The puppy express took off from Midway today to find a set of thankful dogs homes.
More than 50 dogs rescued from puppy mills in Missouri were airlifted out of Midway airport en route to Long Island where they are supposed to find loving owners.
The dogs were taken by bus Thursday to Chicago, where they were given a rest break and special Thanksgiving meals.
Pet Airways flew the dogs from Chicago to New York's LaGuardia Airport. They will then be taken to the North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington, N.Y., where they will be put up for adoption.
"These dogs come out of horrible, abusive circumstances," said Cynthia Bathurst, the national director Project Safe Humane.
She described situations where some small dogs are kept in cages and never let out. Many of the dogs, she said, are bred repeatedly.
"The idea here is to save the dogs that have been through this and also to educate the public, especially on Black Friday, about adopting rather than going to pet stores that use puppy mill dogs," she said.
Pet Airways dubbed the flight "Operation Thanksgiving Day Flight to Freedom," Dan Wiesel, founder of Pet Airways, told the Chicago Tribune.
Missouri launched an aggressive campaign last summer to investigate and prosecute unlicensed dog breeders.
In September, more than 100 dogs were removed from what officials called an unlicensed puppy mill in mid-Missouri where dogs were living in filthy conditions.
