Becoming a Flight Angel from Puerto Rico

I have been to Puerto Rico two times in the last two years, once in 2024 and again in 2 026. On both trips, I volunteered as a Flight Angel. A Flight Angel helps transport stray rescue dogs from Puerto Rico to their forever homes. Volunteering as a flight angel has been a rewarding and easy experience. To date, I have helped rescue 11 dogs from Puerto Rico.

The Stray Dog Problem in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico faces an ongoing stray dog problem, with thousands of homeless and abandoned dogs struggling to survive on its streets. Overpopulation, pet abandonment, and limited animal welfare resources have made the stray dog crisis in Puerto Rico a growing concern for local communities and animal rescue organizations. As an animal lover, it is hard to enjoy a vacation when I see stray dogs everywhere. It literally breaks my heart, so I decided to do something about it and volunteered to be a flight angel.

What is a Flight Angel?

A Flight Angel is a volunteer who accompanies a rescued animal, usually a dog or cat, on a commercial flight from Puerto Rico. Partnering rescue organizations handle all travel arrangements and expenses. Your only job is to bring the animal with you as a carry-on. Flight Angels play an important role in helping homeless and abandoned pets reach rescue organizations, foster homes, and loving adoptive families in the mainland United States.

How to Become a Flight Angel

Becoming a Flight Angel is simple. Below are the major steps in the process.

Contact the Flight Angels rescue organization and volunteer as a Flight Angel. You should already have your return flight departing from Puerto Rico booked, because you will have to provide this information to the rescue.
Once contacted by the rescue, the volunteer agrees to accompany the animal on a flight they are already taking.
The rescue organization identifies the stray animal and arranges the animal’s transportation and travel paperwork. They pay for the costs associated with transporting the dog or cat.
The Puerto Rico rescue organization will meet you at the airport to hand off the animal. The animal will travel with you on your departure date in an approved carrier or as checked cargo, depending on the airline’s policies.
At the end of your flight, upon landing, you will meet up with a different rescue representative or adopter to transfer the animal at the airport to their next volunteer or forever home. It is easy, and the rescue organizations do all the work; you are just the animal’s chaperone.

Why Flight Angels Matter?

Flight Angels help save lives by opening the door to opportunities that may not be available locally. By volunteering to accompany a rescued dog or cat, Flight Angels helps connect animals in need with loving homes, medical care and a brighter future. Sometimes, all it takes to change an animal’s life is a person willing to share their flight.