A Little Dog Inspires a Major Accomplishment

QUARTERLY ISSUE FEB 2015
NURTURE:
A Little Dog Inspires a
Major Accomplishment
Late last year, one of our hardworking international
rescue partners on the Cayman Islands told us about a
special dog. Apparently this abandoned little Mutt-i-gree®
was born with a deformed left front foot. Doctors there
amputated the foot, but the pup was still having problems.
Could we help?
Fifteen hundred miles later, Blaze, as we named him, was
safe on our Long Island, NY campus undergoing careful
evaluation. Everyone agreed he was one of the most
charming, good-natured dogs ever.
But our doctors were concerned about the location of
the amputation, which is at the carpus, or “wrist,” joint.
As a result, Blaze continued to use his leg, tearing and
bruising the nub over and over. On the bright side, the
fact that Blaze could still use his leg meant that the limb
itself had not deteriorated, making him a good candidate
for a prosthetic. Plus, Blaze had the kind of easy-going
personality necessary for such a challenge.
The Animal League’s Chief of Medical Staff, Dr. Mark
Verdino, enlisted the expertise of one of our assistant
veterinary technicians, Howard Schwartz, a retired industrial
designer with a deep love for animals. Together, Dr. Verdino
and Howard created a customized prosthetic — think
Canine Blade Runner — for this resilient pup.
The process took five weeks, including three weeks
of tweaking to ensure the dog’s comfort and mobility.
Throughout, Blaze continued to be his cooperative, happygo-lucky self. And the end result—the first of its kind in
Animal League history—was accomplished entirely in
house! Working together, Dr. Verdino, Howard, Blaze, and
the medical team showed just how far North Shore Animal
League America will go to nurture and mend a broken life.
Blaze took to his new foot quickly and made his official
debut to cheers and tears at Gala 2014 in November. Blaze
is now recuperating with a loving foster family. He has also
just joined the family of Sponsor Pets. See the back cover
and learn more about pet sponsorship!
To see a video of Blaze in action and to read about the Animal League’s brilliant work to heal this great dog, please visit us at:
http://www.animalleague.org/blaze-prosthetic.html
Running Their Tails Off
Go Team Animal League
Dear Friends,
Perhaps it’s because we just finished celebrating our 70th
anniversary—filled with memories of our innovative history—
but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how Mutt-i-grees have
enriched our lives over the years. And I’ve come up with an
idea that, I believe, will help create a nationwide community
of individuals and families who, for generations, have proudly
shared their lives with Mutt-i-grees.
Think of it as the Mutt-i-grees Family Album®, an online
collection of memories and images of all the rescue dogs and
cats we’ve ever loved and cared for. Maybe it was the dog
who ran to greet you every afternoon after school. Maybe it
was a neighbor’s dog or your uncle’s favorite cat. Maybe your
father gave you a photo of his best pal when he was growing
up decades ago. In all of our lives, there are images of loved
dogs and cats that jostle our memories, connecting us to each
other and to those unforgettable Mutt-i-grees.
The Mutt-i-grees Family Album will work like this: You send us
a digital photo of your Mutt-i-gree, feline or canine, past and/
or present, along with some vital information: your name, city,
and state; the pet’s name; the pet’s years; and how/where
the pet was acquired. It doesn’t matter if the Mutt-i-gree was
adopted from a shelter or rescue group, a stray you rescued
from the street, or a pet whose owners no longer wanted him.
As long as they weren’t bought, they’re all Mutt-i-grees, and
they’re all welcome in the Mutt-i-grees Family Album.
We’ll post your photo and information to build an online
memory bank for all of us to share. In the process, family
members will be reminiscing, connecting, and sharing
thoughts about how important these pets were to everyone
who knew them.
We also hope our Muttigrees Family Album will create an
anecdotal but revealing picture of the importance that animal
shelters and rescue groups play in our communities. In fact,
we hope to provide shelters, libraries, and schools with ways
to participate, too.
