Animals, of all kinds, have always been a big part of my life and held a special place in my heart. As a child, I had the typical – cats, dogs, fish, gerbils, and all of my family had cats and dogs. The animals provided comfort and companionship and I thought when I “grew up”, I would always work in the animal field, either as a vet, building a rescue sanctuary or starting an organization. Well, college and then law school got in the way of that dream, along with establishing a career. But, the dream never went away and in the back of my mind, I still thought about how I could reach it. Along the way, I volunteered for animal organizations, fostered cats, campaigned for animal causes, donated to various organizations for cats, dogs, horses, elephants and farm animals, and adopted my amazing cats. And, in June 2011, finally began to pursue the dream. I am excited about Big Hands Little Paws – what we have done, what we plan to do and the difference we have made and will continue to make.

I am a native New Yorker who grew up with cats, horses, gerbils and hamsters. Our family cats were Pablo, Wendy, Keiko, Maxwell, Pongo and Kushka (not all at the same time!). We adopted Maxwell in the 1970′s and he lived with me from third grade all the way through marriage and childbirth. I also had two horses, Pooh Bear and Farnley Fashion. My daughter, Devon, was even named after the Devon horse show in Pennsylvania. Since I can remember, I have always been a lover of animals and was born with the heart of a rescuer. Some animal “tails” I am best known for are driving an injured pigeon from Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Animal Medical Center in the middle of the night, scooping a furry caterpillar off of my yoga mat and delivering it barefoot to Tompkins Square Park, saving week-old feral kittens from a winter storm in Bedford-Stuyvesant and, most recently, wrangling a lost Rottweiler running in the streets of Clinton Hill until he was reunited with his family. In addition to my role with Big Hand Little Paws, I am a volunteer at a wildlife rescue organization in Manhattan, dedicated to the rehabilitation and education of birds in NYC. I have fed, fostered and released several pigeons back into the wilderness of New York City and am the proud new parent, of Slick, a terrier abandoned on Alexander Avenue in the Bronx.

I have always loved animals. Some of my earliest memories are of my beloved Bassett Hound and me watching the world go by whilst sharing an apple ( Yes we went bite for bite). I now am lucky enough to be the guardian of 3 small rescue dogs and to live in a city that refers to me as their guardian (San Francisco). 3 to 4 million companion animals are killed each year in the U.S alone. This heart breaking statistic is enough to keep me awake at night, and that is without all the other stories of abuse and cruelty. I have joined the Board of BHLP because our nation’s shelters are underfunded and overwhelmed and I have personally witnessed the difference rescue groups can make in the lives of abused, neglected and homeless animals. “For at the same time many people seem eager to extend the circle of our moral consideration to animals, in our factory farms and laboratories we are inflicting more suffering on more animals than at any time in history.”  – Michael Pollan

I have been a devoted animal lover since I was a little girl. I was fortunate to have grown up in a very rural area in Westchester, New York. The house I grew up in was surrounded by woods, nature, horse stables and farms. It was not unusual to see deer in my back yard through the sliding glass doors in our kitchen which faced miles of woods filled with birds, squirrels, raccoons and the like. I rescued and adopted several stray kittens while growing up and found homes for many others that I was not able to keep.I have a registered therapy dog. Her name is Troubles. She is a mix of a West Highland White Terrier and a Yorkshire Terrier. She weighs in at 12 pounds soaking wet and is a true lap dog.

I bring her to nursing homes and home visits by request. She brings happiness wherever she goes and I have been privileged, through these experiences with my dog, to see how important therapy dogs are and how much they are needed throughout the community to contribute to the happiness of people who are in their golden years and are lacking for the companionship of animals due to either their age, living circumstance or their health.

I started working with and riding rescue horses while in my early twenties and continue to do so when the opportunity presents itself. Some of these horses have been severely mistreated and/or abandoned and It brings me great joy to work with these horses and show them that human beings can indeed be kind and truly care about their well-being. There are no words that can express how it feels to watch these animals regain trust and enjoy the companionship of the people that handle them.

I enjoy volunteering in my community and others and, as such, am thrilled to be an integral part of BHLP and its community. I am also looking forward to meeting and working with our volunteers who share my compassion and benevolence in assisting and helping animals that are not able to help themselves.

I have loved animals for as long as I remember. Unfortunately, I grew up in no-pet buildings and had to wait until I moved out before I discovered the joy of having a pet. My first pet, Dax was a beautiful cat which someone had found abandoned on a Manhattan street. It was love at first sight. I caught the rescue bug and adopted a girl kitty from the shelter to keep Dax company because I traveled a lot at that time. When I went to the shelter, I was overwhelmed by the number of animals available for adoption. I wanted to take them all home. From that time on, I knew I wanted to help animals who by circumstances beyond their control made them homeless.  Now several rescues later, I am happy to be part of Big Hands Little Paws working to help animals in need meet their foster parents and give them more time to find their forever homes

Since grade school, I’ve been passionate and interested in planning distinctive, unique, and special events. Be it an intimate tea for 2, or a fundraiser for 500 ~ be it a special milestone, reunion, anniversary, or corporate gathering ~ I know that attention to every detail is essential in making each event memorable. I have studied fundraising and have a vast and distinct expertise in the field of communications, special interests, and public relations. I am thrilled to be a part of this organization and look forward to planning our adoption, educational and fundraising events.

I am a native New Yorker who grew up with cats, horses, gerbils and hamsters. Our family cats were Pablo, Wendy, Keiko, Maxwell, Pongo and Kushka (not all at the same time!). We adopted Maxwell in the 1970′s and he lived with me from third grade all the way through marriage and childbirth. I also had two horses, Pooh Bear and Farnley Fashion. My daughter, Devon, was even named after the Devon horse show in Pennsylvania. Since I can remember, I have always been a lover of animals and was born with the heart of a rescuer. Some animal “tails” I am best known for are driving an injured pigeon from Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Animal Medical Center in the middle of the night, scooping a furry caterpillar off of my yoga mat and delivering it barefoot to Tompkins Square Park, saving week-old feral kittens from a winter storm in Bedford-Stuyvesant and, most recently, wrangling a lost Rottweiler running in the streets of Clinton Hill until he was reunited with his family. In addition to my role with Big Hand Little Paws, I am a volunteer at a wildlife rescue organization in Manhattan, dedicated to the rehabilitation and education of birds in NYC. I have fed, fostered and released several pigeons back into the wilderness of New York City and am the proud new parent, of Slick, a terrier abandoned on Alexander Avenue in the Bronx.

The first time I fell in love, I was barely three years old. One lick on the face from Mugsy, my labrador retriever, and things were never the same. With a canine as my partner in crime, I quickly grew connected to every animal I came in contact with. Throughout my childhood, I was a proud companion of a bunny, guinea pig, wheaten terrier and rescue cockapoo. Saving a life was one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever felt. Once Ricky became a part of my family, I knew animal rescue was an area I would pursue further in time.

Volunteering is as much self-fulfilling as it is selfless. I believe it is important to contribute to your community and reach out to those who are in need, or less fortunate, to help make the our world a kinder, loving place. My expertise and experience has mostly been with disaster relief and recovery in both the physical and emotional sense. Wanting to utilize other skills and branch out to another area of necessity, I found Big Hands Little Paws. I am truly passionate about the animals we have in our care and hope that they eventually find happiness and forever homes as a result of my participation in the organization.