Government exists to protect life, liberty and property. If we truly believe in these words, these protections must naturally extend to animals.
Municipalities within the TBR News Media coverage area are grappling with the complexities of maintaining their animal shelters. Though often overlooked, shelters fulfill a vital public need, offering a haven to stray and sometimes abused animals, providing medical treatment, limiting the number of stray animals on our streets and acting as a place where animals can be adopted.
Without animal shelters, myriad strays would roam our streets. They would likely pose numerous public safety and health risks to the public and to themselves while putting considerable stress on budgets.
How we maintain our animal shelters is a reflection of our morality and the value we place on life itself. Our treatment of animals signals how we may treat our fellow man and the extent to which we value life. And both locally and nationally, we can do better.
We acknowledge this is a highly passionate, often controversial, issue among community members — the plight of unhoused animals tears at our heartstrings.
Given the moral considerations at play, shelter volunteers are critical public servants. Their collective efforts keep our streets safe and unhoused animals sheltered.
A rift can form between the paid managers of municipal shelters — often selected by patronage or union status — and unpaid volunteers. We must endeavor to bridge this divide.
We remind paid staff and unpaid volunteers that they are on the same team, united by a common cause. Hurling accusations or disparaging the opposite party will do little to advance animal welfare or the public good.
It is also incumbent upon local officials to be more transparent and accountable in their oversight of municipal shelters. These officials are elected to serve the public, and the public deserves answers to these pressing matters.
If our municipal shelters are underfinanced or understaffed, then elected officials must explain what they are doing to remediate these challenges. And if the elected officials choose not to be accountable, then the public should vote them out of office. We appreciate the few incumbent or prospective officials who offered their perspectives on this matter.
Finally, citizens have a stake in this as well. To relieve the pressures on our local animal shelters, we must strive to increase shelter adoption rates.
We will not vilify those who purchase a pet from a breeder. However, we ask prospective pet owners to start their search at their local municipal shelter.
Adopting from a shelter won’t just give a needy animal a home. It will lower the financial and operational strain on shelter resources and staff, lower euthanasia rates and save lives.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” It is time for residents and officials alike to heed these words.
By doing our part to help our municipal shelters, we can contribute to the greatness of our community and nation. To be a just and humane society, we must begin by assessing how we treat animals.
Roy Gross, of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with an injured owl that was recovering at the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown.
Roy Gross, of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with a dog rescue.
The rooster, named King Charles, has been at the shelter since July. from Photo from the Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter & Adoption Center
Katniss, Mags and Rue, three rabbits named for Hunger Games characters, were abandoned in Blyndenburgh Park in July of 2022. Photo from the Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter & Adoption Center
Three-year-old German shepherd Linx has been at the shelter for over a year and loves being outdoors. Photo from the Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter & Adoption Center
Dori Scofield, president of Save-A-Pet with two cats Oreo and Cookie.
Dori Scofield, president of Save-A-Pet with the dog Rommel.
The life of Linx is becoming an all too familiar tale in recent months.
A 3-year old German shepherd, Linx, who didn’t receive effective training from his owners, was abandoned a year ago, making it difficult for him to function as a normal dog. Although he’s not conventionally affectionate, Linx is eager to play and run, which means he is best suited for an outdoor and active life.
“He has low odds of finding the right situation,” said Leigh Wixson, animal shelter supervisor in the Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter & Adoption Center, where Linx currently resides.
Some residents throughout Suffolk County bit off more than they could chew during the worst months of the pandemic, adding animals ranging from dogs and cats to guinea pigs, rats, rabbits and roosters to their brood.
Unfortunately for many of those animals, their new owners didn’t always do sufficient research to understand what their new pets needed and didn’t take the time to train them.
At the same time, as people have returned to work outside the house or have become concerned about their budgets amid high inflation and the potential for a recession this year, some people have brought their pets to shelters, or worse.
In the last few weeks, people have left kittens in Tanner Park in Copiague and have abandoned a dog in a motel room for days.
