Two Very Large Dogs Get a Free Plane Ride Across the U.S., Thanks to Wrigley Heiress

Airlines refused to fly a U.S. Marine's Anatolian Shepherds home, so Helen Rosburg stepped in.

It turns out that Wrigley chewing gum is good for more than getting you through excruciating nicotine withdrawal, popping your ears after a long flight, or decorating the underside of your school desk. Well, at least you can say that about the family behind the company. Although this will probably destroy my reputation as a hardened cynic, I have to admit to feeling a little verklempt at the story of how Helen Rosburg, the heiress to the Wrigley family fortune, paid to fly a family's two dogs across the country.

Andrew Morales, a U.S. Marine, rescued two Anatolian Shepherd mixes three years ago while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. The dogs, Dusty and Wyatt, have become part of the Morales family since they came home with Andrew, but it looked like his most recent assignment would tear that family apart. Airline after airline told him that the dogs were too big to fly on commercial planes. It looked like the family members might just have to leave their beloved pets in California while they started a new life in North Carolina.

So the Morales family did what people do in the 21st century: They turned to the Internet for help. The organization that had originally helped to bring the dogs back from Afghanistan put out an online call for people to help Dusty and Wyatt travel with their family. Their plea for help eventually reached Rosburg, a passionate animal lover who founded the On the Wings of Angels rescue organization and raises German Shepherds for service and military training.

"Everybody in my circle knows what I do," Rosburg told ABC News. "If they see an impossible situation, they'll post something to my [Facebook] timeline."

On hearing that the Morales family might have to leave Dusty and Wyatt behind, Rosburg chartered a private plane to take the two dogs from California to North Carolina.

"From the bottom of me and my wife's hearts we really appreciate what she did for us," Morales said.

So not only are members of the Morales family back together with their furry companions, but there's no doubt that a chartered plane was a much more comfortable way for the dogs to travel than your standard commercial flight. Here's hoping that the dogs are settling into their new home.

Via ABC News

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