Shelter Dog, Buster, At Heart of Blanket Drive That Captures Meaning of Christmas

One dog can change the world.

That's the mantra, the heartbeat that's propelled Valerie Sanks, of Rocky Point, forward on a journey as she works with scores of volunteers to provide a brand-new blanket for every shelter dog in New York State.

The burning devotion behind the blanket drive is Sanks' love for Buster, a shelter dog at the North Fork Animal Welfare League's facility in Riverhead who won her heart.

"Blankets for Buster and His Friends" is a mission of giving that began four years ago.

Shanks said the dream was born four years ago on Thanksgiving Day, her birthday, when, while recuperating from meningitis — an illness so serious she almost died — she set off to help find her friend's lost dog in Port Jefferson. The dog was clipped by a car and ran into the woods; Sanks joined the search and began cooking bacon in the woods to help try and lure the dog to safety.

"After being out there for three hours in the freezing Thanksgiving Day temperatures, I was cold to the bone," Sanks said. On the way home, she stopped at Kohl's and bought 20 blankets for the dogs at the shelters where she volunteers.

Once home, Sanks put a shout out on social media and asked for help collecting new blankets for the 141 dogs that were in the Riverhead Town animal shelter, Kent Animal Shelter and Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter at the time.

Within minutes, the private messages and texts began pouring in, she said. "With the help of 11 other angels, we collected 150 brand-new blankets."

The second year, Sanks set out to collect blankets and gathered 610, which she distributed to town shelters throughout Suffolk County.

For her third year, Sanks said she'd like to see every town and municipal shelter receive brand new blankets for the homeless dogs; the goal was 1,080 but Sanks surpassed that, collecting 2,200, which were distributed across Long Island and to parts of Westchester County.

When discussing the blanket drive, Sanks' love for Buster imbues every sentence, every word and thought.

"Buster has been living in a shelter for five and half years and there's nothing he loves more than grabbing a brand new blanket from the backseat of the car," Sanks said. "He cuddles with them in the front."

The dog, a pitbull, is beloved by Sanks, who cannot take him home due to the fact that he's afraid of other animals and people.

"Buster has never had a home. He lives in a shelter. He's the second longest shelter resident in New York State," she said. "I guess you could say I'm his best friend."

The North Fork Animal Welfare League, which has locations in Riverhead and Southold, is the ideal spot for Buster, she said.

"He's in the best shelter known to man," Sanks said. "This is how a shelter should be run. This is what every dog in a shelter dreams of. The shelter is his home."

She added, "We know in our hearts that some of these dogs and cats are never going to have a home of their own. We're not able to bring them all home. But people need to know that these dogs and cats are not forgotten about. We love them."

Bringing back the meaning of Christmas

For Sanks, Christmas is all about giving back.

"This comes at a time when we don't need anything. We don't want anything." And so, instead of focusing on materialism and shiny new presents under the tree, Sanks focuses on providing warmth and cozy blankets to shelter animals.

"We want animals in shelters to know they are not forgotten," she said.

Communities across Long Island have gotten onboard in a big way, with one Girl Scout troop in Shoreham collecting money, children asking their parents to donate money they've earned around the house to Buster — and the Leisure Village community donating funds to Buster's blanket drive at a tree lighting ceremony.

Others donated their store coupons to help buy new blankets.

"It's just amazing how everyone is, honest to God, pulling together," Sanks said. "I want Buster to be known as the one dog that can change the world, one blanket at a time."

Sanks said she'd love to see Buster "become the spokesdog of New York State."

So many blankets have been collected, Sanks laughs, that she fell recently into "mountain" of about 500 fluffy throws, a veritable sea of "quicksand" make of blankets.

Blankets, Sanks said, are a symbol of caring to shelter dogs.

"You cannot imagine what a brand new blanket means to a dog. The look in their eyes when they get their blanket . . for a dog in a shelter, that is their safety. That makes them feel safe when they're lonely, keeps them warm when it's cold. It's everything to them."

Blankets will be delivered to the North Fork Animal Welfare League's shelters on Dec. 23, just in time for Christmas.

Will this year's blanket goal be met?

This year's goal, Sanks said, was 10,000 blankets.

As the clock ticks toward 9 p.m. Thursday, when the total tally will be released, eager Buster supporters will be watching his Facebook page to see how many blankets were collected. To watch for the final number, click here.

But no matter how many blankets are counted, Sanks said the love shown so far is profound.

"It's just beautiful. There are so many people making this happen, coming together and bringing back the old-fashioned Christmas. The real meaning of Christmas is to give," Sanks said.

Patch courtesy photo.