We plan to begin developing this project in the near future
with a launch mid-2015. We’ll keep you posted. In the
meantime, begin collecting those memories!
Warm regards,
J. John Stevenson, President
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On Sunday, Nov. 2, one of the windiest days of the fall,
38 dedicated members of Team Animal League America
zipped up their sweatshirts, laced up their running shoes,
and layered on the Gore-Tex. It was the 44th running of the
celebrated New York City Marathon, and our runners were
not about to let chilly weather and 37-mph wind gusts get
in their way.
By the end of that exhausting day, Team Animal League
had run a collective 995.6 miles, covered all five of the
city’s boroughs, and raised $130,000 toward our capital
campaign for Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline Adoption &
Wellness Center. Proudly wearing a bright blue Team
Animal League singlet, each runner was a moving tribute to
the Animal League’s lifesaving mission.
But as any runner knows, it isn’t only about marathon day.
It’s also about the countless hours of training, dedication,
and perseverance. And for these runners, there’s yet
another factor to consider: the many dogs, cats, puppies,
and kittens whose lives their efforts will save.
On Sept. 14, several core team members gathered at our
Long Island campus to learn firsthand about our work and
to pick up a few training tips from team captain, Scott
Guber, CPA, for whom this was marathon number 20!
Then, on the day before the race, many of our athletes
shared a pre-race rally lunch. Captain Scott made helpful
suggestions about clothing, refreshments, and nourishment
to help prepare novice runners and to generate a sense
of camaraderie among all participants, regardless of their
experience. And to provide even more inspiration, an
adorable bunch of our puppies was on hand, calming prerace jitters and reminding all the runners why their hard
work matters so much.
To find out how you can join Team Animal League for all of its
exciting runs, including the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon,
please see page 7 of this issue of Pawprints.
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 1 2015
Photography by Lori Cannava
Gala 2014: Oh, What a Night!
On Friday, Nov. 14, more than 300 friends filled the
Grand Ballroom at New York’s Plaza Hotel for North Shore
Animal League America’s 2014 Gala: Celebrating 70 Years
of Saving Lives. Cocktails, a silent auction, a lineup of
compelling speakers, presenters, and entertainers—and
stories about wonderful dogs and cats from our Help Me
Heal Program—illustrated exactly what our mission to
rescue, nurture, and adopt is all about.
The theme for the evening was “nurture.” For Blaze, our
first “Blade Runner” dog, nurture means a customized
prosthetic foot designed entirely at the Animal League. For
Cassie, nurture means rescue from the horrors of four years
in a “dog factory”—and treatment for so many serious
problems that our medical team called her “one of the
Rachael Ray Makes Giving Tuesday
a Day to Remember
worst cases we’ve ever rescued from a puppy mill.” Brighteyed Cassie is now in a loving foster home.
And for us, nurture means you! We thank you for your
support, which enables us to care for every animal who
comes to us. Your trust in us means we can keep our no-kill
promise and build on our achievements for an even more
humane and compassionate future. An important part of
that future is Bianca’s Furry Friends Adoption & Wellness
Center, which is even closer to reality thanks to the net
proceeds from Gala 2014.
We extend a special thank-you to our Gala Committee; CoChairs Beth and Howard Stern; the evening’s host, designer
and author Nate Berkus; and our generous Gala sponsors:
Tri-State Mazda Dealers; Canine Company; IBM SWG;
DNL OmniMedia, Inc.; eBay Enterprise; Mel Karmazin
Foundation; Purina, RR Donnelley; Beth Stern; The Eric
Trump Foundation; and Wells Fargo Advisors.
On the “Rachael Ray Show”, Animal League spokesperson
Beth Stern joined Rachael as a special guest. The two old
friends chatted about their mutual love for shelter pets and
the role that North Shore Animal League America’s Bianca’s
Furry Friends Feline Adoption & Wellness Center will play
in saving the lives of even more cats in need.
