Special delivery unites locals with dog

On a chilly evening, with daylight fading fast, Peter Rork flew his small plane into Libby. Eight small dogs were on that flight, including Chula, a one-year-old dachshund and chihuahua mix commonly referred to as a chiweenie.

Libby residents Sandy Gerber and Karen Naulty were visiting friends while vacationing in Merced, Calif., and found Chula, homeless and hungry, wandering the streets of their friends’ neighborhood. Karen helped Chula overcome her fear of people by placing small amounts of food in her hand and then putting her hand behind her back and turning her back to the dog, offering her the food without making eye contact.

Soon the women were able to pick up Chula and take her to a veterinarian, where it was discovered that Chula had not been previously microchipped. As she had neither collar nor license, there was no way for the women to find Chula’s owners, so they took her to the New Beginnings for Animals shelter in Merced.

Gerber and Naulty kept tabs on Chula by checking the New Beginnings website, but she was never adopted. Gerber is allergic to animals, but her heart went out to little Chula. 

“To hell with my allergies,” she said, and she and Naulty decided to adopt Chula and bring her to Libby. Chula will stay with Gerber and Naulty during the day and then sleep at a neighbor’s home. The neighbor has agreed to share custody of Chula.

Gerber and Naulty contacted Julie Hopfer of Libby’s Pet Connection Rescue and Sanctuary and set themselves on a course to again rescue Chula. Hopfer coordinated with New Beginnings and arranged for Chula, along with several other dogs, to be transported to Libby by Rork’s non-profit, Dog Is My Copilot.

Chula is the 2,000th pet to be rescued by Dog Is My Copilot since Rork started the organization in 2012, after retiring from medical practice. Dog Is My Copilot is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works with local shelters to transport homeless pets to no-kill shelters in areas where the pets are much more likely to be adopted. There is never a charge to the shelters for the transportation of the animals.

On Wednesday, Rork started in Polson, where he has a home. He flew to Idaho Falls, Idaho, and picked up several large dogs, which he took to Merced. In Merced he picked up several more dogs, including Chula. He then flew to Logan, Utah, and Missoula, dropping several off to other shelters, before landing in Libby to reunite Chula with Gerber and Naulty. He then flew back home to Polson for the night.

Rork’s flight logs show that he has recorded more than 420 flight hours transporting rescued dogs so far this year. He estimates that each flight hour costs about $225 in fuel and maintenance. The nonprofit raises roughly one-third of the costs associated with Rork’s work. The rest of the money, almost $200,000 during the past two and a half years, has come from Rork’s pocket. 

“It’s truly a labor of love,” Rork said.

The rest of the dogs on Wednesday’s flight went home with Hopfer, who hopes to find foster and adoptive families for the dogs in the Libby area. Hopfer started Pet Connection Rescue and Sanctuary in 2004 in order to help offset the widespread euthanization of animals in the area. According to Hopfer, before she started her work, more than 1,400 orphan animals per year were being killed in Lincoln County. That number is now less than 50 per year, she said.