Shelter finds homes for 311 animals

More than 300 once homeless animals are now family pets, the result of the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter’s Summer of Love adoption program.

The shelter, on Beltagh Avenue in Wantagh, offered free adoptions from June 15 through Sept. 12. It also included free microchipping, spaying or neutering, and vaccinations. In that nearly three-month span, 175 cats and 136 dogs found new homes, a slight drop in numbers from last year.

“It went very, very well,” said Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray. “We consider this a very good success story.”

Families coming in and adopting pets also received gifts from several participating businesses. New canine owners received coupons for a free grooming session with Dog Grooming by Rachel in Bellmore and for a training class at Fido Fitness Club in Woodmere. Island Trees Veterinary Hospital in Hicksville offered a free exam for each cat or dog adopted, and $25 toward veterinary services.

“Obviously the adoptions go up in the times we waive all the fees, provide all the goodies,” Murray said.

She explained that while the town does sacrifice the revenue from fees during this program, the free adoptions are a tool the shelter uses to try to find homes for animals, which is the top priority. “You do it,” she said. “That’s the humane side of government. That’s the side where government can show it’s heart. If it makes a dog happy, if it makes a cat happy, if it makes a family happy, it’s all good.”

Murray said that one of the reasons that the town offers free adoptions in the summer is because with children home from school, it gives families more of a chance to get acclimated to a new pet.

MaryAnne Provost, of Seaford, was one of the many residents who took advantage of the program, adopting a 1 ½-year-old white shih tzu she renamed Laila. She wanted a small dog and after a picture of seeing Laila’s “sweet face” on the shelter’s website, Provost went to meet the pooch, and took her home at the end of August. “Laila has turned out to be a true personality,” Provost said. “She’s happy, very active. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Provost said that while the free adoption program was an incentive, she was more interested in getting a shelter pet. “I really believe in rescue as opposed to purchasing a dog,” she said. “There were just so many dogs at the shelter that were so adoptable.”

She was also grateful for the free services the town provided, such as spaying and microchipping. Provost plans to make a donation to the shelter in the near future.

In a few months, the shelter will again offer a free adoption program, Home for the Holidays. Murray said the town also targets that time of year because it is gift-giving season, and a new pet makes a great family present. That program will begin in late November, and run through the holiday season.

In the meantime, shelter staff will continue to search for new homes for its animals. Murray said they will attend local street festivals and pet adoption fairs. Several cats and dogs will be brought to the town’s Family Festival by the Sea this coming Saturday and Sunday in Lido.

At any given time, there are dozens of kittens, cats, puppies and dogs available at the shelter. Murray said if someone comes in and doesn’t find one to their liking, they should come back. “Our supply of dogs and cats is constantly evolving, constantly changing,” she said, noting that as a municipal shelter new animals are regularly coming in. “If not try today, try again.”

Murray said that the free adoption programs have been in place for at least a half-dozen years, and that the goal with each program is try to find as many homes for pets as possible. Residents do not have to live in the Town of Hempstead to get a pet from its shelter.

Since mid-June, 311 animals are out of cages and being cared for by loving families. “We were very satisfied,” Murray said. “We were very happy that all those dogs and cats found their forever homes.”