To demonstrate how adoption and love can transform
a feline, an oversized, white poof-ball of a cat named
Yoda took to the stage. Yoda is one of Beth and Howard
Stern’s six amazing felines and the title character in Beth’s
wonderful new bestseller, “Yoda: The Story of a Cat and His
Kittens.” (please see page 8 for details)
While Yoda exuded his unique brand of fluffy, laid-back
charisma, Rachael made a surprise announcement,
presenting Beth with a check for $500,000 to support the
capital campaign for Bianca’s Furry Friends. Yoda, totally
unimpressed, decided he’d just as soon go backstage and
snooze. Everyone else, however—Rachael, Beth, and the
entire studio audience—was thrilled—and even a bit teary.
It was Giving Tuesday 2014, the first Tuesday after
Thanksgiving, a day when nonprofits across the country
make special appeals for their many worthy causes.
Special thanks to our friend Rachael Ray for her generous
donation!
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 1 2015
3
Donor Spotlight: Tracy Krulik and Tom Dillickrath
For Tracy Krulik and Tom Dillickrath,
of Alexandria, Va., compassion for
animals involves both how they live —
and how they give.
“Tom and I control the things we can
control,” says Tracy. “We control our
food, for example, by being vegans.
And we make our home welcoming,
safe, and fun for our rescues. But we can
help only so much. By supporting North
Shore Animal League America, we can
help so many more animals.”
Tracy and Tom began their association
with the Animal League in 2012,
following the death of their beautiful
calico cat, Briscoe. “Tom wanted to
donate to someplace that represented
the values he found most important and
reflected the way he wanted to honor
Briscoe. The Animal League’s mission
was exactly what he was looking for—no
kill, great care of animals, large scale
mission, really making a difference.
We need to believe in the mission of
any organization we support. But just
as important, we need to see that the
organization operates in such a way that
it effectively furthers that mission and
maximizes its resources. The Animal
League met our criteria, and we were so
happy when Tom was able to sponsor
towers for the cat room.”
A year later, Tracy and Tom lost Briscoe’s
littermate, Curtiss. Faced with an empty
house, they decided to travel to Long
Island to adopt a dog from the Animal
League. “I fell in love with one of the
first dogs I saw,” Tracy recalls. “This
little freckled, tri-color beagle was
curled up asleep in a crate—she looked
like Briscoe! I sat down, and Emma—our
name for her— immediately crawled into
my lap. She pressed all of her weight
into me and stayed there snuggled up.
Tom looked down and said, ‘Great! Now
we need to find a second dog for me.’
I told him to sit next to me, and when
he did, Emma placed one paw on his
leg, then another, and then crawled into
his lap for a hug. I looked up and said,
‘Wrap her up! We’re done here.’”
Tracy and Tom are proud that Emma
embodies our mission. The Animal
League rescued her from a kill-shelter
in Tennessee. Before that, she’d been
a caged breeding dog in a puppy mill.
About five days after she arrived on
our campus, Tracy and Tom gave her a
permanent, loving home.
“When she first came into our family,
she was afraid of everything—wood
floors, sidewalks, cars, streets, strollers,
elevators!” Tracy says. “Now she is
this incredibly gentle, sweet, fun,
happy, playful little girl. North Shore
Animal League America gave her the
opportunity to have this life. For that we
will forever be grateful.”
To learn more about how you can support our lifesaving mission with a gift, please contact Jill Burkhardt, at jillb@animalleague.org, or call (516) 883-7900, ext 833.
In Memoriam:
Karen LaRocca — Friend, Volunteer, Supporter
North Shore Animal League America
mourns the passing, on Nov. 20, 2014,
of Karen LaRocca. For more than 17
years, Karen gave her time, compassion,
creativity, and financial support to our
most needy pets, endearing herself not
only to the many animals she personally
nurtured, but also to everyone at the
Animal League who had the pleasure of
knowing and working with her.
Joanne Yohannan, Senior Vice President of Shelter Operations,
remembers Karen’s “soft spot” for special-needs dogs like Toby
and Franklin, with whom Karen spent countless hours.
4
Both dogs thrived thanks to expert medical treatment and Karen’s
gentle attention.
With her husband, Donald, who died in November 2012, Karen
funded the Animal League’s dog park. Dedicated in 2003, the park
enhances our ability to showcase the charm and adoptability of our
canines and to improve and maintain their socialization.
Karen and Don also provided financial support for our new pet
wellness center, scheduled to open later this year. A state-of-theart outpatient facility, the center will enable us to serve many more
pets from the tri-state region, saving even more lives by offering
affordable medical care to pets who would otherwise not receive it.
As President J. John Stevenson notes, Karen will be greatly missed.
“She had an unequalled passion for making the lives of homeless
pets better. She was a true friend and tireless supporter of the
Animal League.”
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 1 2015
The Fine Art of Fostering
“The best advice I’d give to anyone interested in fostering is
to talk to an experienced foster parent like Marilyn. Fostering
is great, and I want as many parents as I can get, but you
have to be sure it’s the right fit for you. The goal should be to
help an animal in need. If you wind up falling in love with the
animal and wanting to keep him, I see that as a nice bonus.
But if you want to foster, you must ask yourself if you can
handle giving the animal back when it’s time.”
Marilyn and Alex agree that the rewards of letting go
and making room for another are immeasurable. As Alex
explains, each of the Animal League’s more than 468 foster
placements in 2014 saved the lives of countless additional
animals in need.
For most of the dogs and cats who find sanctuary in
the homes of our foster families, everything from floors
and bowls to brushes and toys represent brand-new
experiences. In fact, foster homes are often the first homes
these animals have ever known.
Veteran foster caregiver Marilyn McKaie has nurtured more
than 30 puppies, kittens, and dogs during her five years as
a foster parent for North Shore Animal League America.
More often than not, the dogs she’s taken into her home
have been puppy mill rescues.
“What’s so sad,” she says, “is that puppy mill dogs seem to
have no emotion. When they arrive, they just stand there.
They’ve never been encouraged to move or play or interact
in any way. It just breaks your heart. They don’t know how
to be dogs.”
Socializing dogs who’ve had to shut down emotionally is
a challenge. But for Marilyn, helping them break through
their protective shells by teaching them how to trust is her
most important task as a foster parent. In effect, Marilyn is
finding the keys to unlock the emotional cages that have
imprisoned them from birth.
Patience and perspective, she says, are crucial. “What
you’re doing as a foster parent is making the pet
adoptable. The hurdle is letting the animal go when it’s
time and the perfect permanent home has appeared. It’s
hard to say good-bye, even though I play a role in the
adoption process and I stay in touch with many of the
adopter families. Still, it’s difficult—but it’s what you have to
do, because there’s always another animal who needs you.”
“By fostering, you aren’t helping only the pet you take
into your home,” he says. “You’ve also opened up space
at our shelter, which is some pretty valuable real estate.
That space then makes room for another animal. So if you
foster a dog for three months,” he continues, “we probably
use that space at least 10 times for different animals who
would never have gotten that chance if not for our foster
parents—wonderful people who often have no idea how
many lives they’ve actually saved.”
Special Recover Center Update
North Shore Animal League America is excited
to announce that construction of the Elizabeth
Ann Freed Special Recovery Center will begin
in mid-2015. The Animal League received the
necessary final town permits to move forward
on this project in October. Contractor bids were
quickly received and painstakingly evaluated
to ensure the success of this important project.
The center will consist of a 2,000-square-foot,
freestanding building designed to provide a
safe, comfortable environment for our Mutti-grees with contagious diseases. Pets in this
isolation area will receive the specialized
treatment they need to recover, without the
possibility of spreading disease to healthy
animals. We thank our generous donors
for giving us the means to offer even more
sophisticated care to animals in need.
Marilyn says she treats her fosters exactly as she treats
her own two permanent rescues—because, she says,
“For the time they’re with me, they are my dogs, and my
responsibility. While they’re in my home, I want them to feel
they’re really home.”
