Happy Gratitude Month!

Some people think Thanksgiving happens only once a year. I disagree. For me, Thanksgiving occurs 365 times a year. I find it in the faces of my resident cats and rabbits and all my fosters. Every day, I take a moment to thank my lucky stars for being able to live a life helping animals in need. In other words, thank you, Howard!

And of course, I’m also grateful for the people in my life: my family and friends, my wonderful colleagues at Animal League America, and my Instagram community, all of whom support me in my work and share in my joy whenever one of my fosters finds a loving home.

Adoption is the goal of everything I do, even though it’s always a bittersweet moment when one of my nuggets finds a new family to love. Some adoptions seem to happen just like that, while others, especially those involving senior pets, take more time and patience.

Right now, I’m utterly smitten with tiny Gramma Winnie (left), who’s at least 14 years old and was callously dumped outside a police precinct. I don’t understand how someone could do this to her. She’s the gentlest, sweetest, purring-est lap-lover ever, and I know I’ll find a family to give her all the affection she deserves for the rest of her life.

Maybe it will happen this month, since November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month. I’m always honored to help sweet souls like Winnie get another chance at life, so I asked my colleagues at North Shore Animal League America to tell me about a few of the sweet seniors at our Long Island Campus who need a new place to call home. Here are four who really stand out. I hope someone reading this will see one of these wise faces and say, “Oh yes. That one is for me!”

First up is Rocky! (Adopt #V31557) Just so you know, I am not giving up on this guy!! I first told you about him in my November 2023 blog, exactly two years ago! Sadly, he is still looking for the right family to love all 120 pounds of him. This handsome 10-year-old hunk was adopted as a puppy but was returned to us when his owners decided they no longer wanted him. Rocky had a tough few weeks after being surrendered to us. He refused to eat and spent his days looking around and waiting for his humans to pick him up. Utterly heartbreaking. But eventually, this Newfie mix came around, stealing the hearts of staff and volunteers with his tenderness and love of life. Rocky can be shy at first, but once he’s comfortable, he’s just the friendliest boy. The ideal home for Rocky would be as a single pet in an adult-only home, with someone experienced with large dogs. Visit Rocky’s adoption profile if you’d like to meet him and see what an amazing dog he is.

Another special senior I featured previously is Rascal (Adopt #VL1288), who appeared in my November 2024 blog. It’s just so hard to believe that this 10-year-old Shepherd mix is still waiting for his forever family. He arrived on our campus in early 2023 after his owner passed away, and he ended up in a municipal shelter where he faced euthanasia. My colleagues acted quickly and brought him into our shelter. Rascal is a sweetheart. He takes a minute to warm up to new people, but once he does, he’s your loyal companion. He loves playing in our dog park, munching on treats, and taking walks with his favorite humans. Rascal will thrive with adopters who have experience with fearful dogs and can provide the patience and understanding he needs to feel safe. Rascal is not suited for apartment living; he really needs a quiet home with a fenced-in backyard in a suburban neighborhood where he can relax and explore at his own pace. To ensure a perfect match, Rascal would like to meet everyone in the home before making it his own.” If you can’t stop thinking about his story and his soulful face, you can learn more about Rascal by visiting his profile. I’m not giving up on Rascal and know in my heart there’s a home out there for his precious golden years.

Lucinda (Adopt #H194622) “For eight long, bewildering months, Lucinda lived alone in a home she’d known for years after her owner moved and left her behind. Thankfully, a neighbor fed her, but she was basically isolated and deeply confused. When she came to NSALA, she was discouraged and distressed, having lost both her home and her person. Our team provided her with a quiet space, where she’s been able to ease back into having a social life, but on her terms. Time is our most valuable tool for overwhelmed cats. By giving Lucinda the time she’s needed and a plan to safeguard her health in her golden years, we’ve learned what she would need in her new home: a place all to herself as the only pet with appreciative, experienced adults who wish nothing more than to give her love when she asks for it and space when she needs it. The calmer her environment, the more she craves attention. We’ve grown to adore our lady of the House—and our oldest feline resident at Animal League America—and look forward to introducing her to the hero who takes her home forever.” Visit Lucinda’s adoption profile to learn more about this beautiful girl.

