Susquehanna SPCA Travels

To Beirut On Goodwill Mission

By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

COOPERSTOWN – As many as 13 dogs will get a second chance as part of a sponsored goodwill mission to Beirut, Lebanon.

Stacie Haynes, Susquehanna SPCA executive director, and Sara Haddad, licensed veterinary technician, are embarking Thursday on the mission of mercy.

“We are honored to have been selected for this goodwill mission and are proud to share best practices we have learned and implemented here at the Susquehanna SPCA with an organization working toward the same goal on the other side of the world,” said Haynes.

“We will be bringing up to 13 dogs home to Otsego County,” she said. “These dogs have a zero percent chance of getting adopted where they come from, not because of their health or behavior, but because culturally, dogs are not accepted into homes.”

Animals Lebanon, the sponsoring organization, is a nonprofit group that improves the welfare of animals through comprehensive national animal protection and welfare legislation. They provide nationwide public assistance for companion animals while rescuing and improving the conditions of captive endangered wildlife.

“Animals Lebanon is a volunteer project of Dr. David Chico, veterinarian for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets,” Haynes said. “He travels to Beirut and volunteers for them several times a year, providing medical care to animals and guidance to organizers.”

Haynes was recommended for the trip to assist Animals Lebanon by NYSAPF Executive Director Libby Post, whose organization advocates on behalf of New York’s animal shelters, humane societies and animal welfare groups.

Interested individuals willing to foster should contact Rebecca Daly, Susquehanna SPCA Communications Coordinator, at (607) 547-8111, extension 100.

“This is an opportunity we could not pass up, and a win-win for everyone. Sara and I are making this journey to share our expertise and we are returning with dogs that are very much in need, at no expense to the shelter,” she said.

To learn more about the Susquehanna SPCA and to view available animals, visit www.sqspca.org. For more information on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, call (607) 547-8111.