The East Coast CUDDLY Rescue Rover has made its way to Queens, working with nonprofit organization New York City Second Chance Rescue (NYCSCR) to transport high-risk animals from overcrowded shelters throughout NYC to NYCSCR’s new rescue center location in Long Island City at 27-12 37th Ave.
The organization’s expansion to an NYC-based Rescue Rover involved a celebration of the launch last Saturday, Sept. 6, in Long Island City with a special welcome party for dogs who were rescued from one of Animal Care Center’s locations in Queens and taken to NYCSCR.
“The world of shelter and rescue is really about space,” said Amy Peterson, the director of event marketing at CUDDLY. “Shelters are overcrowded, and when that happens, you don’t have space for that number of animals. When the rescue rovers are able to step in and transport them to different places, that’s when lives are saved, and a really important part is to be able to have a vehicle that is equipped to take animals out of the shelter.”
CUDDLY is a mission-driven company that supports animal welfare organizations through various fundraising methods, along with a pet food line, CUDDLY food, that gives back to shelters and rescues with each purchase. They launched their first Rescue Rover in Austin, TX, in 2022. The rescue rover, which is funded by CUDDLY’s subscription program, the CUDDLY Club, transports shelter animals who are high risk from overwhelmed shelters to rescues with more space and resources to deliver essential care. The organization has been working with NYCSCR since 2015, and with their newest location in LIC, knew it was the perfect opportunity to expand to their second rescue rover.
“[NYCSCR] does such amazing work, and they’ve been a partner with us since 2015, which is like our very early days,” said Peterson. “We’ve done a lot of really great work together, so when they came to our CEO and said, ‘Hey, this is a need that we have, what can we do to make it happen?’ It was a long process, but we were able to get it done.”
Their focus on high-risk animals refers to various instances, including those with high social anxiety who have a difficult time being in crowded shelters. This can cause them to sometimes withdraw or even react aggressively, making it harder for them to be adopted. The rescue rover gives the animals the opportunity to thrive in a better environment for their personalities and needs and helps support their journey to a forever home.
“We want to make sure that they’re given the best chance possible to find their forever home,” said Peterson. “Animals get adopted out of the shelter every day, but if you see an animal that’s just cowering in the corner and maybe even getting aggressive, that doesn’t mean they’re an aggressive dog; they’re just not cut out for the shelter setting. That doesn’t make them less adoptable, it just means it’s a really stressful setting, and it’s not that the shelter is doing anything wrong, it’s just how it is.”
NYCSCR’s newest location provides another opportunity to support its mission to help dogs and cats who are critically injured, neglected, or abused by providing rescue and rehabilitation. Their latest collaboration with CUDDLY also offers another opportunity to help animals find a loving home. The non-profit organization has saved over 16,000 lives since its founding in 2009. Their next adoption event is at Whitestone Doghouse on Sunday, Sept. 14, from noon to 4 p.m.
“CUDDLY’s new Rescue Rover aligns seamlessly with our mission by helping us rescue and rehabilitate animals at risk in overcapacity shelters,” said Jennifer Brooks, the president and founder of NYCSCR. “These animals matter, and working together with CUDDLY will help as many animals as possible get their second chance at a life beyond the shelters.”
