Park rangers would monitor Huntington Station parks to give a greater sense of police presence to the area. Stock photo
After a slew of violent incidents in Huntington Station, town Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) has proposed using park rangers to help monitor the area and improve security.
In the past two months, Suffolk County Police Department has publicly reported two dead bodies found in Huntington and three shootings in the area. Residents have asked officials at town board meetings for resolutions to the safety issue.
According to town spokesman A.J. Carter, the town plans to hire three to four park rangers, who would be recently retired or active but off-duty policemen and have the same powers as peace officers.
Although their jurisdiction specifically would be town parks, Carter said the park rangers would be allowed to intervene if they see activity on the roads or other areas outside the parks.
Huntington Station borders the Froehlich Farm Nature Preserve, where the body of a young woman was found in 2013, and includes the following parks within the neighborhood: Gateway Park on New York Avenue at Lowndes Avenue; Manor Field Park on East 5th Street; Depot Road Park; and Fair Meadows Park on East Pulaski Road and Park Avenue.
According to New York State criminal procedure law, peace officers can make warrantless arrests, use physical force to make an arrest or prevent an escape, carry out warrantless searches with probable cause and issue appearance tickets, among other powers. They can also carry firearms and take away weapons from people who do not have the proper licenses to carry.
All peace officers in New York need to go through a special training program.
Carter said Petrone has spent months researching the idea.
Many other towns on Long Island use systems like this, including Smithtown, which has a park ranger division comprised of “law enforcement personnel” acting as peace officers in town-owned facilities to “enforce town codes, parks rules and regulations, as well as state and federal laws,” according to Smithtown’s website.
Smithtown park rangers work in conjunction with Suffolk police, and Carter said Huntington plans to do the same. Duties for Smithtown rangers include preserving town property, deterring crime, arresting offenders and assisting in searches for missing persons.
“It’s another presence in the community with the ability to make arrests,” Carter said in a phone interview.
The town spokesman also said the money to hire peace officers would be taken from the part of the budget set aside for additional seasonal hires.
As for information on uniforms, salary, shift schedules and more, Carter said the program is still in the works and no other news is available at the moment.
Detectives have charged a man with first-degree manslaughter after his alleged victim was found unconscious and covered in blood.
The Suffolk County Police Department said early Thursday morning that 32-year-old Brentwood resident Samuel White was arrested for allegedly murdering Edwin Rivera, who was found lying on Clinton Avenue in Huntington the previous day.
A 911 caller had reported the body, and officers found the 39-year-old from Bay Shore on the ground next to his 2015 Mercedes. He was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital.
Police had said Wednesday that the death had been ruled criminal and detectives were waiting on an autopsy from the county medical examiner’s office to determine how he died.
No attorney information was available for the murder suspect, White, on the New York State court system’s online database.
Rivera’s was the second body found in the Huntington area this week. Just a few days earlier, officers had found the body of 33-year-old William Sarcenolima, of Huntington Station, partially in the roadway on West Hills Road. He too was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital and his body was transported to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Police have not yet announced a cause of death, but said at the time the body was found that Sarcenolima may have been a victim of violence.
Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the murder of a man who was found in Huntington early Wednesday morning.
Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct officers responded to Clinton Avenue at 3:17 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that a man was unconscious and covered in blood. When officers arrived, they found Bay Shore resident Edwin Rivera, 39, lying on the ground next to his 2015 Mercedes.
Rivera was transported by Huntington Community First Aid Squad to Huntington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death has been ruled criminal and an autopsy will be performed by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner to determine the cause.
Rivera’s is the second dead body found in Huntington this week. Early Sunday morning, May 22, officers found the body of 33-year-old William Sarcenolima, who lives in Huntington Station, partially in the roadway on West Hills Road in Huntington Station. Sarcenolima was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital. His body was then transported to the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Police have not yet announced a cause of death, but said at the time the body was found that Sarcenolima may have been a victim of violence.
Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
Patrick Ambrosio stands with his cheeses inside The Crushed Olive in Huntington. Photo from Patrick Ambrosio
The Crushed Olive in Huntington has long been a destination for residents with an adventurous palate — now it is a haven for cheese lovers as well.
Huntington’s Patrick Ambrosio, 59, opened Le Bon Fromage in April. Located inside specialty olive oil shop The Crushed Olive, Le Bon Fromage features local and international fresh, cut-to-order, artisan cheeses. Ambrosio is the resident professional cheesemonger, a title he has held for about 20 years.
