We put out the call, News4JAX viewers, and you answered!
Sgt. Smith from Valdosta, Georgia, can now fly her adorable adopted pup Socks from Guam to her new fur-ever home!
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Smith was deployed on a two-week mission to the tiny island to support the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) that provides no-cost medical, dental and optometry care to people who need it.
While there, Smith was befriended by a stray dog who won her heart, and she named the pup Socks (you can see why!)
Guam has a large stray dog population and traps were set out to catch Socks, but Smith couldn’t let that happen and adopted her new furry friend.
But she needed help to get socks home to Georgia because United Airlines, the only domestic airline in Guam, was unable to fly her.
A charter flight costs nearly $5,000, so Smith and Katie Kopania -- who shared Socks’ story with us in the News4JAX Help Center -- created a GoFundMe account to raise the money.
After we shared Socks’ story with our audience, the donations rolled in and Kopania was able to close the GoFundMe after a week with Socks’ trip fully funded!
“Thank you for all your support. We couldn’t have done it without you and your team!” Kopania wrote News4JAX in a Help Center update.
She shared receipts and information, showing that Socks is now all set to fly to the U.S. on Sept. 18 through Pet Shippers Guam.
“They are helping us navigate Socks’ travel from Guam-Hawaii-Florida and complying with all rules and regulations for pet importation,” Kopania said.
Socks will be flying into Tampa and then taking a road trip with Sgt. Smith back to Valdosta.
We’re hoping to catch up with them in person on their way home!
Thank you to all our viewers who helped make this happen!
If you have a story you’d like to share with us, or a question you’d like answered, just go to help.news4jax.com.