National Mutt Day: Volunteer Makes 100 Pup-Friendly Cupcakes

BROOKHAVEN TOWN, NY — In honor of #NationalMuttDay, homeless dogs at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter got a treat Wednesday —100 liverwurst cupcakes made with love by volunteer Valerie Sanks.

Sanks, who lives in Rocky Point, organizes dog sleepovers and lunch trips to bring joy to the pups living at the shelter. The no-bake cupcakes included liverwurst, cream cheese, tomatoes, shredded cheese, peanut butter and cheese sauce, she said.

(Valerie Sanks)

And from the videos of the dogs licking their chops, the treats, which she put in decorated cupcake wrappers, were a huge hit.

Sanks also prepared some treats for dogs at the shelter on special diets. "They were served on a silver platter — okay, it was a plastic platter, but I am so sure the dogs will not care," she laughed.

When asked why she made the liverwurst cupcakes, Sanks said her heart goes out to the dogs.

"Shelter dogs need to know they are loved and not forgotten about — especially on National Mutt Day, which should be every day. The dogs love them and I believe they really feel they are all very special. Something that takes a few hours can make almost 90 in one town shelter very happy," she said.

The dogs were able to taste test three varieties, including liverwurst with cream cheese topping, liverwurst with peanut butter and cheddar cheese, and plain liverwurst.

"All the dogs were smiling after they had their own," she said.

(Valerie Sanks)

Another man named Rocky Kanaka also "does amazing things" for shelter dogs in California, including getting dogs "pup-accinos". Sanks said she'd love to do an "When East Meets West Coast" collaboration and share ideas to bring joy.

Sanks devotes her life to loving the homeless dogs. "We might not be able to adopt at this time but we can love them with everything we've got. That is my promise to my shelter dogs. If only more people could volunteer at their town shelters could you just imagine the possibilities?"