“I always wanted to do something like this here,” he said in an interview last week. “I’m excited to bring some good cheese to the Huntington community.”
Ambrosio grew up in East Northport. By the time he was 30, he attended culinary school and spent time living in California, working as a chef at a winery and a cheesemonger at a restaurant.
Some of the many cheeses for sale. Photo by Alex Petroski
All the while, Ambrosio said opening a business like Le Bon Fromage was in the back of his mind. He decided to give it a shot for a number of reasons, most important of which was to be able to spend more time with his wife, Gale, and his 7-year-old son, Ethan.
Ambrosio said he understands cheese, especially those with foreign names and unusual smells or textures that can be intimidating for eaters. He said his goal is to be approachable and informative.
“That’s the fun part of cheese, you take people on a little journey with it,” the cheesemonger said. “I very much believe in the products I represent. I’ve been doing this for close to 20 years now. I live in Huntington and I kind of want to bring that to Huntington.”
Ambrosio acknowledged apprehension from shoppers who are becoming more and more concerned with what they are feeding their families.
“There’s a whole growing market of people who don’t care if it’s a little bit more [money]; they want to know how it’s produced,” he said. “I do have some organic cheeses but while most of them may not be organic, they’re produced to a standard that is better, almost.”
That’s not to say Le Bon Fromage’s prices are hard to swallow.
Ambrosio’s goal is to offer styles and flavors that are not necessarily the norm for the American consumer. His favorite, though he said it’s difficult to choose just one, is the French Comté Marcel Petite.
“I’ve tried to put a good cross section of cheeses together,” Ambrosio said. Le Bon Fromage also offers various salamis from American producers.
The response to Le Bon Fromage during its short run has been positive, if reviews on the shop’s Facebook page are to be believed. One shopper called it “an amazing gem in the heart of Huntington village.” Another complimented Ambrosio, saying, “You won’t find a more knowledgeable purveyor of cheese.”
The cheese expert said he takes care to make sure customers enjoy every part of shopping at Le Bon Fromage.
“I think a big part of it is you have to provide an interesting and good shopping experience for people, and that’s intangible. You don’t take [that] home and you don’t eat it, but that’s part of the experience too.”
Le Bon Fromage and The Crushed Olive are located at 278 Main St. in Huntington.
‘The Three Graces’ by Lois Youmans will be on view at fotofoto gallery through May 28.
By Rita J. Egan
Spring is here and flowers are blooming all over the island. Yet, whether found in a garden or a vase, the beauty of a flower is fleeting, unless a photographer captures the image of a bloom. Then, not only can its beauty live eternally, but also every nuance can be seen, and the image may even inspire one to see the flower in a new way.
To celebrate the fine art of floral photography, fotofoto gallery in Huntington will present photographer Holly Gordon’s exhibit, FLORAbundance, through May 28. To complement her solo show, Floral Bouquet, with works from individual gallery artists, will be on display as well.
Gordon said that fotofoto gallery, which was founded almost 15 years ago by a group of Long Island-based photographers, is the oldest fine art photography collective gallery in the area that provides a space for professional contemporary photographers to display their work. Each month a group member has a chance to feature his or her art, and Gordon chose the month of May.
Lawrence Chatterton’s photograph, ‘Astilbe Chinensis’ will be on display at fotofoto’s latest exhibit.
The photographer, who explained her work starts out as photographs but grows into something different in the digital “darkroom,” said May is the perfect time of year for her to display her floral images. Gordon said while a young mother she would plant vegetables and flowers and then take photos of her garden. “A lot of my evolution as an artist has evolved from the garden, and I thought May would be a perfect time to let my gallery space explode with the color and profusion of these wonderful blooms after a cold, gray season,” she said.
Gordon said she uses a 35mm Canon EOS 5D camera with a Tamron 28-300 zoom lens or a Sony RX1 with a fixed lens, and she varies her techniques when photographing subjects. She sometimes shoots with a shallow depth of field so the background blends in, and other times sets her camera out of focus so she can capture a more impressionistic view of what is in front of her. She said everything is manual because she feels, “it’s not the camera, it’s the person who is using the camera. I do not want a little box making decisions for me.”
