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.
Daisy had struggled throughout all of her young life, which began in a puppy mill in the Midwest. When she arrived on our Mobile Rescue Unit in late March, our Veterinary team found that Daisy’s biggest struggle has yet begun — this one would mean the difference between life and death.
Klinger and Radar — the last of the four dogs rescued from a dog meat farm in Korea through North Shore Animal League America’s partnership with K9 Global Rescue — were adopted this year. Our Pet Behavior Team, having spent time helping them adjust to life in the U.S., was so happy and excited to see them go to their perfect homes.
North Shore Animal League America lost a caring, compassionate friend and a valued member of its Board of Directors when Dr. Gerald Tirozzi passed away on November 1, 2020 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
North Shore Animal League America is excited to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline Adoption Center, or BFF, as we affectionately call it. During this memorable year, filled with some sad and difficult moments due to COVID-19, we are so thankful that we were able to continue our no-kill mission to Rescue, Nurture, Adopt, and Educate. And BFF was one of the reasons why we could! It’s been a bright light guiding us towards a future without a coronavirus pandemic.
On October 23, 2020, our Mobile Rescue Unit pulled into our Port Washington, N.Y. campus from its third lifesaving mission to the hurricane-devastated areas in Louisiana and Texas. It was carrying 37 puppies and dogs and 18 cats and kittens that would have been euthanized as the shelters there are overflowing with animals due to the non-stop storms.
North Shore Animal League America arranged a transport with PAWS4Life that would ultimately open up space in Bossier City Animal Control and other local shelters for animals that would need a haven after the latest devastating hurricane blew through the region. Hurricane Delta, the 10th named storm to make landfall in the United States in 2020, dropped more than 15 inches of rain in parts of Louisiana and Texas.
As Hurricane Laura was developing into a real threat, our Emergency Rescue Team began reaching out to our partner shelters in Louisiana and Texas to see what help we could provide. As always, supplies were at the top of the list, and clearing the shelters of as many homeless dogs and cats as we could to make room for those that would be displaced from their homes and families by this devastating storm.
The staff waited expectantly as the lifesaving transport pulled onto North Shore Animal League America’s Port Washington, N.Y. campus on a weekday evening with 29 tiny kittens aboard, completing their journey to safety.Five of these innocent, young kittens had already been through so much hardship during their short lives. These babies had been abandoned with their mom when the tenant of a rural Virginia property just moved away and left them behind.
North Shore Animal League America often rescues pregnant dogs or dogs with litters of puppies. Recently, two sweet mama dogs arrived with their pups on a rescue transport from Tennessee. Sadly some of their pups starting showing possible signs of canine parvovirus. The ones who tested positive were placed right away in isolation in our Freed Special Recovery Center. Thanks to this vital resource, our special procedures, and amazing staff, there is good news for the pups!