by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Elwood!

Friday’s stormy weather could not keep at least 60 die hard Pack Ethic supporters and fans away from the ‘Whine & Apawtiser’s’ fundraising event at held at Baiting Hollow Vineyard & Horse Farm.  The event drew in people as far away as New Hampshire and even Elwood and his mom Karen Quigley traveled 7 hours (traffic!) from Philadelphia to be part of the festivities. Who is Elwood you ask? Only one of the World’s Ugliest Dog’s – no really he is the 2007 winner of the world wide contest.  It just goes to show people are not just passionate about animal rescue but know an amazing group when they see it.

Eric Bellows and Keri Whitfield are the life and breathe of the pack of dogs they live with, reform if needed, train and adopt out of Pack Ethic.  As their website says, “Two people – One Home – Twenty Four hours of care…Pack Ethic Rescue is a dream – realized.” Whine and Apawtisers was a fundraising event to help them continue what they do to save lives – and they are not your typical rescue group, as the pack lives with them and are not kenneled.

There were ton’s of raffle baskets, and art auction done by Pack Ethic dogs and ones that have been adopted.  There was also a generous donations of beautiful photos raffle off, taken by a Kyle Hubbs, a Junior pack leader and excellent photographer at just 14 years old.

A alumni of Pack Ethic, Remi a female pit bull was there with her owners.  Eric told me that when Remi she arrived at Pack Ethic as a mere pup she was so terrified of everything she wouldn’t even move.  You can see now from her picture that she is very well adjusted and so, so sweet!  Owned by a lovely couple right here on Long Island now, and living the life of love.

Remi!

I had a great conversation with Eric and it always so nice to talk to a fellow dog enthusiast, trainer, and animal lover who gets it. On hand to greet the many visitors was Vesper, an old dog who suffered a lifetime of abuse until Pack Ethic took him in.  Vesper was on the move at the event practically the entire night, and he definitely knew who his people were with a happy wag and kiss to their faces, very sweet to see. Read his full story here.

Eric and Vesper

If you have never seen a video of the awesome work that Eric does with his pack, you have to check out his Youtube channel.  It will not only put you in awe of the pack and of the day in and day out hard work Eric puts in.

If you couldn’t make the event, and want to make a donation, click here, any amount will help. Pack Ethic Rescue is a registered 501c3 tax exempt charitable organization and donations are tax deductible.

More photo’s of the event here:

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

I have written about this before, people on Long Island assuming that you can only get a Pit Bull or Pit Bull mix at local shelters, and oh how that is NOT the case.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this from a misinformed person, “There are only pit bulls or pit mixes at the shelters,” and for whatever bizarre reason the person saying it always lowers their voice when saying this. Now don’t get me wrong as an owner of my own rescue Pit Bull Max, and proud one at that – I would encourage potential adopters to give a pit or pit mix a chance first – because you will be amazed at what fun loving, super smart, goofy, super loyal and fabulous dogs they truly are.  Anyone who owns a Pit Bull, (American Pit Bull Terrier/American Staffordshire Terrier), or Pit mix will surely agree with me.  But I do understand people have other breeds as their favorites or are looking for something different – I totally get it.  So why skip over your local municipal shelters because of something you heard or assume about the dogs there (and yes cats too!)?

Recently, Last Hope Inc. Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation posted pictures on their Facebook page of 3 different purebred Weimaraners ALL pulled from local Town Municipal Shelters.  They called it, and how adorably so, ‘Weim Whitman Sampler of Shelter Rescues:’ Last Hope’s puppy ‘Maggie’ comes from Hempstead Shelter, ‘Mac’ (formerly ‘Casper’) is from Babylon Shelter; ‘Mandy’ hails from Brookhaven Shelter.

Photo Credit: Last Hope

The thing is – this is not an uncommon occurrence at our local shelters.  I stopped by the Town of Islip shelter last Saturday and asked the Shelter Supervisor Joanne Daly if they had any Dobermans, she said, “not now, but we did just have a female recently that a Dobie rescue group came and pulled.” And if you check out Shelter Link’s page the Town of Islip’s all volunteer group, you are bound to see a purebred or adorable mixed breed that is waiting for his or her forever home.

