When not practicing urology, Brian D. Rambarran, MD, soars through the skies to rescue shelter dogs and other animals as a volunteer pilot.
UB Doctor Takes to the Skies to Rescue Shelter Dogs
Urologist and pilot Brian D. Rambarran, MD, volunteers his time flying across the U.S. to give dogs a second leash on life
By Keith Gillogly
Published June 11, 2025
At first, most dogs don’t care much for airplane rides — they’re shaky, they whine, and most look a little scared.
But by the time they reach eight or nine thousand feet, hypoxia sets in amid the engine drone; skittish pups get sleepy fast.
Seeing them settle down and drift off always puts Brian D. Rambarran, MD, at ease. For over a dozen years, Rambarran, clinical assistant professor of urology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been piloting his airplane all around the U.S. as a volunteer with the Pilots N Paws nonprofit organization. He picks up dogs from shelters and brings them to Western New York to be fostered.
A Longtime Volunteer and Dog Lover
In 2011, Rambarran began practicing with the Western New York Urology Associates group, where he remains a urologist today. It was about that time that he began to take pilot lessons. As he was progressing through his training, he came across the group Pilots N Paws, which connects volunteer pilots and plane owners with animals needing rescue flights.
Rambarran had grown up with and always liked dogs. Plus, he’d been volunteering since he was 14, serving as a candy striper at a hospital. So, saving dogs and other animals was a perfect volunteer role.
In 2012, Rambarran completed his first rescue mission with Pilots N Paws, flying down to Georgia to pick up a pregnant dog that would successfully give birth to a litter of foster puppies.
That was the first of numerous rescue flights. He’s since flown to North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Florida, California, everywhere, it seems. Sometimes Rambarran flies alone. Other times, a family member or even a resident from the Jacobs School accompanies him on his plane. He flies about once a month, partnering with organizations like Nickel City Canine Rescue to help find homes for the dogs he rescues.
Rambarran often flies to southern states, where, he says, high-kill shelters are more common. Some of the dogs in tow require more than just new homes, however, he says. They could be victims of natural disasters or in need of surgery or specialty care.
His cargo also includes more than just canines. He’s flown rescue missions for other types of animals, too, from cats to snakes.
Pilot, Doctor, Lifelong Learner
When Rambarran was 10 maybe 11 years old, he embarked on a family trip all the way to England. His first time on an airplane proved fascinating. “I was amazed at being able to take this big piece of tin, fly it across the ocean, and land in a different country,” he recalls.
His dad brought the curious Rambarran up to the cockpit to get closer to all the buttons, controls, and pilot lingo. From that early age, Rambarran thought he’d become a pilot, if he could somehow start flying lessons. “The passion was always there,” he says of flying.
But, a path toward medicine seemed more natural. Rambarran’s mom was a nurse, his dad was a social worker, he’d always liked biology.
Rambarran, of course, would still become a pilot, even if that meant flying puppies not people.
Now, Rambarran is a flight instructor as well as a pilot. He has his commercial rating, multi-engine pilot rating, jet rating, and more certifications. “Part of my passion for flying, just like anything else, comes from being a lifelong learner,” he says.
Flying and medicine are, perhaps, not so different, he says. “It’s very akin to medicine. You practice and practice, but you never perfect it. You try and get as best as you can.”
‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’
Being a urologist, Rambarran says, lets him get to know patients of all ages while also performing surgeries and hands-on work that ultimately makes lives better. On any given day, he might be taking out a kidney with a tumor, removing a piece of bowel to construct a new bladder, treating a patient with kidney stones, or performing a vasectomy.
“You get kind of the best of both worlds. You get to see patients and you get to have patients,” Rambarran says. “And at the same time, we get to operate. So it’s almost like primary care and surgery all rolled into one.”
Rambarran says that flying planes and performing urological surgery are perhaps not so different; both require practice and being a lifelong learner.
Back at his home, "we have a whole menagerie of animals,” Rambarran says, including three dogs and some fish and snakes. One of his pets, a small terrier named Toby, was found malnourished and cachectic, wasting away and weak on the streets in North Carolina.
One December, Rambarran picked up Toby in his plane and brought him back intending to find him a forever home. But it was snowy and late by the time they touched down, so Toby would stay the night with Rambarran and his family. After a week, they decided to keep Toby themselves.
Curious and courageous with a love for squeaky toys, Toby, Rambarran says, is a true rags to riches story. Given all the dogs in need of homes and second chances, “adopt, don’t shop,” Rambarran advises. “You can get wonderful, beautiful, happy dogs that will make your family richer through a shelter.”