At times, Gordon will take one shot in focus, and then, without moving or changing the focus or depth of field, she’ll keep taking photos. Once she has the photos on her computer, she uses Photoshop to layer them over each other and changes the opacity to make it look almost like cellophane to create an image that is recognizable yet at the same time represents her vision. Many times her photographs have been compared to a painting, which is no surprise since Gordon has a background in that art form, too.
“I’m always looking for creating my own vision, because you can set up a zillion cameras, and let the camera make all the decisions, and all you do is snap the picture, but I want to have a more personal response and reaction to what it is that I am looking at,” she said.
The photographer said she calls the paired exhibits at fotofoto The Focus Is Flowers, and the name of hers, FLORAbundance, is a play on the words floral and abundance. Gordon has 10 of her prints on display, and in Floral Bouquet 10 gallery artists are participating: Patricia Beary, Sandra Carrion, Lawrence Chatterton, Patricia Colombraro, Susan Dooley, Rosalie Frost, Andrea M. Gordon, Kristin Holcomb, Seth Kalmowitz and Lois Youmans.
Gordon said photographers will each have one piece on display in the group exhibit, and their signature styles inspired the title Floral Bouquet. “Because each artist in the gallery has his and her own unique vision, that’s why it has become a floral bouquet. That’s what’s so fascinating, and it’s absolutely wonderful, because it just shows so many different approaches to photographing flowers,” she said.
The photographer hopes that visitors to the gallery will look at flowers differently after viewing the exhibit and that serious photographers may even be inspired to share their work with art lovers at fotofoto gallery. “I hope that it expands the way they see. That they look at the world much more sensitively and as a natural work of art, and that it might inspire them to see differently when they use their camera . . . not just to rely on the technology of the camera to snap something, but to be a more active player in choosing what to take and to realize that being an artist is a rare and special gift,” she said.
‘Iris,’ a photographic print by Holly Gordon, will be on display at fotofoto’s latest exhibit.
Gordon said she once read something that Monet said to the effect of “look beyond the bloom.” “What I took that to mean, and maybe that’s something that I would like people to take away from seeing my work, what he was saying, ‘look beyond the bloom,’ see it for more than the fact that it’s a tulip, or a rhododendron, or a rose or a daisy,” she said. “See it as colors and shapes and patterns, and how those colors and shapes and patterns and textures play with all the other colors and patterns and textures around it. And, that’s how I view the world; I see it as art elements.”
The exhibit is the first of a number of events for Gordon in the next few months. The photographer is scheduled to display her FLORAbundance pieces at the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Library from June 1 through 30 and will also present a slide show based on the artwork at the library on June 13. Another slide show with Gordon, presented by the Long Island Horticulture Society, is scheduled for Sunday, June 28, at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay.
In addition to her solo work, the photographer is currently working with watercolor painter Ward Hooper on the artistic endeavor, The Brush/Lens Project, which compares Long Island landscapes in both a photograph and painting to show how the brush and lens relate. The Long Island MacArthur Airport Gallery will host an exhibit by The Brush/Lens Project with Gordon’s photographs as well as Hooper’s paintings from July 1 through August 12.
Gordon said an artist reception at fotofoto will be held on Saturday, May 7, from 5 to 7 p.m., and the gallery will also be part of Huntington Village’s first Art Walk taking place on Saturday, May 14. “I certainly hope that people will tiptoe through the streets of Huntington and come back to fotofoto gallery because I’m going to be there, too,” she said.
FLORAbundance by Holly Gordon and Floral Bouquet by fotofoto gallery artists will run through May 28. The gallery is located at 14 W. Carver St. in Huntington and admission is free. For more information on the exhibit, visit www.fotofotogallery.org or call 631-549-0448. To discover more about Gordon’s photography, visit www.hollygordonphotographer.com.
Warriors win their third of six one-goal games this season
Huntington's Tara Wilson and Comsewogue's Hannah Dorney fight for possession. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Despite four yellow cards that forced Comsewogue to play a man down in the final minutes of the game, the Warriors were able to hold on to a 9-8 win over the Huntington girls’ lacrosse team in a must-win match to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“We’re [5-6 in Division II], but our record doesn’t show how good we can play,” Comsewogue sophomore Hannah Dorney said. “We’ve had [six] one-goal games and we knew this game would be close.”
Huntington broke the ice two minutes in when senior attack Emma DeGennaro found the cage unassisted, but Comsewogue’s Dorney dished the ball to junior midfielder Jamie Fischer on a cross, and she too buried her shot to tie the game minutes later.
