Shelter Foundation, Town Cops Partner To Find Pets Forever Homes

When Patricia Deshong took over as executive director of the Southampton Town Animal Shelter Foundation in December, there was one initiative in particular that she was eager to get started right away.

Early on in her tenure, Deshong made a call to the Southampton Town Police Department, asking if they’d be interested in partnering with the foundation for an adoption promotion that would be mutually beneficial to both entities.

That’s how “Adopt With A Cop” was born.

Over the course of the next weeks and months, the Southampton Town Animal Shelter Foundation will pair adoptable dogs, cats and bunnies with several Southampton Town Police officers, photographing them together and sharing the photos on their website and social media platforms in an effort to promote adoptions and also give the public a chance to put names to faces of the officers that patrol and protect their towns, and perhaps see them in a different light.

Deshong spoke earlier this week about why she was so eager to create the partnership.

“I did it in Jupiter, Florida, where I was before coming here, and I saw how rewarding it was and how much people loved it,” she said. “It was such a win-win partnership.”

Deshong said that both Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skyrnecki and Lieutenant Sue Ralph were “extremely enthusiastic” about the partnership, and she added that the response from the officers was overwhelming as well.

“They’re all dog lovers, and they couldn’t have been more enthusiastic,” she said.

When the officers arrived at the shelter — which is right around the corner from the police headquarters in Hampton Bays — for the photos last week, Deshong said there were so many of them she was afraid passersby might think something was amiss.

“I said, there are so many police cars here people will think it’s a crime scene,” she said with a laugh.

Instead, it was something like the polar opposite.

Officers held and cuddled several dogs, puppies and cats, and one officer even posed for photos with adoptable rabbits. The photos, when displayed online and on social media, will give the name of the officer and the name of the pet, as well as bio information such as age, appropriateness for children, and like or dislike of other dogs and animals. The hope is that seeing the officers with the animals will help encourage people to come in and consider adopting. Deshong said it will be an ongoing partnership, with more photos taken with officers when new pets become available to adopt.

No one was happier to make the connection between the police department and the shelter foundation than Ralph, who said she thought it was “an absolutely fantastic idea” when Deshong presented it to her.

“It’s a great way to highlight our officers and help these homeless pets get a home,” she said.

It’s a cause close to Ralph’s heart. She has two adopted German shepherds, and also for years has taken in retired mounted police horses, caring for them when their policing careers are over. She said the response from the officers to participate in the photos was overwhelming.

“Every time I reached out to an officer, they jumped at the opportunity,” she said. Adding that she is a passionate believer in the oft-repeated urging from animal rescue advocates to “adopt, don’t shop,” Ralph pointed out the benefit of getting a pet from an organization like the Southampton Town Animal Shelter Foundation.

“When you adopt, you’re saving two lives,” she said. “That animal, and the animal that will get a place to stay until they get adopted.”

She said the officers themselves were not immune to the allure of taking a pet home, pointing out that at least one officer was showing photos of a puppy he was photographed with to a friend, and put in an adoption application just a few hours after the photo shoot.

Whether or not any of the animals end up finding a forever home with the officers they’re paired with for photos, Ralph said the entire experience has been gratifying for everyone involved.

“Officers deal with some very hard situations and see some unpleasant things,” she said. “This opportunity, everyone had a smile on their faces, so it’s a good thing we’re doing. We do good things every day, but this is special as well.”