Animals: Should More Be Done to Inform People About Cove Animal Rescue?

Written by: Mauricio Cueva

Cove Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization that serves as both an Animal shelter and a pet adoption service, located in Glen Cove, New York. The organization's goals are to increase the adaptability of homeless dogs and cats through training, socialization, and implementation of methods to get them adjusted to a home environment. Despite their achievements throughout the years, such as the TNR program (Trap-Neuter-Release program for feral cats) and ongoing efforts, they are not well-known, which limits the potential bigger impact they can have in Glen Cove, according to community members. 

Community Member A, a resident and an owner of a ten-year-old small breed dog named Sophia expressed that they knew of the shelter and that they wanted to volunteer in the past but couldn't due to their young age at the time. They mentioned they would like to work there if they had more free time. They expressed that they knew of the volunteering opportunities from friends at the school they attended at the time and that they wanted to visit one day to see all the kittens and puppies. They mentioned that they personally never used the resources provided at the shelter but expressed they would use their resources if they ever thought about adopting another dog. They expressed they heard down the grapevine about events hosted but haven't personally attended any. Community Member A stated their opinion on how the animal shelter is doing against the problems within the problem in the community: "They do good, but it sucks that the reason they have to is that a lot of dogs roam around without families due to being abandoned by greedy breeders, those that breed dogs on their own breed new ones that tend to not get adopted, and on top of that you can get a purebred dog but that doesn't necessarily mean they are well-bred, my Sophie has a lot of issues with breathing due to her breed like most small dogs, pubs who sell them don't know what they are doing, they are doing it for a buck." Community Member A mentioned that they don't think many are aware of the resources they provide due to it being not easily seeable; they expressed that the location of the shelter is in an area that's hard to find and that they feel when others pass by the area, what stands out is the garage and boat section rather than the shelter. They recommended the current sign be replaced with a bigger one that is more seeable. They expressed the following in how the Glen Cove Community can help Cove Animal Rescue; "For starters, more people should volunteer if they can, like I said before, a bigger sign to make it more visible to those who pass by since they probably can't just move the location; we really need to help because there used to be a long established dog pound in this town and it went out of business most likely because of its awkward location which I am afraid will happen to this one."

Similarly to Community Member A, Community Member B, A resident and owner of a four-year-old rabbit named Brownie, expressed that they knew of an animal shelter in Glen Cove and knew that there were volunteer opportunities there. They also expressed they haven't had to use the resources provided by the animal shelter. They mentioned that their friend did adopt an old cat through the adoption service. In regards to the town's folk awareness of the shelter, Community Member B mentioned that they haven't seen much of a spotlight for the animal shelter in terms of marketing and exposure of resources. Community Member B said the following in regards to whether the Glen Cove community should do more to help Cove Animal Rescue: "Absolutely, animal rescue shelters are needed everywhere. No matter the geography or population, we should encourage others to educate themselves more on the subject through hosting more events and fundraisers".

Community Member C, a resident with a three-year-old large breed dog named Aires, expressed that they knew of the animal shelter and that you have to be eighteen and sign a waiver if you don't want to work there. They expressed that they didn't that they didn't feel that the people in Glen Cove didn't know enough about the animal shelter or utilize their resources. Similarly to Community Member A, Community Member B expressed that the location of the shelter is located in a very hard-to-spot area for the public as it is down a path from the main road. They expressed a similar statement to Community Member B: "Hold an animal event that will showcase the shelter to bring more publicity to it; I feel that is the way to go about spreading awareness." Community Member D, a new elderly resident who just recently moved to Glen Cove with a large breed dog named Rocket, expressed that he didn't know about the shelter and, consequently, its resources. He expressed he didn't feel comfortable giving an answer regarding whether the community should do more since he had just moved here.

Members of the community expressed awareness of the shelter but still felt that the shelter didn't have enough recognition and offered their ideas to help support it. Cove Animal Rescue opened its animal shelter in Glen Cove in 2015 to provide shelter and resources to help cats and dogs find new homes and be rehabilitated. As of May 2025, Cove Animal Rescue has already held two events on April 16 and April 17 in Glen Cove and plans to have an upcoming casino event with the goal of raising funds for the animals they care for on September 16, 2025, in Bayville. To learn more about how you can help support their cause for helping our furry friends thrive, or if you're interested in adopting one of the animals they have up for adoption, you can visit their website via the hyperlink in the article or the following link: https://www.coveanimalrescue.org/.