Cove Animal Rescue Announces Board

Cove Animal Rescue, the new organization named by Glen Cove officials to operate the Shore Road animal shelter, announced its board members Wednesday.

These board members include Stefan Geiringer; Betty Geiger; Arthur Koppleman; Barbara Hall; Gil Feldman, DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine); Franca Trunzo and Yelena Kharchevka, according to a press release.

Many of the organization’s participants are former Animal Lovers League volunteers, according to the organization.

The announcement of the board members comes a little over a week after Animal Lovers League, which has run the shelter in its current location since 1998, posted on its Facebook page that the city sent it a ”notice to quit.” As Patch reported on Dec. 10, city officials say they have “increasing concerns about the shelter animals’ safety raised by a growing number of community members.”

CAR says it expects to manage the shelter beginning Jan. 15, 2015, the date the city says ALL will cease operations.

• Keep up with breaking news by following Patch on Facebook.

Meanwhile, ALL has launched a Change.org petition, asking for a public hearing about the shelter, claiming that the city has “has failed to provide any tangible evidence or credible reason” to bring in new leadership.

Cove Animal Rescue describes itself as “a not for profit organization that believes in a No-Kill, No-cage environment to help eliminate the fear and stresses that make an animal difficult to present for adoption, and difficult to transition into a home environment.”

Private benefactors, according to CAR, are helping the new organization’s with plans to expand the shelter to “nearly double its current size” and to “create a cage-free colony-like wing for the cats that will include windows for their natural curiosity as well as for the public to enjoy their precious antics.”

The organization adds that the new additions would enable dogs to “occupy most of the original space in a set-up that will include living, exercise and play areas that enhance a dog’s predisposition to being a member of a group rather than living in isolation.”

CAR says it aims to boost the number of adoptions and spread awareness about the shelter and its animals by encouraging residents in Glen Cove and neighboring communities to use the space. The organization says it is looking at “recent designs of libraries and zoos that have morphed from rigid, antiquated forms to open, interactive facilities serving the needs of the community and providing a natural environment for its animals.”

ALL, which has collected nearly 1,100 signatures in its Change.org petition as of Wednesday, is continuting to rally support, including posting letters from veterinarians on its Facebook page.

CAR, meanwhile, is inviting community members and veterinarians to get involved in the shelter.

“We welcome all observations, insights and concerns and will, as a Board, work toward a better environment for the animals as they move toward becoming an adoptable pet,” the organization said in a press release.

Those wishing to contact the CAR board can email CoveAnimalRescue@gmail.com.

Photo via Flickr/Creative Commons/Raymond Shobe

More on Patch:

• Police: Woman Drove Drunk With 3 Children in Car
• Multiple Fire Departments Battle Bellmore House Fire
• Flu Reported in Wantagh Elementary School
• The Odds of a Long Island White Christmas
• Cops: Car Hit and Damaged Mineola Building
• Wow House: 4-Bed, 2.5 Bath Southampton Oceanfront Estate
• Reward Offered: Police Seek Man Who Stole Money From Car in Lake Grove
• Police: 19 South Shore Car Break-Ins Last Week
• December 16-Suffolk Arrest Report