PR Newswire
Mar. 17
What: |
Virgin America is assisting the City of San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SF ACC) by flying Chihuahua pups in need from San Francisco to the New York area so they can be adopted quickly into loving homes. The overpopulation of Chihuahuas in California continues to force animal shelters on the West Coast to look to shelters on the East Coast for help – where the dogs will quickly be adopted. As the only San Francisco-based airline, Virgin America first teamed up with the SF ACC to fly needy pups to new homes on the East Coast in 2010 to help address the influx of dogs at shelters on the West Coast. The overpopulation issue has only escalated since the original 2010 airlifts, and as part of its long-standing partnership with and commitment to SF ACC, Virgin America is undertaking its sixth airlift. |
Virgin America's "Official Pet Liaison," Boo and the Bay Area's very own Dog Mayor of San Francisco, Frida, will host a special St. Patrick's Day green carpet send-off at the departure gate at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for these lucky dogs before they begin their journey – complete with green doggie treats and plenty of toys to play with until departure time. The Chihuahuas will be received at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) by the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) – where the dogs will be quickly adopted. Virgin America teammate volunteers will escort the Chihuahuas on the flight to the East Coast on March 17 and will track their journey with real-time, in-flight updates at http://instagram.com/virginamerica and www.twitter.com/virginamerica via the airline's fleet-wide WiFi service. While these lucky Chihuahuas are heading East, where they will find loving homes, the SF ACC would like to remind Bay Area residents to visit their local shelters where there are many animals available for adoption. | |
Who: |
Virginia Donohue, Director of SF ACC |
Frances Fiorillo, SVP of People & InFlight at Virgin America (and animal lover) | |
Where: |
San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2 (Media must RSVP to attend and bring photo ID) |
When: |
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 7:00 a.m. PT (Media should arrive by 6:15 a.m. PT and allow for time to get through security) |
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Contacts: |
Virgin America - Patricia Condon / 650-906-8147 / patricia.condon@virginamerica.com or Sean Harris / 650-554-1971 / sean.harris@virginamerica.com |
SF Animal Care & Control - Deb Campbell / 415-554-9427 / Deb.campbell@sfgov.org | |
ASPCA – Alison Jimenez / 212- 876-7700 ext. 4568 / alison.jimenez@aspca.org |
EDITORS NOTE: Virgin America is a U.S.-controlled and operated airline and is an entirely separate company from Virgin Atlantic. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is a minority share investor in Virgin America.
ABOUT VIRGIN AMERICA
Known for its mood-lit cabins, three beautifully designed classes of service and innovative fleetwide amenities — like touch-screen personal entertainment, WiFi and power outlets at every seat, Virgin America has built a loyal following of flyers and earned a host of awards since launching in 2007 — including being named both the "Best U.S. Airline" in Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards for the past seven consecutive years. For more: www.virginamerica.com.
About the San Francisco Department of Animal Care & Control:
The Department of Animal Care & Control is a taxpayer-funded open-admission animal shelter. Animal Care & Control provides housing, care and medical treatment to wild, exotic and domestic stray, lost, abandoned sick, injured and/or surrendered animals. Animal Care & Control aims to adopt, rehome or reunite domestic animals with their guardians and to rehabilitate and release wildlife to their native habitat. Animal Care & Control responds to animal related emergencies, including animal abuse and neglect, as well as matters of public safety. Animal Care & Control is located at 1200 15th St. (at Harrison.) www.sfgov.org/ACC
About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation's leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090123/VIRGINAMERICALOGO
/PRNewswire -- March 17/
SOURCE Virgin America