Comewogue’s Julia Tuohy cuts upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
At the 12-minute mark, freshman attack Julia Fernandes scored next to put the Warriors ahead 2-1, but the advantage continued to change sides. The Blue Devils put away the next two goals, with junior midfielder Ryann Gaffney scoring first, and DeGennaro following with her second goal of the game, to put her team ahead 3-2. Seconds after, Dorney got the call and hit her mark to again even the score.
With 18 seconds remaining in the first half, junior attack Julia Tuohy took matters into her own hands and darted from behind the net, firing a shot that put the Warriors out front 4-3 heading into the halftime break.
Tuohy said her team lost a tough game two years ago to Huntington, a 15-1 loss, and were thirsty for revenge.
“The game was close — another one-goal game for us — but this time, we won,” she said of her team that has now been a part of six one-goal games this season. “We were a little nervous in the first half, but after our coaches talked to us at halftime, we really picked it up, got it into gear.”
DeGennaro recorded her hat trick goal a minute into the second half with a solo shot that retied the game.
“Coming into it we knew they were going to be close to us, and we expected a good matchup,” DeGennaro said. “It was a big game — we played hard, we played well on defense, and we’ve been working on that in practice.”
Three minutes later, after an unintended deflection from one of its defensive players, the ball squeezed past the Huntington goalkeeper Allison Berejka to hand Comsewogue a 5-4 lead.
Again, Huntington had an answer though, as DeGennaro split the pipes, to even the score at the 22:15 mark.
After receiving its second yellow card, Comsewogue struggled to stay at full strength, but were able to retake the lead when Tuohy scored, to edge ahead 6-5 with 15 minutes left.
Comsewogue’s Jamie Fischer and Huntington’s Ryann Gaffney fight for possession at the draw. Photo by Bill Landon
To continue the back-and-forth battle, Huntington hit the scoreboard next with two unanswered goals. First, senior attack and midfielder Katie Reilly served one up to sophomore midfielder Emma Greenhill, who drove her shot home, and Reilly, with her third assist of the afternoon, followed with a pass to Gaffney, who scored the goal that gave her team the lead, again.
“Coming in I knew it was going to be an important game,” Gaffney said. “We stepped up to the plate and I’m proud of how our team played. We have to work on our transition, [but] I thought our defense played strong and I thought we played a great game.”
The Warriors countered with three successive scores for a 9-7 advantage with just under 10 minutes left, and A third yellow card against Comsewogue gave Huntington a chance to come back, but the team struggled to capitalize as the clock wound down to six minutes.
Comsewogue head coach Jim Fernandes drew his team’s fourth yellow card, which by rule left his team down a player the rest of the way.
“We overcame not only the other team, but [we overcame] the officials in my opinion,” he said. “I got carded and I asked them to play for me and pull this thing out, and they did.”
Huntington took advantage of the extra player on the field and Reilly erased the insurance goal when her shot split the pipes, but Comsewogue played keep away in the final two minutes, and held on to improve to 5-6 in Division II with three conference games left to play.
Huntington slipped 4-7 with four league games left on its schedule.
“We beat some of the teams that beat them,” Huntington head coach Jessica Maggio said. “We were unsure of how the matchup would be, but we had some throw aways and mistakes. We’re young and we’re dealing with injuries, [but] I thought it was pretty even, as it was a one-goal game the whole way.”
An elderly man had one fracture and a broken bone after being hit by a car in an alleged drunk driving incident Monday afternoon.
According to police, the injured pedestrian, 89-year-old Dix Hills resident Louis Anania, was leaving a McDonald’s restaurant on West Jericho Turnpike in Huntington shortly after 4 p.m. when a westbound Toyota turned left toward the parking lot in front of an eastbound Chevrolet, causing a collision that sent the Chevy off the roadway and into Anania. The man was temporarily pinned between the car and the front of the building.
The Suffolk County Police Department said Anania was treated at Huntington Hospital for a broken collarbone and an open leg fracture.
An open fracture occurs when bone protrudes through a victim’s skin, or when a wound goes deep enough to expose bone.
Police arrested 56-year-old Daryl Richardson, a female Huntington Station resident and the Toyota’s driver, for allegedly driving while intoxicated after being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Huntington Hospital.
Attorney information for Richardson was not immediately available on the New York State court system’s online database.
The Chevrolet driver, Huntington Station man Brian Davila, was also treated for minor injuries at that hospital and was released, police said.
