After Sandy

Many of our Shelter Our Pets volunteers wear various hats, from managing an area animal shelter, to helping feed hungry pets or providing vet care to animals in need.  When disasters like Sandy devastate our area, we often respond to where we are needed most.

"I'm proud to be a CERT and CART member in training," says Shelter Our Pets Trustee Lynn Gregorski-Bosi.  According to the The Community Emergency Response Team website the program course helps individuals "be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. Additionally, if a community wants to supplement its response capability after a disaster, civilians can be recruited and trained as neighborhood, business, and government teams that, in essence, will be auxiliary responders."

The CART program helps community members " improve their overall preparedness and response capability to any emergent, catastrophic, or non-emergent event involving and impacting animals/pets occurring in the CART’s authorized geographic area of operation..."

As part of the CERT and CART program, Gregorski-Bosi visited post-storm emergency shelters accepting people and their pets, in Paramus and Mahwah.  "It gave me a first-hand look at what the shelter system is really like and how it can work."  Gregorski was able to work together with other friends and volunteers to collect donations for the Mahwah shelter for people and their pets.  "We were able to deliver dog bedding, blankets, towels, pet food, clothing and other supplies.  Interestingly, there was a great need for towels for people staying at the shelter.  Though there were shower facilities at the shelter,  there was a shortage of bath towels, so many of the towels donated for pets were instead used by people."  

Even though Shelter Our Pets is focused on assisting the pets of abuse victims, Gregorski-Bosi says the organization and its members are committed to preserving the loving bond between people and their animals.  "I want to thank Maureen, Liane, Betty, Cristina and all the other friends and volunteers who jumped in to help those in need in our area.  It's wonderful how we all come together in a time of crisis!"

An example of Sandy's force.  Pine trees toppled during Sandy and blocked the road and driveway of Gregorski-Bosi's residence.