Local dogs travel to find forever homes

CONROE, TX (KTRK) -- We all want to be home for the holidays, and the same goes for four-legged family members. This holiday season, there are dogs who are taking the trip of a lifetime to find their forever homes.

When they woke up, a group of 28 dogs were sitting in Montgomery County animal shelters hoping for someone to take them home. With no takers, the dogs are headed to families waiting in the northeast.

Thanks to an organization called Operation Pets Alive, the pound puppies are turning into first class travelers.

"A lot of times they have already been viewed by adopters and there is a line waiting to pick up the dogs, even though they sat down here for 60 to 90 days," said Operation Pets Alive president Marcia Piotter.

The trip is made possible completely by volunteers and donations. The plane's owner has loaned it to the organization for the flight and pilots volunteer their hours. Before the dogs take flight, dozens of foster families get the dogs ready for their cross-country trip.

"This morning we'll be going to Laconia, New Hampshire and dropping these puppies off to their new owners," said volunteer pilot Michael Weimert.

If they were to stay in crowded Houston-area shelters much longer, their chances of survival drop drastically.

"The quicker we can get them out to a good family, the better off they are. These guys would face sickness or possibly euthanasia," said Piotter.

So instead of putting them down, Operation Pets Alive sends them to parts of the country with the highest adoption rates.

"Where we're sending them is about a 99.9 percent adoption rate. Down here we have about a 50 to 70 percent save rate," Piotter said.

The odds are, these animals are going to have a great Christmas in their new homes.

"It's a wonderful feeling to know that they're not going to be put down and that we're finding a home for them," Weimert said.