“How do you do something like that to an animal that loved you?” asked Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “Never mind it being illegal, it’s immoral.”
Gross said his department has been pursuing cases where people have attempted to discard their pets in ways that jeopardize animal safety.
He urged people who may not be as comfortable or capable of continuing to provide care for their animals to bring them to one of the county’s 10 municipal shelters.
People who mistreat their pets, by neglecting or putting them in dangerous situations, face fines and jail sentences, Gross said.
Dori Scofield, president of Port Jefferson Station-based Save-A-Pet Animal Shelter, said someone recently tied a dog to a fence near the shelter.
“The dog could have hung himself on our fence, could have gotten away and gotten killed, lost or injured,” she said. Fortunately, she said, the dog made it through the night.
Not a good gift
People who work at shelters urged those who adopt animals, particularly pets like larger breeds of dogs, to take the time to work with them.
“Between 10 months and two years, people have to focus on training,” Scofield said. Without the proper support and direction, some dogs develop behavioral issues.
The first two years of owning a dog are the hardest. “It’s like having a teenager,”Wixson said. “You go through phases and then something clicks around two or three years old.”
Wixson added that every breed of dog has its quirks, which means that the adorable dalmatians from movies and other photogenic dogs don’t necessarily interact with their owners the way people might have expected.
“I have been attacked by more dachshunds and chihuahuas than any other breed,” Wixson said.
While people have surrendered or “donated” dogs, shelters have also had numerous calls about rabbits, roosters and other pets.
Scofield described rabbits as “awesome” pets, but cautioned that they are “high-maintenance” animals that require cleaning, feeding and attention.
The prospects for a domestic rabbit released into the wild are poor. A domesticated rabbit could get run over, starve or be attacked by predators, Gross said.
Wixson said she used to get one or two calls a week before the pandemic from people who couldn’t manage their pets. On Monday, she received five calls.
Some people have given pets to friends and family during birthdays and holidays, which works out as well, and sometimes worse, than when people receive gifts that are easier to return, like sweaters, ties, or toys.
“Giving an animal as a gift is not a good thing,” Gross said, “unless people are expecting it and this is what they want.”
As for the German shepherd Linx, Wixson said that, despite the odds, an adoption “can happen and we are always hopeful.” Wixson believes Linx would do “wonderfully well on a farm where people are outside and busy and there are many things going on around him.”
Humane Long Island is donating vegan gift bags to every person who adopts a dog, cat, or other fuzzy, finned, or feathered friend from participating animal shelters across Long Island for the next 30 days to both promote adoption and kindness to all animals in the New Year.
“Veganuary” gift bags will include vegan food items such as Beyond Jerky, Hippeas, and Vego candy bars from Cindysnacks vegan market in Huntington – which has just been named Humane Long Island’s 2022 Business of the Year – as well as coupons, literature, stickers, and activity books that make it easy to pursue a healthy, vegan lifestyle.
Participating shelters include Babylon Animal Shelter, Brookhaven Animal Shelter, Cove Animal Rescue in Glen Cove, Kent Animal Shelter in Riverhead, Save-A-Pet Animal Shelter in Port Jefferson Station, Smithtown Animal Shelter, Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, Town of Huntington Cat Shelter Operated by Little Shelter, and Humane Long Island’s Riverhead Aviary.
John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and president of Humane Long Island, says “Whether you’re looking to adopt a fuzzy, finned, or feathered friend this year, Humane Long Island would like to say thank you by offering healthy, cruelty-free gift bags to everyone who rescues a homeless animal during the month of January! We hope these delicious vegan samples will encourage adopters to save 200 more animals each year by simply leaving animals off their plate and out of their wardrobe.”
Patricia Deshong, Executive Director of the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, says “Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation is proud to save the lives of animals with the goal of finding them their forever homes. Animals are friends, not food! We thank our friend and fellow rescue partner Humane Long Island for taking the lead on promoting a vegan/plant-based lifestyle and fully support this initiative.”