Little Shelter in Northport, has a beautiful male Doberman there waiting for a home and many other breeds too like: a Mini Pin; Maltese; Chow Mix; Husky Mix; a Shepherd Mix and more.

The North Fork Animal Welfare League has a Rottweiler, Husky, Jack Russell, Beagle, Daschund and many more.

I can almost guarantee that every pet rescue group on Long Island that takes in all breeds and mixed breeds have a purebred dog or mixed bred that you will want.  And if you have your heart on a specific breed there are many breed rescue groups to choose from too.  So please don’t be dismayed by what you heard someone else say – and assume that is exactly how it is at your local animal shelter. Go to the shelters yourself and go often because the sad truth is that dogs come into the shelters daily.

Click here for a list of many of the shelters and breed rescue groups here on Long Island.

And if you want to learn more on dog ownership and training the next Free class is held on April 11 – you must RSVP for the class – find out all details here.

Fluffy: Photo Credit: Shelter Link

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

This Sunday, November, 13 from 11am to 3pm there will be a celebration in Wantagh of a much loved and much debated about breed – the American Pit Bull Terrier.  The first ever ‘Bully Breed Brigade’ will be taking place in Wantagh thanks to the efforts of Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation in cooperation with The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter.  Last Hope has taken the initiative in the past with a Pit Bull Expo a few years ago to try and solve the pit bull over-population problem in our local town and private shelters here on LI.

The Bully Breed Brigade starts at 11am on Sunday, on Beltagh Avenue in Wantagh between the Last Hope Shelter (formerly Bid-a-wee shelter) and the Town of Hempstead shelter.  (For a Map click here). The celebration will include an adoption fair with vendors, trainers, breed advocates, rescuers, speakers, holistic experts, T’touch demos and more! At  12:30pm the Brigade of adopted, rescued, owned and to be adopted American Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Bull Mixes, Amstaffs and other bully dog types will be on parade for all to see, learn about and of course get lots of kisses and wiggle butts from!  The parade of ‘Ambassdogs’, (breed ambassadors), from shelters and rescues across LI with many ready for adoption will be a first on LI!

At 1:30 pm a special pet celebrity Tia Torres from Animal Planet’s very own TV show, ‘Pit Bulls and Parolees.’  Tia has been tirelessly saving pit bulls and helping parolees get back on their feet at Viallobos Rescue Center in California.

Tia will be there because she and her team have driven across country to take 6 pit bulls ‘The Hempstead Hopefuls’ from the Town of Hempstead shelter back with her to California to help rehabilitate the dogs and find them forever homes. These 6 happened to be pulled from an Elmont dog fighting ring over the summer and Tia is generously taking the time out of her own life to not only drive across country but to help these 6 dogs.  My hat is off to you Tia for all you do for our beloved breed of choice.  Tia and her crew have never traveled this far to rescue any dog!

While the image of the Pit Bull may be getting better, meaning more and more people are realizing it’s not the breed but how a dog is raised, socialized, trained, etc. we still have a lot of pit and pit mixes in our local shelter.  As with ANY other breed –it’s how they are brought up – but with that said, there are some pit and pit mixes that were born in a shelter or lived their entire life in a shelter and are just the best dog you may ever encounter.  This loyal, super smart, athletic, adaptable, fun and goofy breed just love humans – and most of them just absolutely love dogs and other animals too!

To cap off this amazing day, what better than a movie premiere all about the breed?  At 7pm the Long Island debut of the movie, ‘Beyond the Myth’ a documentary about Pit Bulls and breed discrimination by Libby Sherrill will be shown at the Cradle of Aviation IMAX Theatre in Garden City. (1 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY).  Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 per person and a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to Last Hope is a 501 c 3 non-for-profit organization.  For more information on the Bully Breed Brigade or the movie premiere contact bbb@lasthopeanimalrescue.org or call 631-671-2588. If you’re bringing your own bully, be sure they are well behaved, socialized, up-to-date on their shots, NYS licensed and on a 6-foot sturdy leash.

