Flight Volunteer
In order for dogs to be transported from overseas, they must have someone accompany them on the flight. Flight volunteers escort our dogs and are responsible for holding onto the dogs' paperwork while in transit. Once you land in the states and are cleared through customs, our transport volunteers will meet you at the airport to pick up the dogs. The number of dogs one person can sponsor varies per airline, but it is typically 2 to 4 dogs. If you have travel plans to Turkey or mainland China and would be willing to escort our dogs, we could use your help!
Ground Transporter
The flights from China or Turkey arrive at major U.S. airports and the next step to the transport the dogs back to Raleigh. Our international ground transporters drive to these airports, meet the flight volunteer to pick up the dogs and begin the journey home to Raleigh. Obviously, this is long distance transporting to major cities and most often you are arriving back in the Triangle late at night. We require at least two people on these transports to share the driving and help handling of the dogs during rest breaks. Generally, NRGRR will arrange for a cargo van rental for the transport, but if you have a large van or RV that can hold multiple large crates and are willing to drive, you can certainly help us reduce our expenses for international rescue.
Overnight Boarding
When we make our international trips from the airport, we usually arrive back in the Triangle during the middle of the night, well before our vet partners open. We are always looking for volunteers to offer a warm, loving home for the remainder of the night so the dogs can decompress and prepare for their vet appointments in the morning. By the time our transporters arrive, the dogs will have spent the better part of 24 hours in a create and will be very excited to explore their new environment. While everyone will be a bit exhausted, it is a great time to engage with the dogs and begin to assess their temperament. You'll need to try to get some rest though, as the dogs will head to one of our vet partners in the morning.
While all dogs are vaccinated and cleared medically for travel, our policy is to limit exposure to other animals until they have been checked by our trusted vet partners. For this reason we require a no-pet household for our overnight boarding.