On Sunday, 18 puppies had the ride of their lives.

Tod Peavy, a Gainesville pilot, flew the pups from Athens to Lynchburg, Va., where another pilot, Steve Hall, flew them to Bridgeport, Conn., for a huge adoption event this weekend. The dogs were initially rescued from the "kill lists" of Georgia animal shelters by Colbert Veterinary Rescue Services in Colbert.

"I’m just a cog in the wheel for all this, but it’s great to know 18 dogs aren’t going to be put down," Peavy said. "It doesn’t just affect the dogs’ lives but everyone who is a part of the process and the adoption families. It’s much bigger than just rescuing dogs; it makes families whole and happy, which is neat and humbling."

Peavy and Hall are a part of the group Pilots N Paws, which helps to deliver dogs and cats in danger of extermination to adoption shelters across the country.

"Our group gets e-mails daily from people who need help, so you have to pick the missions that suit you," Peavy said. "It costs a great deal of money, and the economy has made things tighter, but it’s a worthy investment. I wish I could do one every day."

Colbert Veterinary Rescue Services, which has helped Connecticut’s Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since December, will send a caravan of about 250 more dogs to North Haven, Conn., for the adoption event this weekend.

"The dogs are from Anderson, S.C., Madison, Ga., and surrounding counties. They would have been euthanized if we had not stepped in," said Gloria Andrews, the coordinator of rescue services who placed the dogs in foster homes until they could be transported. "Tod and Steve called me when the pups touched down in Bridgeport. It makes a terrific difference with our remaining work this weekend."

The "super adoption" will be the largest animal adoption event in the state of Connecticut with more than 400 dogs and cats available to good homes. The animals already have rabies shots, distemper combo, heartworm testing, deworming, a microchip and are spayed or neutered.

The dogs and puppies go for $325, cats for $99 and kittens for $195.

The 18 puppies transported from Athens will be fostered until the "Shelter Dogs Rock" event at PetSmart in North Haven, Conn. Several of the animals available for adoption are featured on the Connecticut SPCA site at www.spcact.org.

"Pilots N Paws usually do trips like these when we go on vacation or a business trip, but this was urgent because these dogs were going to be killed," Peavy said. "For four hours of being uncomfortable, they certainly got a new leash on life. I tell people to just go consider a dog. I certainly came home after the trip and loved on mine."