Police impounded both the Toyota and the Chevrolet for safety checks.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call detectives at 631-854-8252.
Last year's second-place winner, ‘Tulip Rhapsody,’ by Steven Selles of Huntington
What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with a Tulip Festival? The natural beauty of the historic Heckscher Park will once again serve as the backdrop for the Town of Huntington’s highly anticipated signature spring tradition this Sunday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Amanda Camps of Medford won first place in last year’s Tulip Festival photography contest with ‘Peach Princess.’
Now in its 16th year, the event was the brainchild of Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D).
“From its inception, the Huntington Tulip Festival has been a free, family-oriented, floral celebration held in Heckscher Park. There is live entertainment for all ages on the Chapin Rainbow Stage,dozens of booths with fun activities for the kids and thousands of bright tulips planted in beds throughout the park,” said Cuthbertson in a recent email, adding “So come out, bring your camera, and enjoy the day!”
In addition to the more than 20,000 tulips to admire throughout the park, cut tulips will be offered for sale by The Flower Petaler with proceeds benefiting the Junior Welfare League of Huntington and there will be a student art exhibit on display near the Chapin Rainbow Stage.
Volunteers are needed to distribute festival programs to visitors. Any person or community group is welcome to volunteer by calling 631- 351-3099.
Photo Contest Since its inception, Huntington’s Tulip Festival has included an annual photo contest. Entries by amateur and professional photographers will be juried to select the images most evocative of the beauty and family orientation of the festival and must be postmarked or received by July 31, 2016. Prize-winning images will be used in festival publicity. For details, visit https://www.huntingtonny.gov/TulipFestival PhotoContest.
Entertainment schedule
‘Water for Tulips,’ last year’s third-place winner by Frank O’Brien of Huntington Station
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Explore the Heckscher Museum. During this annual collaboration with the Town of Huntington, docents will be in the galleries beginning at 2 p.m.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Student Art Contest: Building up to the festival was an art contest for area students organized by the Huntington Arts Council.Award-winning work will be displayed near the Rainbow Chapin Stage.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Children’s Activity Booths — A diverse selection of free activity booths with creative, hands-on projects for children of all ages will be active in Heckscher Park throughout the festival. Design pasta necklaces, get your face painted, make a windsock, make a handprint Mother’s Day craft, get a tattoo, create a rainbow fish and much, much more.
Noon to 12:45 p.m. — Jazzy Fairy Tales with Louise Rogers on the Rainbow Chapin Stage. The show combines jazz music, storytelling and improvisational theater techniques to teach young children music, literature and social skills.
‘Resting Among the Tulips,’ Honorable Mention last year, by Mary Ruppert of Huntington
Noon to 4 p.m. — Mask making art activity at the Heckscher Museum. Children of all ages are invited to create a colorful, mixed media mask to celebrate spring and wear at the festival. Free on Museum Terrace.
1 to 1:45 p.m. — Casplash, a Caribbean splash band with Steelpanist Rudi Crichlow, on the Chapin Rainbow Stage. Casplash, a.k.a. Caribbean Splash, plays music made for dancing — from calypso, soca and reggae to pop, funk, R&B and more.Casplash takes audience members on a fantastic musical escapade via the beautiful sounds of the steel pan, soulful singing and hot tropical rhythms. The band leads audiences in familiar dances such as the electric slide, hokey pokey, conga line and limbo; they also teach a traditionalWest Indian follow-the-leader style dance called brown girl in the ring.
2 to 3 p.m. — Songs & Puppetry with Janice Buckner on the Rainbow Chapin Stage. Janice has appeared on radio and television, as well as over 4,000 schools and concert halls.She entertains audi.ences of all ages with her voice, guitars, puppets and her knowledge of Sign Language for the Deaf.She is noted for her voice, her creativity and the outstanding quality of her lyrics.
4 p.m. — Festival closes (Museum exhibits on view until 5 p.m.)
Centereach's Sean McGuinness scoops up an infield dribbler. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
With rain coming down, Centereach took to the field against Huntington and the Blue Devils stepped into the batter’s box first for a League IV baseball matchup Tuesday afternoon in Centereach.
Huntington’s Luke Eidle releases a fastball. Photo by Bill Landon
Huntington (1-11 in conference play) struck first when, on a Centereach throwing error, Brian Donnelly crossed the plate for the first run of the game.
