Walk & Wag Event Raises $1000s to Help Homeless Animals

This past Sunday, October 1, I had a unique experience. For the first time ever, I participated in a fundraising walk for animals, namely, the North Shore Animal League America’s Walk & Wag event in Port Washington, Long Island, NY. The walk, held in beautiful North Hempstead Beach Park on a picture-perfect day, was actually the culmination of weeks of fundraising, to help rescue homeless animals.

This wonderful event featured vendors of pet-related products, a canine agility course, and a walk all around the park and boardwalk, with some great people and many amazing dogs. The turnout was fantastic. So far, the event raised over $12,000, and yours truly was the top fundraiser for the period ending October 1! Thanks to all our generous friends, colleagues, and clients, we raised over $2000 so far. (You can still use the link below to donate through my personal fundraiser page; North Shore Animal League has agreed to keep the fundraiser pages open for a few more weeks).

http://takeaction.animalleague.org/site/TR/all-teamraisers/General?px=4910171&pg=personal&fr_id=1281

Professional Voice Care Center receives their “Top Fundraiser” award with pups in tow at Walk & Wag event

North Shore Animal League’s mission includes rescue, nurture, education, and adoption. They are the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. Their goal: a no-kill world where all homeless pets find loving homes.

Through their Humane Relocation and Mobile Rescue Programs, and their partnerships with rescue groups from across the country and around the globe, they are able to transport thousands of animals back to their Port Washington, NY Adoption Center each year to help find them responsible, loving homes. All animals are medically and behaviorally evaluated at Animal League America. They receive medical care and any needed rehabilitation they need to be ready for adoption.

Their work also includes puppy mill rescues, emergency rescues during disasters like the recent hurricanes, delivering supplies to disaster-stricken areas, and aiding partner shelters all around the country (including rescuing 60 sick and injured cats and kittens from power outages, flooding, and extreme heat in hurricane-stricken South Florida).

NSAL was also responsible for saving 16 dogs from the Yulin Dog Meat Trade Festival in China.

Animal League America also offers the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, which includes lesson plans to actively engage students and promote social and emotional competence, academic achievement, and awareness of the needs of shelter pets, also known as Mutt-i-grees. More than 3 million students and their families have experienced this enlightening curriculum.

NSAL provides urgent medical care, care for special needs and chronically ill and injured pets, spay/neuter services, state-of-the-art affordable medical care, pet behavior training, foster care, and pet-assisted therapy. They also have pet adoption services and events.

Clearly, North Shore Animal League America does so much for animal rescue, medical care, nurturing, education, and animal adoption. But I can tell you from personal experience, they did one more thing that is indescribably fantastic: they enabled me to bring my rescue pup Buddy to his forever home with us 4 years ago.

I had lost my beloved Corgi, Cori, and was ready for another dog. I wanted to rescue a dog, and went to shelters all over the Long Island region. I saw so many great dogs, but none was the right one for me. Finally, I went to North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, looking for a 2 or 3-year-old dog who was already trained and calm. Hah! That was NOT in the plan. Because suddenly, I looked down, and there was a little 5-month-old white pup, named Hunter at the time, who looked up at me with those EYES and said, “Take me home”. My next words were, “I like this dog!”. And that was that! Quickly renamed Buddy, he came home with me and changed my life. He was a crazy puppy, but with some great training and a lot of patience, he became the BEST dog!! Such a good boy, and so loving and friendly. Thanks, North Shore Animal League America, for my Buddy!!