When a group of 145 shelter animals boarded a Southwest Airlines flight out of Florida last week.
None of them knew their lives were about to change forever and neither did the plane’s captain.
The special rescue flight was part of an evacuation mission ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and Greater Good Charities teamed up to move cats and dogs out of the storm zone.
“It was truly a magical experience,” said Mirah Horowitz, CEO of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. “The animals got to ride in the cabin.”
Yes, the cabin. Not in crates in the cargo hold, but right there with the passengers and crew.
Picture a plane full of wagging tails, curious noses, and tiny meows echoing between the seats.
As the flight took off toward Milwaukee, Southwest Airlines’ crew quickly fell in love with their furry passengers.
But for one pilot, Captain Matt Prebish, it was a particular kitten who caught his heart.
Her name was Avery, a tiny, bright-eyed ball of fur with a personality that seemed much bigger than her small frame. Prebish noticed her playful curiosity right away.
“I admired her excitement about the world and her energy,” he said in a Southwest Airlines press release.
Avery had no idea her life was about to take another unexpected turn.
Somewhere mid-flight, while the other cats and dogs dozed or watched the clouds drift by through the cabin windows, Prebish found himself thinking about Avery a little too much.
The way she batted at his fingers, the soft purr when he held her, it felt like something was clicking into place.
He knew he was supposed to hand her over to shelter staff once they landed.
But the thought of saying goodbye was already tugging at his heart.
And as it turns out, his wife wasn’t exactly surprised by that.
“My wife said she knew that when I accepted this trip that I would probably come home with some animal,” Prebish said with a laugh.
Fate, as it happens, had perfect timing.
When the plane touched down in Milwaukee, a small storm rolled through the airport, grounding everyone inside for about twenty minutes.
For most people, it was just an inconvenient delay.
For Captain Prebish, it was the perfect moment to make a call that would change both his and Avery’s life.
He rang his wife and told her about the little kitten who had stolen his heart somewhere over the clouds.
“She gave me the green light,” he said.
And just like that, while the rain tapped gently against the airplane windows, the crew and rescue staff scrambled to make it official, right there on the plane.
Papers were signed, forms were filled out, and Avery went from a homeless kitten to the newest member of the Prebish family.
“It definitely wasn’t anticipated,” Horowitz said. “There was a little bit of a mad scramble to get the paperwork done for an adoption.”
Once everything was finalized, Avery nestled comfortably into her new carrier, ready to fly home to Denver, this time as the co-pilot’s newest companion.
Back on the ground, Avery wasted no time adjusting to her forever home.
With her adventurous spirit and endless affection, she’s already proving to be the perfect match for her new family.
As for Captain Prebish, he says the experience reminded him just how meaningful rescue work can be, not just for the animals, but for the people who meet them.
By flying the cats and dogs from Florida to Milwaukee, the mission made space for more pets in danger from the hurricane, ensuring they, too, would have a safe place to go.
“I’m honored and glad that we could make a difference,” Prebish said.
“And hopefully these animals will find their forever homes and make a bunch of people very happy.”
Avery may have boarded that flight as just another rescue kitten, but she landed as family.
And while hundreds of other animals on that plane still wait for their own happily-ever-after, one thing’s for sure, sometimes, the best destinations in life aren’t marked on a map.
They’re found by pure chance, somewhere 30,000 feet in the sky.