Having grown up in a family where pets of many varieties were always present, sisters Bailey and Chelsea fell naturally into volunteer work at North Shore Animal League America. We are so thankful that both our dog and cat Adoption Centers benefit from the passion that Bailey and Chelsea bring to their service on behalf of our animals.
Ivonne Attard began volunteering as a dog walker, and since then continues to expand her knowledge about pet behavior and training. “As volunteers, we are the closest thing to family that these dogs will get until they get a home. I feel like it’s like our obligation to help them understand that humans are good people.”
Leonard and Jackie have been loyal and engaged supporters since adopting their dog Eva in 2013. North Shore Animal League America is as fortunate as Eva is to have the compassion and heartfelt care the couple have brought to us. They feel that if there was no Animal League America, they would not have Eva in their lives. She certainly has become a vital member of the family and has brought such love into their home.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, North Shore Animal League America, like other shelters across the country, experienced a wave of people wishing to foster or adopt dogs and cats. However, we also noticed that there was a shift in which types of animals were getting adopted faster — wonderfully, it was those who were often overlooked because they had special needs.
On March 9, 2021, North Shore Animal League America had the honor of hosting a Purr-fect Party to celebrate five-year-old cancer survivor, Cassidy. Cassidy is an ambassador for Stop & Shop’s Help Cure Childhood Cancer campaign, which raises money for the Pediatric Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Cassidy is such a special little girl, and so full of empathy for others,” said Maura O’Brien, Stop & Shop External Communications and Community Relations Manager. “We wanted to make this day memorable for her, and her whole family.”
Where is my human? Nothing made sense to Ruby, an eleven-year-old lab mix, who suddenly found herself amid the other dogs at North Shore Animal League America. Adopted from Animal League America as a puppy, she lived a happy and comfortable life with her family until early this year. Ruby’s owner passed away, and his wife entered a nursing home and was unable to care for her.
Her entire life, Purry only knew the safety of a loving home and family. Suddenly, it was all ripped away. Purry’s owners packed up and left the country, leaving their sweet-natured, eight-year-old female cat behind — abandoned and alone. But this sweet senior still had a lot of love left to give.
As 2020 finally drew to a close, at North Shore Animal League America we once again witnessed that not even the smallest creatures could escape the hardship of this most difficult year. Pregnant and due any day, Audrey was rescued off the street by one of our partner shelters in Georgia, who then reached out to us for help. There was no time to waste, especially when pregnant dogs are often the first to be euthanized at overcrowded municipal shelters.
Zeus, a sweet, lovable Hound mix, was rushed to North Shore Animal League America’s Pet Health Centers in critical condition. His back legs were suddenly paralyzed and he couldn’t take even a single step on his own. “Zeus presented to the Pet Health Centers unable to use his back legs. Our main concern was getting him the specialty care he needed as soon as possible. With spinal injuries, treatments must be started immediately or they may not work,” stated Dr. Katarina Valen, Staff Veterinarian. “Despite this, he wagged his tail and gave out generous kisses to everyone who walked by.”
As many are looking forward to the end of a year that has seen unprecedented loss, we at North Shore Animal League America are committed to our no-kill mission. For the month of December we expect to bring in almost 300 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. In a year where we have had to scale back our rescue missions due to the ongoing global pandemic, we did not stop our lifesaving work and continued to do all we could to save more animals.