Whenever a new president arrives at the gates of the White House, much attention is given to all the members of the First Family, pets included. This year, all eyes have been on President Biden’s two German shepherds, Champ and Major. Major holds the special honor of being the first presidential pet rescued from an animal shelter.
Co-author Jamie Silberhartz
Jamie Silberhartz has had dogs her whole life, from her childhood on Long Island to her busy life now as a California actor and mom. She also has a passion for helping dogs get out of shelters and into their forever homes. Silberhartz and her longtime friend Erica Lee were touched by Major’s story, and set out to write a tale of their own for kids.
In Major: Presidential Pup, the dog tells his rags-to-riches story in his own words, sharing the adoption process and a message of kindness. Coupled with realistic, sweet illustrations by Tran Dang, this book should be well-liked by young animal fans.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Silberhartz about her new children’s book.
What was your childhood like? Did you grow up on Long Island?
I lived on Long Island for my entire childhood! I was born and raised in Stony Brook and graduated from Ward Melville High School in 2000. Long Island is the most beautiful place in the world. I have so much love for it.
What did you want to do when you grew up, and what did you end up doing for work?
I always really enjoyed writing as a child — I loved writing stories and poetry. I went to Emerson College in Boston, where I studied writing and acting, but I mostly focused on screenwriting for TV and movies. Emerson has a Los Angeles program, so I was able to move out to California right after I graduated.Acting has been my main profession since college, mostly doing commercials and television shows. I’ve been on shows like “Dexter,” “Without a Trace,” “Private Practice” and “Criminal Minds.” I also did one of the first ever Web-based series for the show “Lost” on ABC. The writing side really took a back seat until recently.
I imagine the pandemic has been tough on you as an actor.
Yes, it’s been interesting. Fortunately, it did give me time to write a lot more, which wouldn’t have happened if not for the pandemic. Hollywood shut down briefly, but they were considered essential workers in this area. I’ve been home writing and spending time with my two girls, who are 7 and 3. It’s so lovely. We were doing “Zoom school” for a long time — bless all of our teachers! It was also great to have my older daughter around to bounce ideas off of in real time while we were writing this book. Some things you write might not make sense to a child, so that feedback was really great.
Have you always been an animal lover? Have you had pets of your own?
I grew up with Labs. My parents were big lovers of animals and they shared that love with me from an early age. A close friend of our family had a pit bull rescue when I was younger, and they were just big, lovable babies. But it wasn’t until I moved to LA that I actually set foot in an animal shelter. The shelters here are always full, and many of the dogs are owner surrendered. The pandemic has brought out both sides of that situation — some people lost their jobs and felt they could no longer support their dogs, while others saw being home more often as the right time to adopt a dog.
Is this your first book? What inspired you to write this book?
Yes, it’s our first book! At the heart of it is dog rescue … I’ve been involved with dog rescues here in LA for a long time now, helping to get dogs out of shelters and raising awareness that you can adopt any kind of dog you want. We have a huge population of homeless dogs out here that end up in shelters and in bad situations.
I had read about Joe Biden fostering and adopting a dog, and then when he won the presidency, that this dog who was brought off the streets as a sick puppy was going to the White House. I thought it was such a cool story witha great message about how you can rescue any dog. It’s also a metaphor for being able to accomplish anything. I thought it would be great for more people to hear Major’s story.
Co-author Erica Lee
Tell us about your co-writer, Erica Lee.
Erica is a movie producer that has also never written a book before. She’s produced all the “John Wick” movies along with many others. She and my husband grew up together in Florida, and we’re very close. We both have rescues of our own and loved hearing about Major.
We are constantly brainstorming together, and we thought it would be great to show his story from the beginning, along with the whole process of fostering and adopting from start to finish. Our president had to take all of the same, normal steps that anyone else has to take when they decide to adopt a dog, and that’s pretty cool.
Many presidents have had dogs or other pets. Was there something particular that drew you to Major?
