, who brought the 7 passengers/Peanuts to the airport: Candace, the Boston Terrier mix with her 3 newborn puppies; Meisha, the Corgi mix with the last surviving puppy of her litter 💔; and Gordita, the glorious red Pittie mix who was just happy to be along for the ride. Angela & Petra loaded the pups as fast as possible, especially given the extreme heat in California’s central coast, and within minutes they were airborne.

One tiny puppy continually insisted on burrowing all the way under the soft towels in the kennel, so he got to fly in the cockpit with Petra for part of the journey. Luckily, the air cooled considerably as the crew approached the Bay Area. With all the Peanuts riding safely, Petra made sure to fly over the waypoint called “SNUPY,” which is located above the house of Charlie Brown creator Charles M. Schultz!

After a slow descent and a smooth landing, the great crew at the Sonoma Jet Center helped Petra unload the crates and get the pups off the tarmac in record time. Then, Petra got to meet the inspirational Shirley Zindler, who was waiting with the AC ready to take the Peanuts passengers to the good life. After working in animal shelters for 35 years and becoming an animal control officer to prosecute cases of animal cruelty, Shirley founded Dogwood Animal Rescue to continue her passion for helping pets. She even wrote an amazing book about her many experiences!

With all 7 pups in Shirley’s capable hands, Petra flew home to Los Angeles - completing 6.1 hours of flight time in her longest rescue yet! Check out our recap video of the flight below, and stay tuned for updates on all these cute Charlie Brown Peanuts!