Donor Spotlight

When asked ‘what is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about homeless dogs and cats?’ Nancy stated, “to help them of course.” And that is what Nancy has spent a lifetime doing.

“I believe that I’ve talked about the organization at least once a week—for the past 40 years.” When Virginia Desocio adopted her dog, Pumpkin, there was one building on the campus. She returned for a visit three years ago. “I was so impressed with the whole organization. The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum had just been completed. I wished it had been around when I was still teaching special education in New Jersey.”

The animals who have spent their lives with Karen Eckhoff are lucky. As Karen talked about her passion for animals, she voiced a sentiment, which many of us relate to, about how “helping animals feels good.”

Maria Calcanes would love to volunteer at our Long Island Adoption Center. But she’s just a tad busy. First there are her three dogs, Suki, a 14-year-old Pomeranian; Butters, the Maltese, also 14; and Bruno, her 18-month-old Toy Poodle. And the cats: Mushroom and Big Boy, 6-year-old Tabbies; Toby, the 4-year-old Tuxedo; and Misty, who is 9 and has epilepsy. And the newest rescue is sweet Alice, who was probably dumped and is living upstairs while under observation. She might be pregnant. Not to mention the five felines who live on her porch, plus the four in backyard shelters, and the feral colonies she visits. All are spayed/neutered and up to date on medical care. So, yes, Maria would love to volunteer, but with more than 20 animals depending on her, well...you get the picture.

In November, Esther Merten will fly to Lapland. She’ll live in a glass igloo for a few days and watch the northern lights. She also plans to see reindeer. Esther is 84 years old.

Growing up, Judy Arnold was surrounded by animals. Homeless, abandoned, and brand new litters — they all seemed to know that Judy and her family would help.

Robert Certilman has always had a soft spot in his heart for animals–particularly dogs because of their playfulness and loyalty. Although his hectic work schedule hasn’t allowed him to have a pet of his own for quite some time, he missed having a four-legged friend at home to greet him after a long day at the office.

Last spring, Ana Molina and Andrew Gasper realized they needed a dog in their life. Ana had adopted a kitten, Harley, from North Shore Animal League America 18years earlier. When Harley died after such a wonderful, long life, they knew they wanted to rescue another animal. They asked us to be on the lookout for a dog this time, but only the right dog... and that’s how they met and fell in love with Jadie.

When she was just four years old, Mel and Rochelle Spielman’s daughter, Bari, announced that she wanted to be a “doggie doctor.” The news did not necessarily come as a surprise to her mom and dad, who, during their 55-year marriage have always had a love for animals, sharing their home with an assortment of rabbits, birds, and, of course, dogs, including their current companion, a five-year-old German Shepherd named Hunter.