ODESSA, Texas — West Texas has been dealing with an overpopulation of homeless animals for years.
Last year, the Odessa Animal Shelter put down over 3,000 animals.
Dog-Rescue-R-Us is a non-profit rescue group that started in January of 2019 and since then they've made a huge dent in the number of animals the shelter is having to put down.
So far this year less than 40 animals have been euthanized and those have been animals that were too injured to heal or feral animals.
The group saved over 5,000 dogs in 2019, and that was just their first year rescuing animals, this year they're expecting to see those numbers grow.
This morning the group added more dogs to their total number that they've rescued through special transport.
'Dog is my Co-pilot' is another organization that dedicated private planes to transporting rescue dogs at no charge to the shelter or rescue groups.
"I just thought we could get more out if we created a relationship with Dog is my Copilot because I've seen it happen in Hobbs," said Dana Tinley, Vice President of Dog-Rescue-R-Us.
Dog-Rescue-R-Us helped connect the Odessa Animal Shelter to 'Dog is my Co-pilot' to save even more animals.
The planes for the pups will take flight once a month out of Odessa.
"We don't just send them from one shelter to another shelter and wish them the best of luck," said Tinley. "There are actually people that are waiting in their vehicles with already approved applications and home checks they're just waiting to get their new fur animal and they would take a three-legged blind one they love animals from here."
The dogs are flown from West Texas to different rescues up north in areas like Montreal, Canada, and Spokane, Washington.
The reason the rescue sends the dogs up north is that they say there are laws in place in those areas that protect the animals that we don't have here in West Texas.
Call it a rescue mission of sorts, one that ends happily ever after for both the pets and their new owners.
Dog-Rescue-R-Us's main goal is trying to get the Odessa Animal Shelter as close to a no-kill shelter as possible.
As the organization grows they are considering expanding to help cats soon as well.
They have a half-acre plot in Gardendale that was donated to them by another rescue group to use as a future facility.
This weekend, the Boy Scouts plan to break ground to build a fence as part of their Eagle Scout project.
Donate here.
MORE FROM NEWSWEST 9: