Finding forever homes for county’s furry friends

SPCA Westchester and Village of Port Chester partner to host pet adoption event at Abendroth Park

September 18, 2024 at 11:22 p.m.

Olive, a 2-year-old member of the Russo family who lives on Hobart Avenue, shows off her smile while her best friend Ash, a 7-year-old who lives with the Shera family on Halstead Avenue, sits nearby during the Family Fun & Pet Extravaganza hosted by SPCA Westchester and the Village of Port Chester on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Abendroth Dog Park. (David Tapia/Westmore News)

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Eileen Gallagher, the animal care and foster coordinator for SPCA Westchester, saw a stark decrease in animal adoptions.

“We saw a huge dip after that time period,” she said. “It’s something a lot of shelters in the area saw. I don’t know if it’s because people were going back to work or something else, but there was a noticeable decrease in adoptions.”

    Sonny, a dog recently becoming the newest member of the Marino family of Shelley Avenue, gets some love from his owner’s grandchildren, Brody and Harper Neri of Greenwich, Conn. They play during the Family Fun & Pet Extravaganza on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Abendroth Dog Park, an adoption event hosted by SPCA Westchester.
 By David Tapia   

 So, it was a pleasant surprise to her that after the Family Fun & Pet Extravaganza on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Abendroth Dog Park, most of the cats and dogs brought by the SPCA found their forever homes. The event was co-hosted with the Village of Port Chester.

“Coming back to a nearly empty kennel was such an amazing feeling,” Gallagher said. “It really ended up blowing our expectations out of the water.”

Dozens of people visited the park to play with any one of the 14 dogs and four kittens, with several interested in picking out a furry friend to adopt. Attendees were invited to decorate bandanas for the dogs to wear or have a bite from Walter’s Hot Dog Stand.

There were also vendors demonstrating training techniques and promoting organic pet food. Some residents brought their own pets along to join in on the fun.

“It was truly incredible,” Gallagher said. “And we definitely got a lot more interest than we anticipated.”

    Anastasia Wojdyla, a 15-year-old Grace Church Street resident, checks out how high River, her 2-year-old mixed Labrador, can jump through the agility course at the park.
 By David Tapia   

SPCA Westchester representatives brought 30 dog adoption applications that day, she said, but had to start using forms for cats due to the high volume.

At the end of the day, 11 dogs and two cats were rescued.

One of those dogs was Sonny, a 1-year-old Labrador mix, who was adopted by Lucy Marino of Shelley Avenue.

She and her husband Dom had been looking for a new companion after losing their last two to cancer.

    Brian Malin of Greenwich, Conn., holds his 1-year-old daughter Catherine up as Roger, a 1-year-old beagle mix looking to be adopted, gives her some friendly sniffs.
 By David Tapia   

“We’ve been coming home to an empty house, and it was very lonely,” Marino said.

The two were adamant about adopting a pet, as opposed to buying one from a breeder.

“There are just so many beautiful dogs out there who are in need of a new home,” she said. “It really feels like you’re saving the life of one when you adopt. So, we’ve always done it this way because of that.”

“We saw (a picture) of Sonny’s sibling online and went to the event to try to get to know them.”

When the couple arrived, they were saddened to hear the pup they had originally intended to meet had already been adopted.

    Elmont Avenue resident Emma Garcia, 4, plays with the four kittens available for adoption in their enclosure.
 By David Tapia   

“But we met Sonny, and he completely took over our hearts,” Marino said.

Unbeknownst to her, it was a decision that was already approved by her family.

“Amazingly, my grandchildren had already bonded with him,” she said. Greenwich residents Brody, 7, and Harper Neri, 9, spent the bulk of their time at the park with Sonny before their grandmother arrived.

“It was entirely coincidental, but it really feels like we made the right decision,” Marino laughed.

Gallagher hopes the mobile adoption events will continue to garner interest in both adoptions and fostering.

    Cortlandt Manor resident Katherine Zavala is all smiles as she holds up the puppy she’s adopting with her family.
 By David Tapia   

“We got our RV that goes around the county in May and we’re so lucky to see so much support,” she said. “We’ve definitely seen a rise in adoptions and an interest in fostering. I know we’re all looking forward to doing more of this.”

Anyone interested in adopting or fostering through the organization can find more information at spcawestchester.org