Every golf course needs a good dog.
Superintendent Mike Bindl of Lakes Golf Club found his next dog in a pretty unlikely place - in the aftermath of a Nov. 16 plane crash on the golf course in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
A plane carrying three people and 53 shelter-bound dogs crash landed recently on a fairway at Lakes Golf Club. When Bindl and his crew arrived at the scene they found that all three people and all of the dogs survived the landing, including a shivering puppy that the superintendent immediately took under his care.
"I'm glad we were there to help," Bindl told local media in Wisconsin.
“I could see she was shaking. I don't know if it was because of the plane crash. I mean, it was cold. We're in the middle of a snowstorm."
The dogs were headed to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County, which regularly coordinates these dog flights from southern states, with dozens of dogs that may be euthanized otherwise. The flight that crashed was headed to Waukesha’s airport when it went down.
"It's all about giving a second chance at life to these amazing pets," the shelter's Jennifer Smieja told local media. "And, maybe for these plane crash-surviving pups, one might say it’s a third chance at life."
The shelter held a an appreciation lunch for everyone, including Bindl and his crew, who helped in the wake of the crash. In the days since the crash, the shelter has been inundated with interest in the dogs.
"We have had people walk in and say 'where are the plane crash dogs?' " Smieja said. "They're seeking them out. And in truth, they do have kind of a neat origin story."
Only a few of the plane crash-surviving dogs remain to be adopted.
The cause of the plane crash remains under investigation by the FAA.
