Plenty of playful “ruff” housing took over the lawn outside Brooklyn Borough Hall on Oct. 25 as Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso hosted the fourth annual “Adopt-A-Shelter Animal” event, encouraging Brooklynites to meet and adopt their new best friends.
The borough president partnered with Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Badass Animal Rescue, Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition, Flatbush Cats, and Hearts & Bones Rescue to connect residents with dogs and cats looking for their “furever” homes, as animal shelters across the city struggle with critical capacity.
Despite severe allergies to cats and dogs, Reynoso made the rounds, meeting and greeting puppies and kittens.
“I love them, so you make the sacrifices in the hopes that [the animals] can find their forever home,” Reynoso told Brooklyn Paper.
The event focused not only on adoption and making pet ownership more accessible, but also on highlighting the work of animal rescue organizations like Badass Animal Rescue, which saves dogs from kill shelters in other states and brings them to New York City in hopes of finding them loving homes.
“We want to make sure that we’re supporting organizations like that and making sure that their shelter is not overrun, because if it is overrun, they have a limited amount of opportunity to continue to save animals from other states that do have kill shelters,” Reynoso said. “The idea here is not only to adopt pets to lessen the number of animals in shelters, but also to allow more rescues from other locations that are not as animal-friendly as we are here in New York City.”
He added that he hoped every puppy and kitten would be adopted.
Maria Reask, marketing manager at Badass Animal Rescue, said the group has saved 3,500 dogs from high-kill shelters in Southern states since 2011. The dogs at the event had been rescued from a high-kill shelter in Georgia just weeks earlier. With the ongoing shelter crisis, local rescues need “all sorts” of support, Reask noted.
“Donations are always super helpful. Fostering dogs is extremely helpful,” Reask said. “We’re a foster-based rescue, so we depend on fosters to be able to save dogs and get them adopted. And consider adopting. If you do adopt, know that it’s a forever commitment.”
Hearts & Bones Rescue focuses on dogs from Texas. The Lone Star State has long struggled with a stray dog problem driven by abandonment and limited low-cost spay and neuter programs. In 2023, an estimated 568,325 cats and dogs entered shelters in Texas, and more than 61,000 were euthanized — the highest number in any state.
Emilia Weinberg, volunteer coordinator for Hearts & Bones Rescue, told Brooklyn Paper that the organization had 60-80 dogs in foster care, with 23 attending the event to meet potential adopters. The group does not maintain a dedicated shelter; instead, all dogs are placed with foster parents immediately.
“That helps us really make sure the dogs can decompress properly when they live in a city. It also gives us a really good idea of how the dog shows up in day-to-day life, so that we can make a really good match for their forever home,” Weinberg said.
While adopting a dog is a significant commitment, Weinberg said it is also deeply rewarding.
“Our dogs had a tough start to their life, but it’s really nice to see when they decompress and become really comfortable and happy. And as an adopter myself, there’s nothing more fulfilling. It’s really nice to know that you’ve made a difference in this animal’s life,” she said.
Marnie and her son Asher had been fostering Rigatoni, a 4-year-old “very chill” Chihuahua rescued from Dallas, Texas, for a week before she was adopted by Brooklyn resident Jennifer.
Marnie said she and her son would miss Rigatoni but were glad to provide her with a temporary loving home.
“We were able to give her a loving home, and [fostering] allowed us the opportunity to give a dog a home while they found her a forever home, and she’s been perfect,” Marnie said.
Rigatoni’s new dog mom, Jennifer, who grew up with dogs and lost her last pet more than a year ago, said she was ready to welcome a new furry companion. She’d be attending local foster events in hopes of finding the perfect match.
“I’m just looking for a dog to spoil and spend every single minute with that will love me,” Jennifer said. “And I feel great about it already.”
Prashanth Challa and Clare Gollnick adopted 3-month-old Vermicelli, a black Labrador retriever also rescued by Hearts & Bones. Their 14-year-old dog had died three months ago. “And [Vermicelli] was born three months ago,” Challa said tearfully.
While Vermicelli, who reminds the couple of their last dog, cannot go outside yet due to pending vaccinations, the couple said they are ready to shower her with love.
“Puppies are always an adventure, and so we’re so excited,” Gollnick said.
Both encouraged adoption.
“Do it,” Challa said. “[A dog] is going to be your best friend for the next 10 to 15 years, no matter which dog you get. So just go do it.”
Emily Do, a foster with Hearts & Bones Rescue, said 7-year-old Chihuahua Macaroni is her fifth foster dog. She explained that fostering allows dogs to reveal their true personalities.
A“I feel like shelters are really loud, and [the dog’s] personality is not always able to come out. But when you foster, they’re in a quiet home environment, and you’re able to see their true personality,” Do said, encouraging others to foster dogs.
In addition to two dogs, the ASPCA brought five kittens and four adult cats for adoption. Sidney Fisher, manager of admissions and placement at the ASPCA adoption center, said October is “Adopt a Shelter Dog” month. The initiative highlights the benefits of pet adoption in partnership with organizations like ACC, one of more than 600 shelters and rescues participating in the ASPCA’s Rescue Effect campaign.
Fisher said adoption specialists help potential adopters find the best match for their lifestyle.
“We ask all these questions about their life, like, ‘What’s your schedule? What are you looking for in an animal?’ And we use that conversation to fit the person with the perfect animal,” Fisher explained.
Most shelters remain at or over capacity, and many animals, especially dogs, often stay longer before adoption, Fisher noted.
“Choosing adoption helps the animal you take home while freeing up space and resources to help other animals in need, and we thank Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso for hosting this meaningful event,” Fisher said.
