'Air Chihuahua' celebrates 500th passenger

LOS ANGELES -- The 500th Chihuahua of the "Air Chihuahua" rescue program flew to Texas from Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday.

The program from the Los Angeles chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals matches the overwhelming supply of the breed in Southern California with the demand for them in other parts of the nation.

Air Chihuahua, in collaboration United Airlines' PetSafe program, flew 20 rescued Chihuahuas and other small dogs to Houston, where the demand for Chihuahuas is said to be higher than in Los Angeles.

"I love this program. We started it about five years ago on the theory that if we have the supply and there's a demand elsewhere, we should fill that demand with live animals that are already in existence and not encourage people to order animals from puppy mills or pet shops or from other countries," said Madeline Bernstein, president of spcaLA. "Until every animal that can be placed in a home is placed in a home, everybody should stop making more."

Bernstein says the flight is climate-controlled so that the animals are comfortable.

"We couldn't do this without the help of the airlines donating the flights. United donated the flights and a lot of our supporters fund our ability to use the airlines," said Bernstein.

The next flight will be to Miami later this month, according to the spcaLA.