“The loss of Pebbles’ (Adopt #SPC235) beloved owner deeply affected her. Luckily, her owner had the compassion and foresight to arrange for her care with us, and we’ve upheld that promise. Our vets found elevated liver enzymes, which they are treating with medication that she easily laps up in her food. (This is a covered medical condition through our Pet Health Centers.) Knowing she was never fully comfortable around other cats, we found her the quietest spot where she could process the changes she’d endured. Although she is always cautious with new situations, possibly due to her poor hearing, familiar humans offering treats and gentle reassurance are enough to bring a spark back to her eyes, which had been missing when she first arrived. We want Pebbles to feel completely secure in her next home—one with experienced, loving, and patient adults who will continue to. provide her comfort through small, caring gestures.”  Learn more about Pebbles and how you can make her part of your family.

November is also Senior Pet Health Month and National Pet Cancer Awareness Month. When I read this, both topics really hit home. Our Rose, for example, started drooling and refusing to eat a while back, so I scheduled a dental appointment. The vet told me she’d been in severe pain (cats are really good at hiding pain), which was shocking because she’d had a full wellness check in August. Poor Rose had eight decayed teeth with exposed roots!

Cancer in pets is truly devastating. Our Walter and Bud both died this past summer from aggressive cancers. Over the years, we’ve learned that regular vet visits and routine blood tests can catch problems before they become untreatable. There are many things vets can do to extend their lives and ensure a good quality of life until the time comes to give them their final gift of no more suffering.

Loving and caring for my pets, no matter what, can be tough at times, but it’s always so rewarding. November 8 was International Human-Animal Bond Day, a celebration that resonates deeply with me. I’ve never met an animal I didn’t care for, including the dead vole Howard and I found on our morning walk the other day. We stopped, looked at the poor thing, and spent the remainder of our walk talking about how we hoped he’d died quickly and without pain.

Sometimes, my connection to animals surprises even me. Honestly, I never thought about having a bunny in my home. And now Howard and I have welcomed our three — Sunnybunny, Stephen Heavensent, and most recently Earl — into our family. I’m hopeful that my two bonded bun-bun fosters, Josie and Melvin (left), will find a loving family soon.

All had been discarded and dumped, while I can’t even imagine abandoning an animal. In fact, I don’t think someone can be human and do such a thing. So many people tell me they feel a connection to me because we share a respect for animals, and admit to liking animals more than they like most people.

I don’t know if I was born with this feeling for all animals, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything — even when the pain of knowing how many are mistreated in this world is unbearable. Still, it’s my life’s purpose, and I don’t have words to say how grateful I am to be able to help those I can — and to help create a community of people who share my passion and compassion.

And I gain so much more from my animals than I give. After all, if I had never adopted Cocomelon, despite her special needs, and Stephen Heavensent, they would never have met, bonded, and taught me so much about the nature of true friendship.

And I would never have written my new book, “Coco and Stephen, Together Forever.”

I am thrilled to share that Penguin Random House will publish my book in April 2026. All of my author’s fee is going to North Shore Animal League America.

You can pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere. And if I do say so myself, it is an adorable story. I hope it nurtures the love for animals that most children already possess, along with a sense of responsibility for their care.
For all the gifts that animals have given me since I was a little girl, I am eternally grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo
Beth

P.S. November 15 is National Philanthropy Day. Anyone can be a pet philanthropist simply by finding a way to help their local shelter. For example, every donation counts as philanthropy, no matter its size. Volunteering is also philanthropic. So, donate, foster, or volunteer, and make a difference. One program I really love is North Shore Animal League America’s Help Me Heal Program. This life-saving initiative rescues animals from facilities where they would otherwise be destroyed due to costly medical conditions and provides expert care that transforms them into healthy, adoptable pets. Supporting this program would be a wonderful way to celebrate National Philanthropy Day and express gratitude to the animals in your life. I hope you will visit our website to learn more about this unique effort.