Random Pilot Replies to a Strangers Plea Online to Help Her Dog - Then They Fell in Love

Anyone who has flown with pets knows how daunting it can be. Add in the challenge of a physical disability and a 15-year-old dog with a heart murmur and epilepsy and it feels impossible.

When Adri Pendleton wanted to move back to the United States from Europe after a breakup, she knew her senior dog, Nelly, likely wouldn't survive in the plane's cargo hold. Bringing her in the cabin was also a no-fly zone, as the Border Collie was too big.

Out of options and against nearly impossible odds, Adri decided to post a plea on TikTok for help.

In an incredible twist of fate, not only did she find help, but she also found love.

A Girl's Best Friend

Adri was a teenager when she adopted Nelly. The two instantly bonded and became best friends. When Adri was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that can cause debilitating pain and fatigue, Nelly was there.

When Adri hit rock bottom "during a dark period" in her life, Nelly was there, giving her the "only reason to keep living."

And when Adri fell in love with a European man and moved halfway across the globe to be with him...Nelly was there.

For six years, Adri and Nelly made their home in the Netherlands. Adri and her boyfriend got another dog, Loki. Life was good. But eventually, Adri and her boyfriend decided they wanted different things out of life and broke up.

It was time to move back home to California, but first, Adri and her dogs had to get there.

TikTok Plea Goes Viral

Adri, who has 33,000 followers on her TikTok account, @collieloki, turned to social media for help.

She posted a plea, asking for help to get her dogs overseas. Initially, she was trying to raise funds for a private flight (which comes with a hefty price tag of $9,000) so Nelly could be with her in the cabin. The post went viral with over 80,000 views. Turns out, she only really needed one.

Miraculously, a pilot who works for a company that flies private jets (and who loves dogs, obviously) saw the video and reached out.

After a lot of finagling with schedules Niklas was able to secure a spot on board a cargo flight from Italy to New Jersey with a stopover in Iceland. He even came along for the ride as a passenger. As for the cost of this not-so-little venture? Absolutely free. (But as any dog owner will tell you, PRICELESS).

Adri used the funds she had raised on social media to buy a plane ticket for Loki on a commercial flight and help her mom, a NICU nurse, take the time off work to pick her and Nelly up in New Jersey and drive them to California.

Two months and a whole lot of air miles later, Nelly and Adri were home.

But their story doesn't end there...

A Connecting Flight Leads to a Love Connection

After messaging each other multiple times over the two months it took to organize the flight, Adri and Niklas became friends.

"For a couple of months before the flight, we had just been chatting a lot," Adri shared in a follow-up TikTok. "I've always been a little bit of an aviation nerd. My little brother just got his pilot's license a couple of weeks ago, so a little bit of plane nerdiness runs in the family. And he and I were just friends."

"We did not think of each other as anything more than that. Then we met in person."

Adri Pendleton via TikTok

Immediately sparks flew. Two days after their flight, Adri invited Niklas to come to California so they could go on a date. He did.

Now, four months later, the couple are in love. But they're not the only ones. Adri's family loves him too. But most importantly, he's dog-approved.

Sadly, Nelly passed away a few weeks ago.

"For a couple of months after we arrived in the US, she was doing really well," Adri shared. "Then it seemed like she just kind of understood, 'Okay, all of the stress is gone. Things are good. I can leave.' So, yeah, she passed away recently."

But thanks to Nelly, Adri didn't have to face her grief alone. Niklas was right by her side. And he continues to be there, in a love story right out of a Hallmark movie.

What began as an incredible act of kindness turned into a life-changing connection. It just goes to show, you never know where kindness may lead.

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