These days, he puts his plane to perhaps a more noble use, transporting dogs from an overcrowded Knoxville animal shelter to a life with a future.

Wehrenberg transferred five small dogs to Greensboro, N.C., this week.

"If they can find a rescue willing to take them, like the rescue people here are taking these dogs, that means those dogs won't be euthanized," Wehrenberg said.

Lending a paw

News 14 Carolina's Ed Scannell talks to a man who uses his pilot's license to help pets get good homes.

"It can be really stressful on the dogs, changing drivers that often," Jennifer Hart, of the Animal Rescue and Foster Program, said. "Then you have to be careful you don't lose the dog. At every stop, the dog gets out and goes into another crate, so there's some risk involved there. So the flying is ideal."

Wehrenberg and his wife are themselves the proud owners and companions of two rescue dogs.

He's now flown more than 40 dogs to other cities for adoption and said he's gotten some much needed flight time in the process.

"I have both the time and the resources to do it. I've got a good plane that's capable of doing it," Wehrenberg said. "It helps me stay sharp as a pilot."

Wehrenberg has been making these flights since February and he's hoping to enlist more pilots in the effort. He advised area pilots to go to shelters or the Pilots-N-Paws Web site to see what they can contribute.

Wehrenberg said he'll keep making the flights, rescuing as many dogs as he can. And Hart said that makes Wehrenberg a special breed.

"I was floored that someone would take their time and the money, especially with the price of gasoline right now, and come specifically over here to bring five little dogs," Hart said. "That is just spectacular, and it's really beyond words that someone would do that."

If you're interested in adopting one of the five dogs Wehrenberg rescued, you can call the Animal Rescue and Foster Program at (336)574-9600.