In 1997, Rebecca Gibson trained her first border collie to clear geese from a North Carolina golf course. That bold idea became the gold standard in humane, behavior-based goose management across the Southeast.
A single border collie and a handshake deal at a North Carolina country club grew into a multi-state operation serving airports, military bases, universities, and a $4 billion infrastructure project.
Rebecca Gibson launched Fly Away Geese in Reidsville, NC, with a radical premise: trained border collies could solve goose problems humanely and permanently. Her passion for working dogs started in 4-H at age four.
Every superintendent said the same thing: convince George Thompson at the Country Club of North Carolina. Rebecca offered two weeks free with twelve dogs. Thompson bought Cody, and golf courses statewide started calling.
The first airport dog, Radar, went to Southwest Florida International Airport. Radar's success clearing wildlife from runways launched the company into aviation and military wildlife management, where stakes were measured in aircraft safety.
From Dover to Charleston, MacDill to Andrews, Fly Away Geese ran wildlife management for four Air Force bases along the East Coast. For nearly a decade, border collies kept runways clear and missions on schedule.
When the USDA took over military wildlife management, Fly Away Geese pivoted to what it did best: breeding, training, and selling elite working border collies to clients nationwide. The company's reputation for proven goose dogs kept demand strong.
After marrying Josh Gibson, a 23-year Hendrick Motorsports veteran, Rebecca relaunched Charlotte goose control. Hendrick, UNC Charlotte, Duke Energy, and Cabarrus County Parks signed on quickly.
The $4B Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel faced 55,000 pairs of nesting shorebirds protected under the Migratory Bird Act. Fly Away Geese deployed 12-16 dogs 24/7, delivering six seasons with zero construction halts.
The HRBT project opened the door to Virginia Beach, Suffolk, and Hampton Roads. COO Danielle Ryan now leads a full Virginia office serving schools, Hampton University, Norfolk State, cemeteries, and business parks.
With offices in Charlotte, Virginia Beach, Nashville, and Martinsburg, WV, Fly Away Geese continues to grow. Backed by NAGA standards the company helped create, the mission holds: make properties permanently unattractive to geese.
From the superintendent who took a chance on our first dog to managers overseeing billion-dollar infrastructure, clients trust Fly Away Geese for lasting, humane wildlife management.
Our NAGA-certified handlers and purpose-trained border collies deliver lasting behavior change, not temporary fixes. Twenty-nine years of proven, humane, science-based methods that keep geese off your property for good.