Some dogs in southcentral Alaska get to see views from the skies that humans can only dream of. Their journeys are part of a program that takes dogs from some of the area’s most isolated communities and brings them to the central Kenai Peninsula to be fixed or adopted.
While the program is much needed, it’s not without its challenges.
In Seldovia, Nanwalek and Port Graham across Kachemak Bay, and in Iliamna, Igiugig and Kokhanok to the west, veterinary services are limited. These remote communities struggle with pet overpopulation, and because there are no local spay and neuter services, the problem likely isn’t going to let up.
Kenai Peninsula Animal Lovers, or KPAL for short, is the organization that steps in to help.
There are no local vets out in these areas and they’re all off the road system. So when KPAL gets a call or message about a puppy that needs a home, or an adult dog that needs to be spayed or neutered, it gets to work making arrangements to bring those animals back to the central peninsula by plane.
“They’re not getting vaccinated, they’re not getting spayed and neutered, which means there’s a lot of unwanted, unplanned puppies over there,” said Abby Hall, president of KPAL.
She said KPAL started its flight program in 2020. They contracted pilots who were already traveling to remote communities for other reasons and asked them to allow a few dogs to tag along with their cargo.
During the first summer of the program, KPAL spayed 15 adult female dogs and rescued 10 puppies. Hall said every dog makes a big difference — one of the dogs they treated that summer had previously had 10 litters of puppies, with 10 puppies or more in each.
Once they’re on the central peninsula, the dogs have what Hall calls a “spaycation” — they spend a few weeks in a foster home in the area, awaiting a vet appointment, and then stay in the foster home until they’ve recovered. Then they hitch a flight back to their hometowns.
But getting dogs over here isn’t easy.
Flights are heavily dependent on weather and the general availability of pilots. KPAL has lost a pilot they once relied on because he sold his grocery delivery flight service, although she said they’ve recently begun working with the man who purchased it.
One limitation is that for the trip out to Iliamna, the plane is full of groceries. That means it’s hard to send dogs back after their appointments. Pilots also often schedule their flights around leisure, which makes KPAL flights difficult to plan.
Right now, KPAL’s spay program is on hold. But Hall said this week, the grocer was able to lift three puppies to Kenai.
“We’re getting the puppies out, which is going to help with the overpopulation with the puppies. But getting the mom dogs here to get them spayed is a problem because of the unavailable pet appointments, and the fact that they have to get the rabies vaccine,” Hall said.
Another barrier is the required rabies vaccination for adult dogs. Puppies are allowed to fly in unvaccinated and receive their vaccine within six months. But adult dogs can’t leave those remote areas without a vaccine. That creates a problem for adult dogs that need to be spayed.
Things aren’t easy even if the dogs make it to Kenai. Right now, veterinary offices in the Kenai-Soldotna area are understaffed and overbooked, making those appointments difficult to access.
Local spay and neuter clinics are one solution. KPAL is working to set one up later this summer in Nanwalek.
“You’ve gotta have a vet who’s willing to go over there, and people who are willing to assist,” she said. “Really, that’s the obstacle.”
Hall recently talked with a vet who is potentially interested, so the next steps now are to find a date, a location and a venue.
“Potentially, we can do it before the snow flies, if all goes well,” she said.
KPAL is also hoping to get its pilot program back off the ground. Hall wants to build up a pool of pilots so that she has people to potentially call on when a dog needs a lift to or from Kenai.
KPAL does pay some of the pilots who help out, while others donate their time.
“We’d like to have a few more pilots who are flying in the area — even if it’s just for funsies, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, I wanna go check out those communities and see some more of Alaska.’ And they can maybe bring some puppies back with them,” Hall said.
KPAL, which does not have a physical shelter location, is also deeply dependent on foster families. Hall said they’re always looking for more.
“Without the fosters we’re just dead in the water. ’Cause we can’t do anything. We can’t take anyone in,” she said.
Right now, she’s looking for temporary homes for at least four dogs.
Her pitch:
“It will change your life, it will fulfill you. It will give you a feeling of community and that you’ve done something good — and that you’re making a change.”
Hall said that while a lot of potential fosters worry about getting too attached to their foster pets, KPAL guarantees that they’re doing everything they can to put the animals in safe, loving homes. She said that confidence should make it easier to let go.
