This past weekend, the Cumberland County SPCA was honored at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center’s Canine Cotillion with a Star of Recognition award. The Canine Cotillion is a beautiful event sponsored by St. Hubert’s to raise funds to support the thousands of animals it helps each year.
The event was held at The Westin Governor Morris, a beautiful location that even welcomed canines to the event! This was a really special part of the evening, as we were able to see three dogs that were near and dear to our hearts before they went to St. Hubert’s for continued care and adoption. Hugh is the cutest little old man you have ever seen; he’s still available for adoption and has stolen many hearts already. Roo is a sweet little pit bull who arrived at the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter hairless and in dire need of medical attention. Elvis also arrived at our shelter in pathetic condition, missing all his hair and sick; he needed St. Hubert’s help. Seeing Hugh, Roo and Elvis, restored back to health and so happy, was a highlight of the evening for us.
The Canine Cotillion gave us a chance to dress up and enjoy an evening together. We would like to thank Petfinder for sponsoring our table and making this special night possible for us. In attendance were our executive director, Bev Greco; foster and rescue coordinators Jessica and Maria; cruelty investigators Charlene and Diana; veterinary technicians Roberta and Laura; and volunteer Karen. These are the staff members who have worked tirelessly to form a strong relationship with St. Hubert’s that has saved hundreds of lives. Most of our time together is working, so it was really nice to relax and enjoy the evening together. And as rare as it is for us to relax together, its’ even more uncommon for us to dress up! We traded our shelter shirts for outfits that sparkled and exchanged leashes for necklaces.
The event was spectacular. The menu was vegetarian and vegan, and the food was plentiful and delicious. St. Hubert’s had prepared a beautiful video introducing “The Zephyr,” its new lifesaving transport vehicle, and highlighting the amazing work it has done. For every $1 that is donated, 93 cents goes directly to the animals. We are proud that in 2015 alone, 396 of those animals were from Cumberland County SPCA.
The first time that The Zephyr arrived in our parking lot was an emotional day for us. Not only does this vehicle represent hundreds of lives to be saved, it was named in honor of a very special little dog that just happened to come from our shelter. The Cumberland County SPCA and St. Hubert’s have a relationship that goes back many, many years. However, for a period of time, transports had stopped. In 2011, we reconnected and St. Hubert’s offered to take in a senior beagle. At the last moment she was adopted, so I made a call and asked if they would take Zephyr instead. He was a concoction of beagle and perhaps bulldog and who knows what else. A little man with an unforgettable face that was easy to fall in love with, despite a slightly cantankerous personality. He desperately needed their help and they were happy to take him. Zephyr wound up making St. Hubert’s his home. I can’t imagine a home where he would have received more love – he was simply meant to be there. Zephyr was the catalyst that restarted our relationship – a relationship that has not only saved hundreds of lives, but provided us with their professional and compassionate support in our times of need.
We’re excited to continue our work together. St. Hubert’s has initiated a new program, the Feline Pipeline, where healthy and adoptable cats are transported from overcrowded shelters in New Jersey to shelters in New England. We know that our explosive feline population will benefit greatly from this program and we look forward to seeing the Zephyr’s arrival throughout the summer.
Source: SPCA shelter’s partnership saves lives of local animals