Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi has announced Nassau's first countywide initiative to create a humane community where Nassau County animal shelters will work together to increase adoptions and reduce euthanasia. At a recent press conference, the county executive was joined by Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, in addition to representatives, human and canine, from participating town shelters, including Joan Phillips of the Glen Cove Animal Lovers League.

In this unprecedented initiative, Suozzi has brought all the Nassau County municipal shelters together to apply to be part of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (ASPCA) national program called Join ASPCA Mission: Orange (JAMO). JAMO is an ASPCA collaborative effort created to save lives of shelter animals throughout the United States.

The partner shelters consist of the Animal Lovers League of Glen Cove, Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter, Town of Oyster Bay Animal Shelter and the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. These shelters have recently completed an intensive application process and, if chosen, will work with an ASPCA coordinator and ASPCA experts in everything from data collection and analysis to implementing new shelter policies, practices and programs, to learning proven strategies for saving animal lives. This coming April, the ASPCA will announce up to five communities it has selected nationwide to participate in JAMO.

The county executive stated, "By bringing these shelters together, Nassau County will place more pets in loving homes and reduce euthanasia rates. Acceptance into this program will save the lives and provide stable environments for Nassau's animals."

Ms. Phillips said, "JAMO has brought our Nassau County municipal shelters together for the first time in history in a collaborative effort to increase adoption and reduce euthanasia. The application process was quite extensive and is a tribute to the motivation of the officials and shelter directors of the four shelters involved. We are hopeful that our county will be chosen, as this program should help us to make rapid progress toward the goal of a humane county where adoptions increase and euthanasia decreases.

"I am incredibly honored to have served with Tom Suozzi's community liaison Eileen Goggin in the role of shelter liaison for this project. What seemed impossible is already happening, and I foresee the day in the imminent future when we will wonder why we hadn't done this long ago. To say that I am extremely optimistic and enthusiastic is an understatement. This collaboration will bring a new and better day for the animals of Nassau County and is a credit to the county executive's vision for the future and love of animals."

JAMO's mission is based on research and experience. The ASPCA experts and advisors involved in the program include shelter veterinarians, animal behaviorists, MBAs, certified fundraising executives and seasoned animal protection professionals. Some of the ASPCA's program and practice changes that have proven to be effective in other target communities include implementing ASPCA's Meet Your Match adoption program, incorporating open adoption policies and practices, conducting communitywide adopt-a-thons and implementing trap-neuter-return (TNR) collaborations.