For me, the beginning of a new year means working even harder to help homeless animals find warmth, safety, and love for the rest of their lives. No matter what I’m doing, even when I’m having a fireside chat with The Moosh, I’m always looking for ways to save more lives. And with the help of my Animal League America colleagues and my IG community, I know that 2024 will be a year to remember.
North Shore Animal League America embarked on a lifesaving mission in collaboration with partner National Mill Dog Rescue; driving our Mobile Rescue Unit to Missouri to pick up 26 small breed dogs who were saved from Midwest commercial breeding facilities. The dogs traveling to our Port Washington, NY campus included breeds such as Maltese, Dachshunds, Labradoodles, Pomeranians and Shih Tzus. What set this rescue apart was the higher number of puppies and younger canines compared to previous commercial breeding rescues.
For me, no month summons up more memories and emotions than December. It’s such a resonant season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or Winter Solstice. December is the time when many of us look back on the past 12 months and forward to what’s next. So in that spirit, I’m taking a look at 2023 to share just a few of the moments that will stay in my memory forever.
As seasons change and temperatures drop we can all get a little run down, and before you know it the first signs of an upper respiratory illness start to appear. The same is true for our pets. Know how to recognize the signs that your furry friend might be a little under the weather and how you can avoid these health risks in the future.
She looked like she’d swallowed a bowling ball. From other angles, she looked like a kangaroo. No matter how she sat, lay, or stood, she could not get comfortable. She didn’t walk, she waddled. And she ate like she was feeding a football team. Then, after days of watching and waiting, her seven sweet nuggets arrived…and I finally got some sleep.
Veterans Day is a time to salute the dedication and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes. North Shore Animal League America’s Shelter Pet Outreach Team (SPOT) honors their service not just on this special day but throughout the year. For over a decade, our SPOT volunteers have been making regular visits to the New York State Veterans Home at St. Albans, bringing joy, comfort and companionship in the form of puppies to brighten the days of the residents.
North Shore Animal League America completed another collaborative rescue mission this October with partner National Mill Dog Rescue, saving 47 dogs and puppies from commercial breeding facilities in the Midwest. Encompassing a variety of primarily small breeds from poodles to corgis, the canines arrived at our Port Washington campus in dire need of extensive care after lives spent in cramped cages, devoid of nurturing.
An adorable puppy or kitten can certainly put a smile on your face, but a dog or cat in its golden years can do the same thing, while also making the pet parenting process much easier. Learn more about the benefits of adopting an adult or senior pet, and meet some who are waiting for you at our Port Washington, NY Adoption Center.
Year after year, our rescue efforts have a transformative impact on the lives of homeless animals and the people who love them. On a special mission this spring – one of several conducted through our ongoing partnership with National Mill Dog Rescue – we saved the lives of 50 dogs and puppies, including a beautiful 7-year-old Golden Retriever named Darla, whose trauma encapsulates both the cruelty of commercial breeding facilities and the power of nurturing to provide hope.
I’ll never forget Fig and Dumpling, two of the most challenging kittens ever enrolled in my socialization program. When they arrived in my guest bathroom in 2016, they were beautiful but emaciated…and they were manic! They scaled the walls, peed and pooped everywhere, and ripped the curtains off the windows.