There have certainly been a lot of presidential pets, and I’ve known and loved them all! They are my own favorite “celebrities.” But there was something about Biden having these big, delicious puppies living a pretty normal life in Delaware.
It was easy to picture them just hanging out, and when Biden was vice president, he would give out little German shepherd stuffed animals. I feel like we know more about Major and Biden’s other dog, Champ. We’ve seen so many pictures of them through the explosion of social media in the last decade.
What was the writing process like for you? Did it take a long time?
When we first started the book, it was totally different from the finished product that’s out now. None of it rhymed. I love reading things that rhyme, and my kids really enjoy that. As someone that oversees stories as they’re being written, Erica was great about identifying lines that weren’t necessary and we each had a part to play.
It was a pretty fast process. We started writing at the end of November 2020 and the book was published on Feb. 10. We self-published because we wanted to keep costs down in order to donate the profits. We also wanted to move quickly to capitalize on the recent inauguration — traditional publishing can take quite a while. Our hardcover publisher was IngramSpark, and we used Amazon for paperback.
Who illustrated this book? How did you connect?
Our illustrator, Tran Dang, lives overseas. We found her online through the website Fiverr, where we were able to look at some of her other work. It was important for us to work with another woman and for this project to be an all-girl crew, and we just loved her stuff — she’s done a lot of projects with animals that were so sweet. She did an amazing job.
What was it like for you to see the finished product?
It was incredible. Seeing our story come alive exactly how I pictured it was the coolest feeling, and so exciting,
What is the target age group for this book?
I would say that it’s best for kids ages 4 to 8.
What do you hope kids will get out of reading Major’s story?
One of the main themes is that Major isn’t like anybody else; he’s just himself, and his family loves and accepts him just as he is. He leads with kindness. I hope kids read this and know that they don’t have to be someone they’re not, as long as they are kind and try to make the world better.
How are you using your book to support animal welfare?
All of the proceeds from this book are going to benefit dog rescues in Los Angeles, including Dogs Without Borders. I have two dogs of my own from there. We’re not making any profits for ourselves at all. Depending on how the sales go, we would be interested in supporting rescues in other parts of the country, including the wonderful organizations on Long Island. Our main goal is to see more dogs getting out of shelters and into homes. We use the social media pages for the book to promote local dogs in need of homes as well — that’s actually led to a few adoptions already, which is exciting.
How can people get involved with helping dogs in their area?
Aside from adopting and volunteering with local groups, many places are always looking for dog beds and food. I like to donate old comforters. That’s a great way to help out.
Are you thinking about writing more books in the future?
For sure. I’m finishing up a screenplay right now, and looking forward to writing more books about dogs and supporting more shelters and rescues!
Major: Presidential Pup is available at Book Revue in Huntington and online retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To keep up with Jamie and Erica, their book and animals in need, visit http://linktr.ee/MajorPresidentialPup.
Dr. Christopher Winkler, owner of the Suffolk Veterinary Group Animal Wellness & Laser Surgery Center in Selden with a client. Photo from Winkler.
By Chris Cumella
Social distancing has been accompanied by a loss of companionship that people yearn to have once again. Fortunately, pet-service workers have committed themselves to making sure people’s furry, feathered and scaly friends have remained healthy, even as the worst of the pandemic raged.
The coronavirus has completely shifted the social norms of being around other people, but pets have remained steadfast companions even as many people remained isolated from friends or family.
Suffolk Veterinary Group
Dr. Christopher Winkler, who heads up the Suffolk Veterinary Group clinic in Selden, explained that while COVID-19 has been difficult to navigate, it has been satisfying to help clients and their companions.
“It has been very gratifying to be able to help in this way,” Winkler said. “We are seen as frontline workers because we are managing medical for what people call their ‘fur babies.’”