According to Alex Bab, who oversees our Foster Care
Program, fostering is a great option for people who want
to help homeless pets but, for various reasons, can’t make
the long-term commitment to adopt. He says that most of
the Animal League’s 259 registered foster parents are either
retirees or people in their 20s and 30s.
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 1 2015
5
Lifesaving Journey #15
Spring will be just around the corner when North Shore
Animal League America’s 15th annual Tour For Life® takes
to the highways once again. The first stop on the itinerary
is Atlanta on March 12, followed by visits to Miami, New
Orleans, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. The route also includes
many smaller communities, from Waynesville, Mo., to
Parma, Ohio, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When the mobile
adoption units return to Manhattan on May 9, the tour will
have covered a total of 18,000 lifesaving miles.
Four of the Animal League’s fully equipped “shelters on
wheels” will simultaneously cross the country, following
separate routes and visiting a total of 40 cities in 26 states,
plus our nation’s capital. Like previous tours, this year’s coastto-coast effort will promote the importance of shelter and
rescue adoption. Our offsite adoption team will work side by
side with community agencies and organizations to help find
loving, permanent homes for all their orphaned pets.
Along the way, we’ll join with schools, libraries, and local
animal welfare organizations to hold family-friendly festivities
that highlight all of the wonderful Mutt-i-grees waiting for
homes in shelters
nationwide. Local
media, celebrities,
and community
leaders will also play
important roles in
communicating the
Mutt-i-grees message.
And if this year’s event
is anything like last
year’s, 2,600 dogs,
cats, puppies, and
kittens will be enjoying
safe, loving homes at
tour’s end.
To find a Tour For Life stop near you, please visit: www.animalleague.org/tourforlife2015.
Game Day Highlights Kitten Bowl II
Excessive Cuteness and Adorable Delay of
Game Make Kitten Bowl II a Hilarious Success
Wes Whisker showed a lot of hot-shot attitude, and Joe Fluffo
roughed the kicker every chance he got. Clawvin Jackson,
wearing a tuxedo, was offsides all the time, and the calico? She
was way out of bounds, scratching on the goal post.
It was Kitten Bowl II, broadcast on the Hallmark Channel on
February 1, aka Su-purrr Bowl Sunday. The spectacle, which
was taped in September, was a collaboration between North
Shore Animal League America, Last Hope Animal Rescue and
Rehabilitation, and our good friends at the Hallmark Channel.
Animal League spokesperson Beth Stern and “radio voice of
the Yankees” John Sterling returned for the second year to do
color and play-by-play. Beth happily described the gridiron
mood as “kitten chaos,” and she was right, with all 92 playful
players giving 110 percent of the goofiest antics imaginable.
And everyone went home a winner, especially the irresistible
adoptables who all found loving homes.
6
The cat-letes were divided into eight “teams”—the Hallmark
Channel Hearties and the North Shore Bengals, for example—
who took turns on the turf. The teams are part of the FFL
(Feline Football League), whose commissioner, Boomer
Esiason, called the cat-letes “super fuzzy super stars.”
Fortunately, Commissioner Esiason made no mention of
banning certain…uh…substances, like catnip!
But seriously, it’s not all fur and games. There’s a very serious,
lifesaving purpose behind all this charm, and that’s to raise
awareness about the need to adopt cats and kittens from
shelters and rescue groups across the country. Many Animal
League adoption partners held Kitten Bowl Parties to generate
funds and adoptions in their own communities. And viewers
across the country got a chance to see just how endearing and
sweet feline shenanigans can be.
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 1 2015
Join Us in the Wonderful Work of Saving Lives
North Shore Animal League America offers a full calendar of lifesaving events that friends and sponsors can support in ways that best suit
their individual tastes and talents. Like all of our events, these special occasions provide ways for people to meet others who share their
concern for pets while enabling us to rescue, nurture, and adopt even more Mutt-i-grees®.
