Photo by Travis Pratt Miniature pinschers Riley, Jetta and Kenny were excited to arrive in Frederick after a trip from North Carolina. The dogs were rescued and brought to Maryland by two nonprofit organizations, Friends of Penny Min Pin Rescue and Pilots N Paws, to find them safe homes. From left are pilot Herbert Fuchs of North Carolina, Stephanie Gilligan, a volunteer for Friends of Penny Min Pin Rescue, and Nancy White, also a volunteer for Friends of Penny Min Pin Rescue.

The three miniature pinschers were brought here from North Carolina kill shelters to Frederick on a rescue mission.

Friends of Penny Min Pin Rescue, a nonprofit dog rescue organization, teamed up with Pilots N Paws to move the dogs to Maryland.

"The goal is to educate the public (and) rescue and re-home miniature pinschers," said Stephanie Gilligan.

A five-year volunteer with Friends of Penny, Gilligan is driving the dogs from Frederick to Joppa today, where Dan Tibbs has offered them a permanent home with his organization, Best Friends Fur Ever.

"I went online and found the (Friends of Penny) website," Tibbs said. "I saw that it was urgent for those dogs to get out of the situation they were in."

He talked with Best Friends' owner and got the go-ahead to invite the dogs in. They are scheduled to arrive at the facility around 2 p.m. today.

Best Friends Fur Ever is a dog day care center, offering pet sitting, boarding and grooming, among other services.

Saturday's Pilots N Paws aviator was Dr. Herbert Fuchs, a pediatric brain surgeon with Duke Medicine.

"It's a great excuse to go flying," Fuchs said after he landed with the min pins. "(The program) helps dogs that would otherwise be dead," he said.

Gilligan called Fuchs "very instrumental in the organization."

Most of the time, dogs are moved via ground transportation, Gilligan said. This is the first time Friends of Penny has utilized Pilots N Paws. Familiar with the organization, Gilligan thought flight would be the best option.

"The pilots are very passionate about what they do, and wanting to help," she said.

A 27-year pilot, Fuchs has been with the Pilots N Paws organization since January, and has made about 10 flights so far. This is his first time to Frederick ; he has visited Louisville, Ky., Atlanta, Reading, Pa., Pittsburgh, Richmond, Va., and Orlando, Fla.

"I'm on call half of the time, so I do this every other weekend," he said. The doctor has four dogs of his own, all rescues.

"I was surprised at how calm the dogs were (on the flight)," he said. "I think they recognize when people care and want to help them."

Riley, 1 1/2 years old, was surrendered to Friends of Penny by his owner. In poor health, he was taken to the vet before his trip to Maryland.

Two-year-old Kenny was picked up as a stray on the streets of Greenville, N.C. The ASPCA in Raleigh contacted Gilligan's organization to rescue 8-year-old Jetta.

Gilligan said Pilots N Paws and Friends of Penny "came together to try to save these dogs."

Based in Greensboro, N.C., Friends of Penny has volunteers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and New Jersey.