He began working at the Suffolk Veterinary Group out of medical school, where the owner met him working at the local emergency room down the street. He would eventually purchase the practice in 2006, with his wife Nicole as a manager. The company prides itself on introducing laser surgery to its clinic in 2010 and since then has expanded the practice into their primary care services, such as airway procedures for pugs.
According to Winkler, pets fulfill a vital role in the family dynamic. He detailed how clients have told him that their pets help lower blood pressure and bring a calming presence during stressful times, especially now. The veterinarian is reassured that keeping all pets in good health “helps with the dynamic of the lockdown, the anxiety and possibly even the loss of family members.”
Animal shelters have had the difficult task making sure that creatures have warmth, food and love, all while having to cut down on staff. Many animals have come to these shelters from those who have passed due to COVID-19.
Save-A-Pet Animal Rescue
Dory Scofield, president of SaveAPet Animal Rescue with a furry friend. Photo from Scofield
From Port Jefferson Station, the Save-A-Pet Animal Rescue and Adoption Center takes in abused, abandoned and homeless animals and helps them find loving permanent homes. The organization offers programs in educating the public — especially children — on the importance of responsible pet ownership and humane treatment of all animals.
While feeding her horses and chickens at home during a phone call, Dori Scofield, president of Save-A-Pet, explained that her line of work had given her hope during these troubling times.
“Animals’ lives depend on all of us, and we strive on donations,” she said. “We are always here for the animals, and we hope the community is too so that we can help them.”
Working with cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets and more, Scofield manages the operation with 10 employees and over 200 volunteers, only four of which are allowed to come in on an average day.
Scofield said she has taken in pets from half-a-dozen owners who have passed due to COVID, but remains positive due to the newfound safety and love that they can provide to each new face in the shelter. She remains humble in terms of rescuing animals from poor or unsuitable living conditions, saying, “We are just the catalyst; the public is the ones saving them.”
Scofield’s plans with Save-A-Pet involve opening an animal sanctuary with a specific demographic of farm animals. Construction was temporarily halted in June but is expected to pick up again next month. It will be located in Massachusetts, expanding over 25 acres and hopefully home to horses, goats, chickens, pigs and more.
“More animals have been adopted, now is the time to get an animal when you’re stuck at home,” Scofield said.
According to an August article from the Washington Post, pet adoptions have been increasing steadily since July, as many search for that missing sense of being around others that people can safely enjoy with their pets.
Town of Huntington Cat Shelter
Ashley Davide, manager of the Town of Huntington Cat Shelter in East Northport which is overseen by Little Shelter Animal Adoption Center, said that it is more difficult for the shelter to take in cats and analyze if they would be a good fit with the others, but it does not stop her from finding homes for those currently there.
“We had gotten a crazy, feral cat, he was not friendly, but he was going to die because of an infection in his paws,” Davide said. “It took months of surgery, but he pulled through. Slowly as he became better, he became a friendly, ridiculously purring cat that sounded like a pigeon. I didn’t think he would be adopted at 7 months old, but a woman came in and fell in love with him, and after four years, he finally went home. She loved him more than life itself.”
Davide’s shelter operations have shifted from a Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule with shorter weekend hours to appointment only, with only one client allowed at a time. Before the virus became mainstream, the shelter allowed clients to sit in rooms with the cats and personally get to know them— who they were, what their personalities were like, and how compatible they found themselves with each other.
Now the shelter must require people to take as little time as possible, which led to the reluctant decision to limit interactions to 30 minutes.
“It’s not really fair to the cats,” Davide said. “The people shouldn’t have to be rushed to choose the cat they love the most.”
I always really enjoyed writing as a child — I loved writing stories and poetry. I went to Emerson College in Boston, where I studied writing and acting, but I mostly focused on screenwriting for TV and movies. Emerson has a Los Angeles program, so I was able to move out to California right after I graduated.
Who illustrated this book? How did you connect?
Major: Presidential Pup is available at Book Revue in Huntington and online retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To keep up with Jamie and Erica, their book and animals in need, visit http://linktr.ee/MajorPresidentialPup.