A d o pti o n
Team Animal Leag u e
The goal of everything we do at the
Animal League is to make sure that our
Mutt-i-grees find loving, responsible
homes. This year, we’ll kick off our
signature adoption event—our 21st
annual, worldwide Pet Adoptathon®—
at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 6. For the
following 36 hours, our campus will be
abuzz with adoptable pets and their
new families. In addition, our global Pet
Adoptathon will continue on our campus
and around the world for the entire month
of June. And if you take part in social
networking, please share Pet Adoptathon
with your online community to encourage
adoptions at our Long Island campus
and at participating shelters and rescue
partners around the world.
Since its debut in 2008, “Team Animal
League” has referred to our stalwart
New York City Marathon runners. Each
year, they attack this legendary race
with passion and gusto to support our
wonderful Mutt-i-grees. Each one of
these terrific people is a winner in our
record book! And like everything else
at the Animal League, opportunities
for athletes and others to contribute
to our mission are constantly growing.
If you’re interested in a 5K walk/run
at your comfort level, the Generosity
Series Brooklyn 5K Race is ideal. This
annual event, scheduled for March 29 in
Prospect Park, is a great way for you—
and your dog!—to support our mission.
You can register as a participant or you
can support your favorite Team Animal
League athlete—or the team itself. Check
out generositybrooklyn.com for details. If
you’re looking for a workout in early fall,
consider joining Team Animal League for
the Hamptons Marathon, on Saturday,
Sept. 26. Those interested in half- or fullmarathons can register at
www.AnimalLeague.org/2015NYCMarathon,
and enjoy a run across the beautiful
terrain of the East End. Finally, Team
Animal League will once again regroup
for the New York City Marathon, on
Sunday, November 1. You can reserve
a spot on the team on a first-come firstserved basis. Once the roster is full, you
can sign up for our waiting list. Contact
events@animalleague.org for details.
All pets adopted during adoptathon will be
entered in the North Shore Animal League
America national Muttigrees Rescue Registry
celebrating all rescued animals – whether
mixed or pure breed, young or old, canine or
feline – and creating the world’s 1st census
of rescued pets. You too can make history
with us by joining the tens of thousands of
others who have already registered their
pets and received their papers!
Visit www.animalleague.org/registry, and
receive your very own Muttigrees papers to
display proudly.
Lifesaving events at a glance:
S o cial Gatherings
The Animal League holds two special
events each year to honor the
contributions of people, organizations,
and Mutt-i-grees who inspire us and
further the goals of animal welfare. This
year’s Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon
will take place on June 24,2015 at
Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck N.Y.
Supporters can join us as attendees,
sponsors, journal entrants, and/or
auction donors, all of which are greatly
welcomed. Please visit
animalleague.org/2015lewytluncheon for
details. Net proceeds from this festive
afternoon will support an ongoing capital
campaign for Bianca’s Furry Friends
Feline Wellness & Adoption Center.
In November, the Animal League will
hold its annual Gala, scheduled for
November 20, 2015 at The Pierre in
Manhattan. This elegant evening is always
filled with inspiration and promise, as we
celebrate another year of our lifesaving,
no-kill mission. Highlights of Gala 2014 are
available at animalleague.org/2014gala,
which will give you an idea of the excitement
and compassion that characterize this
fantastic evening. Supporters are invited
to take part in a variety of ways—as
attendees, sponsors, auction donors,
or journal entrants. Net proceeds from
the Gala will also support our capital
campaign for Bianca’s Furry Friends
Feline Wellness & Adoption Center.
Generosity Series Brooklyn 5K Race March 29, 2015 / Pet Adoptathon June 6-7, 2015
Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon June 24, 2015 / Hamptons Marathon September 26, 2015
New York City Marathon November 1, 2015 / Animal League 2015 Gala November 20, 2015
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 1 2015
7
Honor the memory of
a beloved pet with a
Legacy Gift
When Cynthia Mancuso
lost her beloved dog Rocky
to old age, she knew that
as a life-long pet lover she
would adopt again, but only
when the time was right.
