Twenty-two homeless dogs and eight cats boarded a flight toward freedom Feb. 2 at Culpeper Regional Airport – a mission in memory of volunteer pilot Seuk Kim, a Springfield resident and former financier who died in a plane crash last year saving dogs from kill shelters.
Kim was a member of the Pilots N Paws organization, which ran frequent missions out of Manassas Regional Airport, Warrenton-Fauquier Airport and Culpeper Regional Airport. The organization helps transport rescue animals from overcrowded shelters to ones with available room.
Today, Kim’s legacy continues through a new organization called Seuk’s Army, created in his memory with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals in need.
Sydney Galley, the organization’s founder, worked with Kim at Pilots N Paws for several years. His death in the Nov. 24 crash in upstate New York shook the animal rescue community, where Kim was known for his kindness and dedication.
Today, the ashes of one of three rescue dogs on his doomed flight, a puppy named Lisa, are buried with Kim at a cemetery in Fairfax. The other two rescue dogs on the flight were rescued.
“I knew I could always count on him,” Galley told InsideNoVa. “He was always happy, always smiling. He would hold every animal. He was so sweet and such an inspiration.”
Galley said the organization, while still contributing to flight rescue efforts, is looking to expand its efforts by creating a spay and neuter mobile clinic and a foster layover and animal sanctuary in Culpeper.
“So, we thought in his legacy, and to honor him, we would try to make a better world for shelter dogs and for homeless dogs and cats,” Galley added.
On Feb. 2, Seuk’s Army partnered with Pilots to the Rescue to transport 14 dogs and eight cats via airplane from Culpeper to Worcester, Mass. The mission brought the animals one step closer to being adopted and helped them avoid euthanasia by moving from overcrowded shelters to ones that have more capacity, organizers said.
Pilots to the Rescue was created in 2015 and aims to prevent at-risk animals from being euthanized by transporting them via air and ground transportation to give them the best chance at adoption.
Michael Schnieder, the organization’s founder and executive director, said it was the perfect way to combine his love of aviation with animal rescue.
“I got my pilot's license in Cincinnati, and when I moved back to New York, where I'm from, I was looking for reasons to fly,” Schnieder told InsideNoVa. “I heard about an organization that was transporting animals that were at-risk of being euthanized. So, I did one of those transports, and I was hooked.”
Since the organization’s inception its members have completed 282 missions, traveled over 300,000 miles and saved 3,759 animals, according to Schnieder. The organization aims to save 2,500 animals this year.
“It's really fulfilling for me to know that our organization can help Seuk’s Army and honor him in a way that he would want to be honored,” Schnieder said. “If … we asked him how he would want to be honored, he’d say this would be the best way to do it, because he loved it himself.”
