Centennial Celebration
The New Rochelle Humane Society’s “Help Heal Fund” began in 1985 when Winston, an English Bull Dog so named due to his resemblance to Winston Churchill, was found on a New Rochelle street with gunshot wounds to his leg and head. X-rays showed that a bone in his right hind leg had been shattered and without costly surgery, he would die of lead poisoning. The New Rochelle Humane Society did not have the estimated cost of $1,200 to pay for the surgery for a bone transplant and appealed to the public for donations. The Daily News ran the story and the New Rochelle Humane Society was deluged with donations and offers to adopt Winston from more than one hundred would be adopters from as far away as California and Paris. Several thousand dollars were collected. Donations poured in. A four hour operation was performed and Winston came through with flying colors. He was placed in foster care at a home close to the hospital and actually wound up being adopted by the foster family who had cared for him during his six month recuperation period.
Winston became the New Rochelle Humane Society’s poster pooch and earned the organization about $25,000 in contributions. This money became the start of our “Help Heal Fund” which is used to treat animals requiring special care.
Five years later, a party was held in Winston’s honor at a country club in New Rochelle. Eighty guests paid $40 each to attend a champagne brunch held to benefit the New Rochelle Humane Society and meet Winston.
Six years later, after surviving gunshot wounds and extensive surgery, the celebrated Bull Dog who became one of New Rochelle’s most admired citizens took a morning nap and never woke up. He is buried at the Hartdale Pet Cemetery.
Interested in donating towards our Help Heal Fund? Click here!
Posted August, 2010
Anyone who has visited our shelter has surely seen the lovely statue of a dog and her puppies located near our front entrance. This statue named the Underhill Memorial Fountain, dated 1933 in honor of John Quincy Underhill, was sculptured by Louis Paul Jonas.
Mr. Jonas was born in 1894 in Budapest, Hungry. He arrived in the United States when he was fourteen years old and began work at his brother’s taxidermy studio in Denver, Colorado. It was there he studied the anatomy of many different animals. When he moved to New York, he studied with an internationally known naturalist, animal sculptor, Carl Akeley. Together, they created the famous African Elephant Group which is on exhibit at the American Museum of National History in NYC. He has created Commemorating the Grizzly Bear for the Denver Municipal Park, Grizzly Bear and Cubs for the Denver Museum of Natural History, nine Dinosaurs for the 1964 NY World’s Fair, and many others.
John Quincy Underhill was the Village Trusteee of New Rochelle in 1877, elected Village President in 1878 and 1880, served as Town Auditor and as a member of the Board of Education. He was born and died in New Rochelle (1848-1907) and is buried at Beechwoods Cemetery in New Rochelle.
We have been told that the statue was originally on a much taller pedestal and that is was used as a fountain to water horses.
The next time you visit the New Rochelle Humane Society, be sure to look at our statue. We’ve always loved it, but knowing it was created by the man who also created something for the American Museum of National History makes us really proud to have it!
Posted July, 2010
Information taken from the New Rochelle Humane Society’s Annual Report of 1916 had some items of interest. It shows a drawing (pictured above) of its proposed building which is “furnished with all modern conveniences in the scheme of kindness to animals. Such animals as are held for good homes are provided with outdoor runs and comfortable indoor quarters. The New Rochelle Humane Society hopes through a large membership at $1 a year, and through its annual entertainment, to provide funds for the erection of this animal shelter.” The money to erect this facility was estimated to be $3,500.
The Treasurer’s report for the year ending April 30th, 1916 shows money received from dues amounted to $273 and $1,985 from its annual entertainment. Disbursements for the year amounted to $1,974.
The annual report lists “The Causes for Which an Arrest May be Made.” For horses, this list of 28 items includes driving lame, beating, hiring out sick, abandoning sick, starving, kicking, beating with hammer, leaving stand unblanketed, choking, breaking jaw, throwing stone at, etc. For dogs, the list is much shorter; cutting, abusing, selling for experiments, shooting, beating, fighting, maiming and carrying cruelly. Cat abuse includes setting dogs on, throwing firecrackers at, starving and abusing. Animal cruelty laws certainly had an early beginning.
Posted June, 2010
In the fall of 1910, there was a rabies crisis and New York State enacted an ordinance that all dogs must be muzzled. New Rochelle paid a “Pound Master” on a per-animal collected and destroyed basis. Dog owners had to pay $10 to rescue their pets from the pound, which was a bunch of unheated, unlighted, filthy shacks. It seemed that an overzealous Pound Master was grabbing any animal he could find, much to the dismay of their owners. A group of dog lovers mobilized and on May 18th, 1911, fifteen city residents formed the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Their first success was the repeal of the muzzle law, followed by persuading the city to allow the Pound Master to find homes for homeless animals. Due to the society’s urging, the city built a new pound and hired a full-time manager.