“Something told me to go to
North Shore Animal League
America on a Sunday” says
Cynthia, and so it was that on October 6th, 2000 she found
her “angel” St. Bernard / Collie Mutt-i-gree Beethoven – all
70 pounds of him at only seven months old!
For almost 14 wonderful years, Beethoven, whom the Animal
League had rescued from a kill shelter in Tennessee, was
Cynthia’s constant companion and best friend. But sadly, after
a long battle with cancer, he passed away in April of 2014.
In honor of Beethoven’s spirit and to celebrate the love
that pets bring into all of our lives, Cynthia contacted the
Animal League to inform us that she would be leaving
the contents of her insurance policy to our organization
in memory of Beethoven and would become the newest
member of North Shore Animal League America’s Pet
Protectors Society.
Cynthia’s generous, future gift will help ensure that North
Shore Animal League America can continue its no-kill
mission long into the future and that we will always be here
to rescue pets like Beethoven from desperate situations all
across the country.
Legacy gifts like Cynthia’s that are given in memory of a pet
can take the form of a gift from a will, trust, TOD account or
insurance policy.
To quote Cynthia, “People don’t know what they are
missing if they don’t adopt…pets warm your soul and bring
happiness to your heart. It’s a big responsibility, but worth
everything for the love you get in return.”
To learn how you can support our no-kill mission and honor the memory of a pet or pet lover with a Legacy gift, please contact
Eric N. Lieberman: (516) 812-7218 • ericl@animalleague.org
Beth, Yoda, and a Lifesaving Book
Save a life, month after month—Join the
Animal League’s Pet Sponsor Program!
Some of the dogs and cats who come to North
Shore Animal League America have chronic illness
that call for behavieral training and extensive care
before they can be adopted.
Many also require lifelong medical treatment.These
special-needs Mutt-i-grees® would most likely be
considered lost causes by other shelters—and
suffer tragic, unnecessary deaths.
Through our vital Sponsor Program, your monthly
gift will enable us to keep our promise to care for
these deserving pets for the rest of their lives. You
can make a difference—the difference between life
and death—to a sponsor pet who truly needs you!
Don’t delay! Save a life today by calling
1-877-BE_MY_PAL (1-877-236-9725). You can also
send us an email at sponsor@animalleague.org or
visit animalleague.org/sponsor.
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North Shore Animal League America is delighted
to introduce you to “Yoda: The Story of a Cat and
His Kittens,” written by our spokesperson and New
York Times bestselling author, Beth Stern. This inspiring
book for Mutt-i-gree-lovers of all ages tells the story of a
matted, depressed, lonely cat who, once adopted by Beth
and Howard Stern, discovers not only love and a second
chance, but also a purpose in life—as the feline caretaker
and role model for the Sterns’ many foster kittens.
We are deeply grateful to Beth, who is generously donating all of the
proceeds from this book to North Shore Animal League’s Bianca’s Furry
Friends Feline Adoption & Wellness Center capital campaign.
To order your copy, please visit: www.animalleague.org/Yoda
Thank You, Banfield Charitable Trust
Our special thanks to the Banfield Charitable Trust for a $10,000 grant to
replenish the Animal League’s Pet Emergency Care Fund, which began in
2013. This fund enables many pets belonging to people facing financial
hardship to receive emergency medical attention. Qualified recipients may
apply for grants of up to $500 to help cover the costs of emergency services
provided on the Animal League campus by our veterinary staff. More than
two-dozen dogs and cats—with names like Bear, Sox, Chubby,
and Blue—have already benefited from this fund. Thanks
to the generous Banfield Veterinary Assistance Grant to
North Shore Animal League America, even more pets will
receive expert medical attention when they need it most.
Two of the satisfied patients who benefited from the
Pet Emergency Care Fund in 2014.
Pawprints is a newsletter of: North Shore Animal League America, 16 Lewyt Street, Port Washington, NY 11050
1.877.472.8373 • www.AnimalLeague.org
NL-1-2015