Overcoming heartworm disease for homeless pets

“It’s unlike anything I do. It’s so rewarding. When I leave the house this morning, my husband says, ‘Have a great day because I know it’s the favorite thing you do.’ And it really is. I feel so blessed and so honored to be able to do this,” Adamo says.

Adamo arises early to meet an airplane. She isn’t heading out for a business trip or picking up a family member; the six-year employee gets ready to unload some dogs and cats from a cargo plane into an awaiting van.

“This doesn’t happen if my company is not involved,” she continues.  “And some of them are so adorable, and it’s tough not to take them home!”

Flying furry friends to forever homes

Greater Good Charities, a Washington-state-based non-profit organization we partner with, kicks off the third year of their “Good Flights” program. The organization transports more than 9,000 at-risk shelter pets from the South to new homes on the East Coast and in the West. The flight Adamo meets leaves New Orleans before dawn. The final destination is Morristown Airport in New Jersey, where Adamo and several colleagues excitedly waited to get to work.

A life changing opportunity in the US

We at Boehringer Ingelheim, through the “Save a Heart” program, cover medical costs and provide the necessary product to treat asymptomatic heartworm-positive shelter dogs. Additionally, thousands of heartworm-positive shelter-dogs that are not transported received medication in Louisiana and Alabama.

This particular group of dogs (and a few cats) is headed to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Morristown, the largest provider of animal services in the region, touching the lives of more than 100,000 animals a year.

“We’re so grateful to Greater Good and Boehringer Ingelheim for making this program possible,” says Diane Ashton, director of communications at St. Huberts. “I see it every day. I see the family members going home with their dogs and are overjoyed. This partnership is truly life-changing.”

Life-changing. It’s a common theme often heard at these events, and one big reason why Adamo doesn’t mind cutting short that tropical paradise dream. There’s just too many pets to save.

“I feel blessed to work for a company that goes above and beyond to support these animals and to give them a second chance on life. They wouldn’t have had a chance down there. Now, this is just a great story,” she says.