Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation is honoring its Volunteers of the Month: Nicole Chiuchiolo and Chris Murray.
“We would like to thank foster couple, Nicole Chiuchiolo and Chris Murray, for helping to take care of not only one dog but one dog and her five puppies. Nicole and Chris opened their home to Lola, a very sweet black lab who came to our shelter very pregnant,” read a statement from the shelter. “Within days of arriving at the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, Lola gave birth to five healthy puppies. The puppies would need time with mom to grow before they could find homes of their own. Nicole and Chris volunteered to foster the family so the puppies could grow up in a loving home environment.”
“They have been an absolute delight to have as a part of our foster family. We are so grateful for the incredible care they have provided Lola and all of her puppies! Thank you, Nicole and Chris! The care and comfort you provided to Lola and her pups is greatly appreciated!” said Crystal Monaco, the shelter’s Community Engagement Coordinator.
“We rescued Lola with help from our friends at The Bissel Foundation,” said Kate McEntee, the Director of Animal Relations. “She was at an overcrowded shelter in Louisiana. No place for a mother to give birth. Many shelters in the South lack the funds and resources to care for the hundreds of dogs surrendered and brought in as strays — let alone care for a pregnant mom. Sadly, there are shelters in our country that euthanize pets because they have no room left. Shelters like these cannot rely on adoptions alone to save all the incoming dogs. They rely on other shelters and rescues to save these pets and help them make room without having to kill. It is a very unfortunate reality, but it is in fact a reality in the United States. We were certainly not going to let that happen to Lola and her puppies. The second we heard about Lola, the rescue team jumped into action. We were able to get her up to us as fast as we could and good thing she came when she did because she gave birth the very next day! Six lives were saved.”
“We have always admired the amazing work of the Southampton Animal Shelter, and had adopted our dog Buddy, from them in the past! Unfortunately, we lost Buddy to pancreatic cancer in early 2021,” said Chiuchiolo. “While we were obviously heartbroken by this news, we thought the best way to honor his memory would be to open our hearts and homes to another pup in need, by fostering through SASF. We agreed to keep our eye on the instagram to see if any fostering opportunities became available. Not even two days later, we learned that Lola and her puppies were in need of a foster and the rest is history. How I got Chris to agree to do this, I don’t know!”
“It was so mind blowing to watch them grow — practically overnight. In the morning we would notice things like ‘Oh! The puppies can see now!’ or ‘Oh! The puppies can run now,” or my favorite ‘Oh! The puppies can climb out of their pen now!’ While the puppies are certainly a handful, Lola by far kept us on our toes the most! She is a sweet girl with endless amounts of energy who loves to go for walks and run in the yard. After 15 minutes of Lola running around in the yard I popped my head outside to check on her, to find her sitting in our kayak. That quickly became her favorite spot!” Chiuchiolo continued.
Those who would like more information on fostering for the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation can fill out a volunteer application and become a part of the team. Visit www.southamptonanimalshelter.com/foster-me.