Maureen and Barb went sky-high and back to earth for dogs and cats Sunday afternoon.

Maureen Burke-Horansky and Barb Shepherd jumped from an aircraft and parachuted to earth to call attention to the needs of dogs and cats, and to raise money for Animal Advocates of Moore County.

It was the first jump for both women. Horansky was jumping "in honor of dogs," while Shepherd was jumping "in honor of cats."

"When I hit the ground, I told them, 'Can we do it again?'" said Shepherd, who is director of operations for Animal Advocates.

"I would jump again in a heartbeat since I have always wondered how a hawk or even an eagle felt as they gracefully swoop through the sky. Now I know," Burke-Horansky said.

She may have to wait until later for that next jump, since the pair barely got in their first one Sunday at the Raeford Airport. The duo were in the the last plane allowed off the ground Sunday because of a weather-changing trend that brought stormy conditions to parts of North Carolina. In fact, the two encountered turbulence after they jumped, although it caused them no problems.

"It was a blast," Shepherd said. "It was a blast. There is no defining the sensation. It takes you away from all the noise and worries of the world."

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Pilot.