Centereach’s Victor Corsaro doubled, representing the tying run in the bottom of the inning, and teammate Kyle Cerbone ripped one through the gap to even the score with two outs.
The rain grew steady though, and when the umpire behind the plate charged the infield to cover the ensuing play, he slipped and fell in deteriorating conditions.
“I saw him slip the first time and he warned me about the field conditions, and I said to him ‘we’ve had this conversation before,’” Centereach head coach Mike Herrschaft said. “This field can’t take a lot of rain and you can see how it’s getting slick out there at shortstop.”
Huntington managed to score another run in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead, and the Cougars went back to work at the plate. Centereach (2-10) popped the ball up shallow in the infield and the plate umpire approached the play and fell a second time. The official was slow to get up. After a brief conference between both coaches, the umpires left Nick Corsaro in the batter’s box with his team trailing by one with two outs.
“The umpire called the game because of unsafe conditions on the field,” Huntington head coach Bill Harris said. “Where the field transitions to the grass, he slipped and fell.”
Centereach’s Matt Hirsch hurls from the mound. Photo by Bill Landon
The game was suspended after an inning and a half, so the balance of the game will be completed at a later date.
“I saw him slip the second time and he said he didn’t want to see one of the kids slip and get hurt,” Herrschaft said. “You can’t argue with that, but this is the first time I’ve known a game to be called because of unsafe conditions for the umpires. The kids are wearing spikes and the umpires are wearing sneakers.”
Herrschaft added that both teams will take the mound Friday afternoon for a scheduled matchup and then complete the suspended game for the doubleheader at home.
Centereach traveled to Huntington on Wednesday for game two of the three-game series, but results of that game were not available by press time.
A young Huntington resident gets acquainted with some of the smaller dogs up for adoption from the Huntington Animal Shelter at Huntington Honda this past Saturday. Photo by Alex Petroski
Huntington Town is trying a new approach to care for homeless and abused dogs. Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) announced last week the launch of Give a Dog a Dream, a not-for-profit foundation the town formed to raise money for dogs in Huntington’s municipal animal shelter.
“For some time, people have asked how they can help improve the lives of dogs entrusted to our animal shelter’s care,” Petrone said in a statement. The foundation is a new “vehicle through which residents can help provide the extras and specialized care beyond the basics [that] public funding provides.”
Residents are encouraged to donate money, food, beds or other supplies.
A young Huntington resident gets acquainted with some of the smaller dogs up for adoption from the Huntington Animal Shelter at Huntington Honda this past Saturday. Photo by Alex Petroski
Gerald Mosca, the head of the Huntington Animal Shelter, said the town has worked to change the image of the dog refuge.
“What we wanted to do when I took over in 2010 was change the perception of municipal shelters,” that they’re a place where dogs go to die, Mosca said. “That was not what we wanted to portray, and it’s obviously not what we wanted to do.”
The shelter housed nearly 80 dogs when he took over, he said, and now, many adoptions later, they’re down to seven. He credited his dedicated volunteer staff for training the dogs and preparing them to be adopted.
Michael Costa, the assistant executive director of Give a Dog a Dream, stressed the importance of helping the municipal shelter not only be a “no-kill” shelter, but also to give the dogs living there a good quality of life.
“You end up with a dog that sits in a kennel for four, five years,” Costa said. “In most shelters they’re only getting out for maybe 15 to 20 minutes a day if they’re lucky. They’re confined to three-foot by five-foot kennels most of that time. It’s not adequate care. It’s not adequate compassion. These dogs physically may be fine, though mentally they tend to suffer. By working within the community and pushing the way we’ve pushed to get these dogs where they need to be — in homes — we help to make sure they get the care that they really need.”
A dog up for adoption from the Huntington Animal Shelter at Huntington Honda Saturday. Photo by Alex Petroski
To kick off the foundation, Huntington Honda hosted a special adoption event on Saturday. Members of the community passed through from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. to meet the seven dogs currently being cared for at the town shelter.
“These dogs are all well prepared to go into every house,” Mosca said. “Most of these dogs are very well behaved.”
Huntington Honda’s Marketing Director Jeffrey Hindla talked about the business’ commitment to be part of the community.
“We can really make these dogs’ lives better,” Hindla said Saturday. “We’re super excited to be working with the Town of Huntington and I can’t wait to do more with them.”
Give a Dog a Dream is planning to host more adoption events in the near future. To donate to the foundation or to learn more, visit www.giveadogadream.org.
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