Former doctor flies dogs, cats across country to save them

It’s 4 a.m. in Los Angeles, and Peter Rork is loading dozens of animals onto an aircraft.

“By 5 a.m., it’s wheels up,” said Rork, who typically spends an hour attempting to securely fit 150 crates into his Cessna Caravan.

This is a typical morning for Rork — a 67-year-old former doctor who dedicates his life to rescuing dogs and cats that would otherwise be killed in shelters that don’t have room for them.

Through his nonprofit organization, Dog Is My CoPilot, Rork transports adoptable animals from areas with high euthanasia rates, delivering them to shelters and rescue organizations in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest and Pacific regions of the country.

Over the span of eight years, he has saved nearly 16,000 animals.

Becoming a pilot for pets was not the career path the retired orthopedic surgeon had in mind.

“I left medicine in 2012 after the sudden death of my wife,” said Rork, who lives in Jackson, Wyoming. “After months of sitting in a dark room, a friend called me to say I needed to get back to my life.”

Rork knew his friend was right.

When Rork — who lives with three rescue dogs himself — learned that, on average, thousands of healthy animals are euthanized in U.S. shelters every day, he decided to combine his interest in planes, pets and protecting lives.

“You can be part of the solution or part of the problem,” Rork said. “I’ve always wanted to be part of the solution.”