KNOXVILLE, TN (WATE/CNN/RNN) – A U.S. military veteran in Tennessee recently received a very special delivery – a rescue dog named Kodak, who had been abused.
It was a meeting over 800 miles in the making. And one made possible thanks to a non-profit group called Pilots N Paws.
The organization connects pilots and plane owners willing to transport animals up for adoption to new homes.
Veteran Joe Bane used the nonprofit before. He's a military vet who served in Afghanistan.
Five years ago, volunteer pilots reconnected him with his old K-9 partner Inca.
"She protected me,” Bane said of their time together in Afghanistan. “When it came time for her to come home, these guys brought their planes, picked her up in Florida and brought her back to me.”
Now, they're doing the same thing for his family again.
Bane’s daughter Syden said when they found out Kodak had been neglected, it was a no-brainer to adopt him through the same group.
"This in itself is bigger than anything you could imagine."
Joe Bane agreed, thinking back to his adoption of Inca.
"Tears came to eyes, you really don't know what to feel,” he said. “You're like, my best friend is here. My life's here.”
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