Harley – one of Last Hope’s Alumni dogs!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Every year Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF)  has a fundraising garden tour of six luxurious homes scattered throughout the south fork of Long Island.  You kind feel like you’re on a scavenger hunt, but without collecting any stuff, just taking pictures of beautiful gardens and some very unique homes.  This year was no different while ARF celebrated the 25th Anniversary of hosting the garden tour on Saturday, June 18th, 2011.

The tour cost $75 per ticket to attend and all the proceeds raised go to help the pets and helps ARF to continue to their amazing work to help the homeless pets their.

We started the tour somewhat backwards-at the 6th house – but that is part of the fun of the tour – it’s self guided and you are not rushed through.  The tour starts at 10am and ends at 4pm.  While you do need a car to get to each locale, the houses are not walking distance from each other, it is worth the trip.  As someone who is probably now considered a “local” (living on the East End for nearly 6 years), I am still amazed at some of the areas I have yet to see.  The ARF garden tour brings you down streets and gravel roads – you might not have otherwise gone down before – so it’s a little adventure too.

While on the tour we were greeted by Pearl, who I met two years before on the tour.  I recognized this beautiful sweetheart of a pit bull.  This tour however is really for people – Pearl was just a greeter with her volunteer Mom & Dad at one of the houses.  We met many people along the way on the tour, and I can tell you most were not even from the East End!  We met people from Islip, East Islip, Connecticut, West Babylon and more.  So if you want to be somewhat of a voyeur and see some beautiful homes, and be able to give back at the same time – be sure to plan for next year’s ARF Garden Tour!  And of course if you are looking to adopt a cat or dog, head to their wonderful shelter in Wainscott (that’s between Southampton and East Hampton!).

Pearl Girl!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Adopt-a-cat month

June is Adopt-a-Cat month and while most of the time it’s dogs that get the attention – there are many cats and adorable kittens across Long Island looking for loving homes.  As someone who grew up with cats and each and every one was a stray or feral cat or kitten – adopting a cat will add much happiness, fun, laughter and joy into your home.  Every cat we took in – was so smart and lived long healthy lives.

The summer months are the perfect time of year to promote cat adoptions because typically June, July and August bring a surge of cats to the nation’s shelters. Locally one shelter that has an entire building of their no-kill shelter dedicated to cats looking for homes is Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton, NY. Their Executive Director, Pam Green said, “When cats are not neutered or spayed, they reproduce easily, and spring and summer are the seasons when cats are most active, resulting in many kittens showing up at our doors. We encourage everyone to visit their local shelter.”  Ms. Green also offered this helpful ‘top ten’ list for those thinking about adopting new cat into your household:

“TOP TEN” CHECKLIST FOR ADOPTING A CAT

1. If you’re thinking about adopting a cat, consider taking home two.
2. Find a cat whose personality matches with yours.
3. Pick out a veterinarian ahead of time and schedule a visit within the first few days following the adoption.
4. Make sure everyone in the house is prepared to have a cat before it comes home.
5. Budget for the short- and long-term costs of a cat.
6. Stock up on supplies before the cat arrives.
7. Cat-proof your home.
8. Go slowly when introducing your cat to new friends and family.
9. Be sure to include your new pet in your family’s emergency plan.
10. If you’re considering giving a cat as a gift, make sure the recipient is an active participant in the adoption process.
11. Realize that this is a 12-18 year commitment.

Kent Animal Shelter invites all prospective cat adopters to visit the shelter 7 days a week from 10-4pm. Adoption fees range from $ 50.00 to $ 75.00 and have been lowered to help find homes for the many cats and kittens at the shelter. All cats for adoption have been vaccinated, checked for feline leukemia and aids, de-wormed and micro-chipped.