AUSTIN (KXAN) – Several pets from Austin Pets Alive! took to the skies Thursday for their next chapters at other shelters in the country.

APA! posted photos and videos to its Instagram page of the transport, where 50 pets left on a flight with Dog Is My CoPilot, a nonprofit animal rescue air transport organization that flies pets to new shelters in order to find them a home.

The pets flown out on Thursday are heading to shelters in Colorado, Idaho and Washington, APA! said.

The group included 48 dogs and two cats.

Our transport program was born out of the winter storm last year where we set off on a mission to transport 1,000 pets out of Texas safely,” APA! wrote. “It’s amazing to think just one year from that monumental moment, we’ve now been able to save hundreds more animals through our transport program.”

Thursday marked the first flight of APA!’s new partnership with Dog Is My CoPilot, which is supported by Cuddly, a fundraising platform.

According to APA!, northern shelters are “often in need of adoptable pets.”

The program is funded by donations, APA! said. To donate, visit APA!’s website.