[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E266-E267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE WORK OF MIRAH HOROWITZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 6, 2018

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the special leadership 
of Mirah Horowitz, the Founder and Executive Director of Lucky Dog 
Animal Rescue, and include in the Record an article entitled, Southwest 
and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Fly Plane to Puerto Rico to Save 62 Pets 
and Donate 14,400 lbs. of Supplies that was published by People 
Magazine. This article outlines the rescue mission embarked on by 
Southwest Airlines and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
  It was the extraordinary leadership of Mirah Horowitz that this 
rescue effort was launched and coordinated with Southwest Airlines. I'm 
exceedingly proud of my constituent for her professionalism, dedication 
and compassion. Mirah has built an organization that is highly 
respected, and it is her determination that led to the nationally 
recognized rescue of animals in Puerto Rico, bringing them to their new 
homes in the United States.
  I salute Mirah and all the volunteers involved in this historic 
effort. In this unique undertaking, they demonstrated the very best of 
America.

                         [From People Magazine]

Southwest and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Fly Plane to Puerto Rico to Save 
               62 Pets and Donate 14,400 lbs. of Supplies

                           (By Kelli Bender)

       On Saturday Jan. 20, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and Southwest 
     Airlines drastically changed the lives of 62 Puerto Rican 
     animals, flying the homeless, furry passengers up the East 
     Coast to a new life.
       It was a trip long in the making, powered by dozens of 
     brilliant, compassionate animal lovers, who asked for nothing 
     in return except the chance to change an animal's life.
       Southwest Airlines has a history of helping those in need, 
     especially after natural disasters. So when Washington D.C.-
     based Lucky Dog Animal Rescue approached the company about 
     flying out homeless pets stranded in Puerto Rico following 
     the devastation of Hurricane Maria, Southwest responded 
     immediately.
       ``We had a goal to do something for each of the hurricanes. 
     The situation in San Juan was a little different because our 
     employees and their families were affected, and with the 
     electricity being out, we couldn't focus on the animals right 
     away,'' Lisa Tiller, Southwest's Senior Communications 
     Manager told PEOPLE.
       But just because they couldn't fly pets out, didn't mean 
     Southwest wasn't bringing help in. The airline routinely 
     shipped planes loaded with supplies to the island, much of 
     which is still without running water and electricity. Many of 
     the runs included pet essentials to help rescuers in Puerto 
     Rico look after animals.
       In January, three months after the hurricane hit, things 
     were finally in a place where Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and 
     Southwest could put their plan into action.
       For the mutt-filled mission, Southwest took one of its 
     planes out of service and staffed it with some of its finest 
     employees, all of whom chose to donate their time to this 
     effort.
       The plane's cargo hold and overhead bins were filled with 
     supplies Puerto Rico's humans and animals needed before 
     taking off from Baltimore-Washington International airport at 
     5 a.m. on Saturday.
       ``The morning started off with Lucky Dog getting Starbucks 
     for everyone,'' Lucky Dog Animal Rescue's founder and 
     Executive Director Mirah Horowitz said of the day, which 
     began at 3:45 a.m. ``The pilots brought doughnuts. My parents 
     brought doughnuts. We had a lot of doughnuts on that flight, 
     a lot of sugar.''
       After three hours and 45 minutes in the air, the volunteers 
     landed in San Juan and began unloading the 14,400 lbs. of 
     much-needed supplies they brought with them.
       ``Everyone was just so nice and helpful. The minute we 
     landed, Lucky Dog volunteers were unloading, Southwest 
     volunteers were unloading, the cargo staff on the ground was 
     unloading,'' Horowitz recalled. ``Everyone jumped in to help. 
     It was truly amazing how wonderful everyone meshed for two 
     groups that had never met before.''
       Next it was time to handle the precious cargo. Sixteen cats 
     and 46 dogs looking for forever homes were carefully loaded 
     into carriers off the tarmac and prepared for their flight to 
     a new life.
       ``Everyone was jubilant. I was shocked! For as long of a 
     day as it was, and as early as it started, people were just 
     in the best moods the whole time,'' Horowitz said.
       The furry passengers were a mix of pets from different 
     circumstances. Some were living in foster homes before the 
     storm hit, others were abandoned by their previous owners 
     once Hurricane Maria touched down. But it was the rescuers of 
     PR Animals who were caring for these pets before Lucky Dog 
     Animal Rescue and Southwest arrived. And it was these 
     rescuers who were there on the ground to greet the volunteers 
     and say their goodbyes.
       ``It was very emotional; the rescuers putting their dogs in 
     the crates and saying goodbye to them, because these are 
     animals they have been caring for through very difficult and 
     traumatic times--whether they were caring for them before 
     Maria and weathered the storm with these people, which were a 
     few of the dogs, or whether they were rescued in the 
     immediate aftermath,'' Horowitz added.
       While the rescuers had to say goodbye to the animals they 
     sacrificed so much for, they didn't leave empty-handed. All 
     of the PR Animal rescuers present left in vehicles packed 
     with donated supplies. Important items like batteries, 
     bottled water, towels and tarps were given to the rescuers, 
     more than half of whom are still living without running water 
     and electricity.
       ``It wasn't about taking the pets off the island, it was 
     about giving hope and physical help to people and reminding 
     them that we haven't forgotten them,'' Horowitz said of the 
     trip's mission. Once the pets were packed up, they were 
     loaded on to the plane with their carriers securely strapped 
     into the seats.
       You might think a plane packed with 62 pets in the cabin 
     would be a bit of a circus, but there were only a few howls 
     upon landing.
       ``Amazingly during the flight, the hum and vibration kind 
     of put them all to sleep,'' Horowitz said.
       With carriers of kittens and puppies aboard, not everyone 
     stayed in their crate during the trip. Horowitz admitted that 
     the volunteers and flight attendants couldn't resist getting 
     some quality puppy-holding and kitten-cuddling time in during 
     the trip back.
       ``It was great,'' the Lucky Dog Animals Rescue founder said 
     of the ride back to BWI. Even the pilots got a chance to hold 
     the pups.
       Back on the mainland, the dogs and cats were loaded into 
     transport vans and driven to Dogma Dog Bakery in Virginia, 
     where a crowd was waiting to welcome the animals, including 
     several new pet parents.
       Nine dogs and two cats were adopted right off the transport 
     vans by animal lovers who had falling in love with the pets' 
     pictures online.
       An adoption event the following day found homes for 10 more 
     of the Puerto Rican natives. By the end of the weekend, 21 of 
     the 62 pets were with their forever families. The rest spent 
     some time in foster homes before being moved to local 
     rescues, including Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, where they will 
     surely find their own pet parents soon.

[[Page E267]]

       It was a trip that made sense to Southwest, whose logo is a 
     large heart--even if it meant giving up time and money.
       ``We've always been an airline that has lead with heart,'' 
     Tiller said of her company. ``It's hard to find a spare 
     aircraft with more than 3,500 flights a day. To be able to 
     get our top leadership to donate time and plane fuel to save 
     animals is touching. It's when our employees shine the most 
     are, when people donating time. Everyone is almost in tears 
     because they are so touched to be a part of this.''
       And for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, this trip was another 
     small but important step to finding loving homes for all the 
     needy animals of the world.
       The non-profit plans to continue helping the pets of Puerto 
     Rico and is working to send more animals to the mainland 
     through the pressurized cargo holds of United Airlines 
     planes, because caring for animals is a way to help everyone.
       ``When we lose sight of how we treat animals, we tend to 
     lose sight of our humanity,'' Horowitz said of what the trip 
     meant to her. ``We can't forget the pets.''

                          ____________________