Zani's Furry Friends animal rescue

DogTime salutes New York's Zani's Furry Friends rescue organization.

How did your organization get started?
We began as volunteers in the local city kill shelter. I was working in adoptions, then realized it was the dogs no one saw who needed the help! So I worked with rescue groups evaluating dogs and making the rescue match as well as fostering until they told me I should really start my own because of our success rate matching rescue groups and sometimes adopters with dogs.

What is your mission?
We basically pull from the Animal Care and Control of New York City, the kill shelters. By taking an animal out of there, we not only save that life, but free up a cage on a temporary basis for an incoming cat or dog.

How do most of your animals find their way to you?
Pretty much exclusively from the kill shelters right here in NYC.

What happens to the animals once they are in your care?
We foster them in our foster homes, take them in for vet care on an as-needed basis, show them in our foster homes and at our weekly adoption event at Petco on E 86th & Lexington every Sunday (12:30-5pm).

Tell us about a particularly compelling animal or inspiring rescue.
While all our cats and dogs are inspiring, it's really hard to single any out! We have taken in blind cats--one born with no eyes!, others with deformities. Our hardest adoptions, and this of course we have no way of knowing ahead of time, are the "special needs" which does not include animals wit deformities but rather cats or dogs who need medication on a daily basis. Somehow people feel good about adopting a deformed animal but they will not adopt a cat or dog who needs to take a pill one to two times per day.

Older animals also have a very hard time getting adopted and we do take them! We have a 10-year-old Collie/Chow mix, a 10-year-old Russian Blue — it's the middle aged animals have the hardest time after the special needs.

Want to support Zani's Furry Friends great work? Check out their How You Can Help page, which provides information on adoption, volunteering, fostering, and donations.