2 Valley men fly to Alabama to rescue 14 dogs

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - When you think dogs, you don't normally think of planes, but for a handful of pups in Alabama, this aircraft means a one-way ticket to forever homes.

Folks from Follow Your Heart Rescue say this mission all started on social media.

"One of my volunteers, or a few of them actually, saw in on social media and brought it to my attention and instantly you're in love," Debbie Varner said.

The dogs were scheduled to be euthanized today, but Debbie said she couldn't sit back and not take action.

"And so you do what you can when something's put in front of you," she said. "You do what you can to do good in the world."

Through volunteers at Follow Your Heart, Debbie met Dan and Peyton, who are two people also willing to do what they can in the name of rescue.

"We heard about all this, what's going on in Alabama, the shelters being overcrowded, and now I think the final count is up to 22; how many we're trying to rescue, which all costs about 6,000, so basically I said, 'I'll fund this if you get a plane and co-pilots,'" Dan said.

The team takes off tomorrow from Scottsdale and will make the 1,500 trip and return on Friday.

Now, with the help of the community, Debbie says she hopes the dogs will quickly find forever homes right here in the Valley.

"We always needs fosters, but mostly we need funds," she said. 'I mean, I'm not gonna lie, that is the reality of dog rescues. If you don't have any money, you can't save."

Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue
http://www.followyourheartanimalrescue.org/