Join the SPCA of Westchester at their Wags & Wiskers Walkathon & Pet Fair!

Click Here to Pre-Register

Join the SPCA of Westchester for the event of the year! The 2013 Walkathon and Pet Fair takes place on Saturday, May 4th at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights, NY from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. (official walk starts at 11 a.m.). There will be food and refreshments for people and their canine friends, live music, games and activities for the kids and entire family, doggy demos and over 70 booths in the Vendor Shopping Village!

*If you are a Cat Lover you can still sign-up and join in the fun.

The girls made homemade dog treats and no-sew cat blankets.

Making cat blankets!

Making homemade doggie treats!

They collected donations through a drop box at the Brandon Ice Sports Center and from family and friends.

All the donations they collected!

After all the baking and sewing they took a van to the Humane Society and delivered all the goodies to the animals, played with the puppies and toured the animal shelter! They fell in love with one puppy in particular and even asked if we could get him as our “Team Dog!” Maybe one day!

You can check out all the awesome photos here: U14 Team Donates to Humane Society!

Leila is nearly 1 year old but spent the first four or five months of her life tied up to a boiler in the basement of a home in Queens, NY. A few months ago, she came to live at the Westchester Humane Society.  This summer, The Tortorella Family Foundation gave WHS a grant, which enabled it to build a new dog run. That dog run allows Leila the opportunity to run and play like she never has before!

For more information about dogs like Leila who are looking for a new home, visit westchesterhumanesociety.org

Happy Holidays from The Tortorella Family & Foundation!

Illustration from Stubby & Rusty, by Christine & Brittany Tortorella

Christine Tortorella is a children’s book author who has published several books with music and a dream journal. All of the proceeds from those book sales go back into the foundation’s literacy program. Dobugshavebellybuttons.com features Christine’s stories and other artists and musicians.  Christine and her daughter, Brittany, are currently working to publish a new story about a pelican named Stubby who was injured by fishing line left in the water by fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico (near Merry Pier Bate Shop on Pass a grille).  The story, Stubby & Rusty, was written by Brittany for a master’s level class project designed to teach children and their parents how these animals are affected by what humans do and how we can prevent these injuries!

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, located along the gulf coast in Florida, takes in injured animals like Stubby, treats them, cares for them and releases them when they can. When they can’t, they keep the birds at the facility. The Seabird Sanctuary rescues between 30-50 birds every day and feeds all of its animals about 450 lbs of herring every day!! However, due to the gulf oil spill and recent storms stirring up the water, fishing has become less productive, increasing the price of the fish. The Seabird Sanctuary is fundraising, with a goal of $100,000, what they expect it will cost to feed the birds in 2013 and keep the Seabird Sanctuary afloat.

For more information on the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, please visit seabirdsanctuary.com.

Visit our website Dobugshavebellybuttons.com to follow along with the progress on Stubby & Rusty and check out the other story books and music. All proceeds from the sale of Christine Tortorella’s books and music go toward the Tortorella Foundation’s Literacy Program.  You can also download ‘The Bug Beat’ for a free three-minute dance exercise for children while visiting the storybook site’s download section.

Andre is just one of the many dogs at Westchester Humane Society, and he needs a good, loving home!

Already the dog walk is making a difference in the lives of the animals at the Westchester Humane Society!

The first of the grant proceeds from the walk and outside donors, $15,000, has been given to WHS for the installation of a new and much-needed heating system. The process of updating/improving the current heating system has already begun.

Again, the Tortorella Foundation would like to thank all of those who participated, donated and supported the 2012 NY Rangers Dog Walk. Without your generosity, the Westchester Humane Society and its lovable animals would be suffering through a long, cold NY winter with substandard heating equipment.

If you’re 18-years or older and would like to help the Westchester Humane Society, they are in need of volunteers. Please call WHS at 914-835-3332 or email at adopt@westchesterhumanesociety.org to volunteer!

Best Friends Animal Society is hosting its third annual Strut Your Mutt dog walk and festival event September 29 in New York City. Rangers fans/Ranger Dog Walk participants can join in the fun while helping to save the lives of animals in shelters. As a special gift, Rangers fans will get a $10 discount on registration by entering the code:  NYRANGERS 

Register now at:  www.strutyourmutt.org/ny

The Inaugural Rangers Dog Walk was such a wonderful success! John and Christine Tortorella and their family would love to thank the more than 800 participants and 300 dogs for coming to the Rangers Dog Walk (Sept. 9, 2012) at Riverside Park.  More than a dozen of the New York Rangers hockey players were there to participate and bring awareness to efforts to improve the quality of life for the dogs and cats at Westchester Humane Society and beyond! Click Here to see video from the Dog Walk. The song at the end of this video is called “Old Dogs” and was written by Christine Tortorella. You can download it for free at dobugshavebellybuttons.com.

Five of the gorgeous dogs that were at the dog walk have either been adopted or will be on their way to their new homes in the next few days!

Visit www.westchesterhumanesociety.org to adopt a dog or a cat from WHS.

The Tortorella Foundation would also like to thank the Best Friends Animal Society for its presence and support at the Dog Walk.

“Best Friends Animal Society is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us.”

We encourage you to sign up and participate in the Best Friends’ Strut Your Mutt. Strut Your Mutt will be held September 29 at 9 a.m. at Pier 84/Hudson River Park in New York City. Visit bestfriends.org or strutyourmutt.org to support this wonderful organization and/or sign up for the walk.

Visit again soon as we will continue to add photos and updates!

NYRanger Coach John Tortorella promised $500.00 a win for the 2010/11 NHL season to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.  Brittany and Dominick Tortorella presented a check for $22,500 to Colonel John Carney, and his wife, Cindy, and families of SOW who attended the check presentation at a Rangers game in December, in behalf of The John and Christine Tortorella Family Foundation. Coach Tortorella has committed $500 a win again for the 2011/12 season, in which the Rangers won the Eastern Conference Title with 51 wins!  The Tortorella family is excited to make another donation for the wins, of $25,500,  for the important work of the SOWF.  For more information how you can help, visit www.sowf.org.  Thanks!