Shelter Link 

          Our Mission

Shelter Link is an extraordinary rescue organization dedicated to saving those animals both in the shelter and out that are not covered by any other programs; those that have no one to care for them and, in the case of ferals, many consider a nuisance.

We promote the town shelter animals by maintaining the Petfinder, Facebook, and Adopt-a-pet websites.  We photograph the animals and provide informative biographies based on our interaction with them.  

Our mission begins at our local municipal shelter where we walk, socialize, and teach the dogs basic skills.  Our volunteer certified dog trainers work on some of the harder issues.  The goal is to make each one of them more adoptable.  We also socialize and groom the cats to make them more adoptable.

Shelter Link strives to make life at the shelter as comfortable as possible by providing basics such as flea and tick  meds, beds, blankets, toys, special medications and even paying for surgeries that the shelter would normally not be able to afford.

In addition to our in-shelter activities, we have a foster care program to help some of the neediest dogs and cats get out of the shelter and into a nurturing home environment.  Our fosters will be treated with kindness, rehabilitated and treated medically if necessary, and given  the help they need in order to live a happy, balanced life in a carefully selected forever home.  We visit the homes and help with the transition if the adopters have any problems.

We host monthly dog training  classes for our volunteers, foster parents and other interested people.  We cover dog – human relationships, understanding body language, general care and nutrition, walking as a pack and basic obedience training .  We also teach about leadership skills, calmness and assertiveness.

In order to achieve a meaningful reduction in the surplus pit bull population, we have initiated an innovative free spay/neuter program for both pure-breds and mixes of this breed.  Through community outreach programs promoting spay/neuter, as well as educating about humane and responsible pet care, we expect to impact the neediest communities in our township and reduce the overall numbers of pits entering our municipal shelter.

To help contain the ever-rising number of feral cats in the Town of Islip, we offer a 90% covered cost TNR program with participating veterinarians.

Through extensive fundraising events we expect to raise the majority of our funding which is used 100% for the animals.

Pet food drive summer 2009 .

SL Volunteer Debbie and 2 of her rescues at Dowling Dog walk

 Volunteers at Good Bye Winter fundraiser