It was a rough landing.
On Tuesday, a plane with three people and 53 dogs on board crashed on a snowy golf course in Wisconsin. But the story has a happy ending.
The twin-engine turboprop plane was flying from New Orleans to Waukesha County Airport, west of Milwaukee. It was carrying crates of puppies to shelters in Wisconsin so they could be adopted.
But since the plane was only 4 miles from the airport, it crashed around 9 a.m. on the course of the Western Lakes Golf Club.
The plane landed on its wheels and moved from the fifth hole to the second hole to the third hole.
This was a relatively catastrophic landing,
Matthew Haerter, assistant chief at Lake Country Fire and Rescue, said at a news conference.
When they went through trees the wings actually came off the aircraft and then they came to rest several hundred feet after where they originally tried to place the aircraft.
Local fire crews rushed to the scene to help the workers who were trying to help on the golf course.
Even though more than 300 gallons of fuel spilled onto the course, most of it was stored in the plane’s wings, so the fuselage wasn’t in danger of exploding.
Federal aviation authorities are looking into what caused the crash.
The three people on board were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
But none of the dogs were seriously hurt. Veterinarians were on hand to treat the animals, and they were taken to different shelters in the area.
The dogs are all doing remarkably well,
Jennifer Smieja, a spokesperson for the Humane Animal Welfare Society, told a source on Friday.
Physically, they only sustained some scrapes, but we are unsure of how they will do going forward behaviorally.
Smieja said that HAWS would give free behavior training sessions to the people who adopt the dogs if they have trouble with crate training in the future. This is because the dogs have been through a lot.
HAWS took in 21 of the dogs, which they call the “Western Lakes Loves.” Four already have permanent homes.
Tony Wasielewski, a firefighter, got a dog. He was one of the people who helped get the puppies off the plane.
Wasielewski told the Washington Post that he felt compelled to bring home a dog that had jumped into his arms and licked him when he saved it. When he went to the HAWS shelter to see the dog, she saw him right away and ran to him.
As soon as the lady opened up the door, she bypassed my wife, jumped in my arms and started giving me kisses,
Wasielewski told the Post.
It was over.
