Recently, the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took in four dogs whose owners were recovering from COVID-19. At first, they were under the impression that they would only be hosting a temporary stay for them. Five-year-olds Oliver and Winston, four-year-old Isabelle, and six-year-old Izzy were initially brought to the shelter in the interim to help the dogs’ human owners who had been diagnosed with the virus.
Jennifer Stien, their owner, was confined in the hospital due to severe symptoms, so she asked her father, Barry, to look after her pets. And while he was also fighting against the disease, he was only ordered to serve home quarantine during that time. However, the daily task of watching over them also became an impossibility for the older man.
The most practical solution he came up with was to bring them to the Nassau County SPCA, even though it was difficult for him to part with the dogs, too. Barry thought that this was the only way for him to get better and focus on his recovery so that he could look out for their dogs and his daughter, too. The shelter assured him that all four of their darling pets would be right there waiting for them once they both make a full recovery. But according to a Nassau SPCA representative, it was also impossible for Barry to look after them, too, as he was having difficulty with breathing just getting the dogs to them.
And sadly, Barry’s health condition declined. A few days after surrendering the animals at the shelter, he passed on. Everybody at the shelter was hopeful that Jennifer would get better so she could finally take their dogs home. Unfortunately, there seems to be no reunion on the horizon because she also succumbed to COVID-19 not soon after, leaving the dogs with nothing.
Nassau SPCA said that it broke their hearts just looking at the dogs’ little faces as if they are asking when they were going home. Regardless, the organization is very determined to keep the canines’ tails wagging. According to Nassau, this was a challenging case because there was no one else aside from Jennifer and Barry who could look after them. They were all each other had, plus their four now-orphaned dogs.
But their representative said that at least they have the sweet, amazing dogs under their watch, making them hopeful that they could find a family willing to take all four of them. They also committed that they would try their best to achieve that end.
Aside from this, the shelter also seeks donations that would be put towards the care of Oliver, Winston, Isabelle, and Izzy. Gary Rogers, President for Nassau SPCA, said that this is the first time they’ve encountered pets who were left on their own to fend for themselves after their entire family has passed on. He noted that their family’s death also left them homeless, which was a side-effect of the pandemic that nobody took a second look at.
But despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Nassau SPCA was able to help a lot of pet owners. They reached out financially to families who were left unemployed by assisting them with the medical care for their dogs that they couldn’t afford at the moment and even provided food for their beloved animals. Aside from this, they have also helped with the temporary housing of pets whose families needed to recover as they find ways to survive the pandemic.
And if there’s anything good that came out of all this craziness, it’s the persistent show of selflessness from people and organizations who help lift each other during the most trying times.
Source: Nassau County SPCA / Facebook