Longtime Residents at Huntington Animal Shelter Get Forever Homes

Photos: Longtime shelter residents Stewy (photo 1 and 2) and Yoda (photo 3) on their way to their forever homes.

The Town of Huntington Animal Shelter announced they completed one of their most successful weeks in years during the last week of February thanks to their new social media presence and innovative programs.

Seven dogs were placed into homes, including Stewy, who has been a shelter resident for two years.

A Massachusetts woman reached out to the shelter after spotting Stewy, a Great Dane mix, on the shelter’s Facebook page. Stewy’s size and strength have made it had for him to match up with a forever home in the past, but when the woman met with Stewy in person, it was a match made in doggy heaven.

“She fell in love with the dog and took him home,” shelter director Jerry Mosca said. “She has been emailing me since then and sending me photos, showing me how well he has adapted to his new environment.”

Another lucky pup who finally found a forever home was Yoda, a pitbull mix who had been at the shelter for over a year.

These shelter pups now live in loving homes in Massachusetts, Centereach, Hicksville and Kings Park.

“These fantastic results show that word is getting out far and wide about the great things going on at the Town of Huntington’s Animal Shelter,” Town Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said in a press release. “We have a terrific, dedicated staff that works tirelessly to help match dogs with their new families and is always willing to try new initiatives to help the animals in their care.”

To spread awareness of these dogs that need homes, the shelter has been implementing new programs:

• They have been working to prepare the dogs for adoptions by making sure the dogs have basic obedience skills and social skills. Read: New Dog Park for Homeless Pups Opens in Huntington
• The Town also kickstarted the Huntington Animal Shelter Facebook page, which can be found here. The page already has over 600 likes.
• The Town created the Give A Dog A Dream Foundation as a way to accept donations to help meet the shelter dogs’ needs.
• Lastly, the shelter began a “Dog of the Week” program. Each week a chosen shelter dog will have its adoption fees waived.

Unfortunately, none of the featured dogs have been adopted while they were “Dog of the Week,” but Mosca said the program has helped bring additional traffic to the shelter.

“People come in to look at that dog, but realize it is not the right fit for their house or family,” Mosca said. “We are able to then steer them to another dog that might be a more successful adoption.”

For more information about how to donate or how to adopt a dog, visit the Animal Shelter page on the Town’s website.

The Town of Huntington Animal Shelter is located at 106 Deposit Road in East Northport.

Images via Town of Huntington Animal Shelter Facebook page