Farmingville, NY – In the spirit of the holiday season, the Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center has launched the “12 Strays of Christmas,” a promotion aimed to increase adoptions and generate awareness about the hundreds of pets that are currently available for adoption at the center. The first of the “12 Strays of Christmas” is “Scruffy” (pictured above), a young, fun-loving little terrier mix with lots of energy that is already neutered, vaccinated and micro chipped. The lucky family that adopts “Scruffy,” or any other pet from the shelter this holiday season, will receive a holiday gift package containing a collar, leash and goodies for their new pet. Residents can meet all of the “12 Strays of Christmas” at the animal shelter or they can see photos and descriptions at www.brookhaven.org/animalshelter.

“There is no better gift this holiday season than a shelter animal,” said Supervisor Mark Lesko. “Shelter Director Dori Scofield and her staff have done a fabulous job and worked very hard all year long on innovative programs to help place dogs and cats with loving families and educate people about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets. I urge anyone who is thinking of bringing a new pet home for the holidays to visit the animal shelter first.”

Councilwoman Jane Bonner, who serves as the Town Council liaison to the Animal Shelter said, “I hope that someone will find a place in their heart for ‘Scruffy’ or any of the other ‘12 Strays of Christmas’. A pet brings so much joy to a family and I commend Dori and her staff for their effort to place these animals into loving homes, especially during the holiday season.”

The Town Animal Shelter has been very progressive in launching programs to increase adoption rates and pet retention and get animals spayed and neutered, especially focusing on the large population of Pit Bulls and Pit Mixes at the Animal Shelter.

Earlier this year, the Animal Shelter introduced “Spay it Forward”, a program that offers incentives to get animals spayed and neutered. For every Pit Bull that a resident gets spayed or neutered, the owner will receive a voucher to help another needy Pit Bull to receive the same services. The Animal Shelter is also providing free micro-chipping, vaccines, heartworm testing, and collars for anyone who gets their Pit Bull spayed or neutered.

The Brookhaven Bully Alliance (BBA) encourages other animal rescues to adopt Pit Bulls from the Brookhaven animal shelter and find loving homes for them. Every shelter dog that enters the BBA program is professionally evaluated, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped. $250 goes to each participating organization for the care of the animal.

An affiliate of the Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, the Help the Animals Fund’s mission is to prevent cruelty to animals and to provide sick, neglected and injured stray animals at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter the much needed and deserved medical care that they would otherwise not receive. This fund is supported 100% by voluntary donations, which are tax deductible. The Help the Animals Fund makes programs like Spay it Forward and the Brookhaven Bully Alliance possible.

The Animal Shelter is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is located at 300 Horseblock Road in Brookhaven, NY 11719. For more information, call the Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center at 631-286-4940 or visit http://www.brookhaven.org/animalshelter.

Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6595 • Fax (631) 451-6258