Thursday, October 1, 2026
For Kristina Howley, animal rescue is rooted in family, community and a desire to create something positive after the loss of her father.
Born and raised in Valley Stream, Howley attended Holy Name of Mary Elementary School and graduated from Valley Stream Central High School.
Her father, William Henry Howley III, served as chief of the Valley Stream Fire Department, following her grandfather in the role. Her uncle later became chief, and her cousin recently completed his term.
When William Howley died in February 2010, Kristina was already involved with other rescue organizations while raising her young daughter.
“He was my absolute best friend in the world,” she said. “Starting the rescue was in his honor and just a healthier way for me to mourn. My dad was a lover of life, people, animals, everything.”
That mission became BARRK Animal Rescue, a foster-based nonprofit that officially launched in 2015. Unlike a traditional shelter, BARRK — Bark Animal Rescue & Rehab for K-9’s — doesn’t operate a physical facility. Instead, every dog lives in a foster home until it is adopted.
BARRK primarily rescues dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes that are homeless, stray or at risk in shelters. The organization works with the Town of Hempstead, shelters in New Jersey and the ASPCA in Brooklyn and Queens while also rescuing dogs from elsewhere along the East Coast and the Caribbean. Although dogs are its primary focus, the rescue has also taken in cats, kittens and, on occasion, guinea pigs, a turtle and bearded dragons.
“I’ve pulled from Egypt, I’ve pulled from China,” Howley said. “We try to focus on the undesirable and help them become desirable.”
Prospective foster families complete an application, provide references and go through a screening process to help ensure the home is a good fit. Some volunteers foster for several months, while others can only help for a weekend or a few days. The organization tries to work with whatever schedule volunteers can offer because every foster home creates another opportunity to save a life.
Once a dog enters foster care, the goal is to help it adjust to life in a home. Depending on the dog’s background, which may include time to decompress, crate training, housebreaking, leash training and socialization with people, children and other pets.
Sara Mackin, BARRK’s manager and coordinator, joined the rescue in 2020 after temporarily caring for a foster dog while a family member was away. She had previously fostered with other organizations for about 10 years and gradually took on additional responsibilities, including coordinating adoption events, reviewing foster and adoption applications and helping onboard new volunteers.
Foster homes allow volunteers to learn each dog’s personality outside the stressful environment of a shelter. That information helps match dogs with families whose lifestyles fit the animal’s needs, reducing the likelihood that a dog will be returned after adoption.
“The most rewarding thing is watching that dog go out to their forever home and fully having the confidence that that dog is ready, and then getting updates a year later, six months later, a couple weeks later,” Mackin said. “It’s constant reminders that you have impacted not only this dog’s life but this family’s life, who now has this wonderful dog that they get to now enjoy and experience at its fullest, at its best.”
Medical care is another important part of the process. Dogs arriving from outside New York must meet state health requirements before entering the state. BARRK provides vaccinations, preventive care and, when needed, spay and neuter services before dogs are adopted.
Debbie King, BARRK’s manager and clinic coordinator, first became involved after adopting her dog, Atlas, from the rescue in 2021. She later began fostering and now helps coordinate clinic appointments, foster placements and communication with adopters.
To King, one of the biggest challenges facing nonprofit rescues is covering veterinary costs.
“I would hope in the future that we can get more vets to partner with us, especially to have more opportunity to get more dogs spayed and neutered because that is going to stop the population problem,” King said.
She also emphasized that foster homes allow dogs to learn routines and behaviors that better prepare them for permanent homes.
Finding those permanent homes happens online and in person. BARRK promotes adoptable dogs on social media and adoption websites while also participating in farmers markets, pet expos, breweries and other community events across Long Island.
Jillian Monahan, BARRK’s social media manager, joined the organization in 2024 after becoming involved with efforts to help dogs from the Caribbean. She manages the rescue’s social media team, fosters dogs and helps organize community events.
The events, usually hosted at local breweries or farmers’ markets, give dogs valuable socialization while introducing people to rescue and fostering.
“We set up in the back with a tent and a table, and some like pens and crates for the pups, and pretty much what we do is it’s a lot of socializing, which is really great for the dogs because some dogs that were street dogs or stray shelter dogs aren’t exactly the most trusting of humans,” Monahan said. “So, getting them to these events lets them see that not every person is trying to shove them in a cage or harm them or even throw things at them.”
They also help recruit volunteers for transportation, fundraising, social media, applications and other behind-the-scenes roles that keep the organization operating.
For all three volunteers, the most rewarding part of rescue is watching frightened or neglected dogs gain confidence before finding permanent homes.
Monahan recalled fostering Anna, a pregnant dog from Puerto Rico that arrived fearful and withdrawn before gradually learning to trust people and giving birth to two puppies while in foster care.
King remembered fostering a dog named Sky that struggled with resource guarding and remained in her home for nearly six months before being adopted by a family that continues to provide updates years later.
Howley pointed to Mama Liliana, a pregnant dog rescued from a South Carolina shelter. Liliana gave birth to 13 puppies in Howley’s home, and after becoming critically ill, recovered following weeks of treatment. She still lives with Howley today.
The rescue’s volunteers acknowledge there are limits to what they can do. Without enough foster homes, funding and volunteers, they cannot accept every dog that needs help.
