Rappaport To The Rescue

Jill Rappaport kicks off her Home for the Holidays pet adoption campaign with Best Friends Animal Society, shining a spotlight on the shelter dogs and cats who need loving homes most—especially senior pets, special-needs animals and other often-overlooked “underdogs.”

Jill is joined by Marlan Roberts, Executive Director of the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City, to talk about their shared mission to help homeless pets find forever families. Marlan explains why older dogs and cats can make wonderful companions and why adopters shouldn't overlook an animal simply because of age or special needs.

They also introduce Thomas, a sweet, mature rescue dog who was returned to Best Friends after being adopted years earlier and is once again waiting for someone to give him the loving home he deserves.

Jill and Marlan also share ways everyone can help homeless animals during the holidays and throughout the year—from adopting and fostering to volunteering, donating supplies and simply sharing a shelter pet's story.

It's a heartwarming reminder that one of the greatest gifts you can give this holiday season doesn't come wrapped in a box—it's giving a deserving shelter pet a second chance and a forever home.

Listen to Episode #71 Now:

Transcript:

Hi, I'm Jill Rappaport and welcome to this special edition of Rappaport to the Rescue. Now I say special because I have a really exciting announcement today. I am kicking off my Home for the Holidays campaign this year with the one and only Best Friends Animal Society.

I am so excited to be working with this incredible organization. You know their tagline, Save Them All. I love what they do, I love what they stand for, and I'm going to have an incredible opportunity to work with them in New York City at the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center, and we will feature the most wonderful animals in need of a home.

Dogs and cats, by the way, and the underdogs, which you know if you've been listening to me the last six years, I'm all about the underdogs, the seniors, the bully breeds, and the special needs. And we will be highlighting these wonderful animals. Can you think of anything better or more important than giving a loving pet a forever home? You don't want to think of a dog or a cat sitting in a cold cage when they should be surrounded with a loving family in front of a Christmas tree or a menorah behind them with music and kind, gentle hands to caress them.

I am thrilled to be kicking off this campaign with Best Friends today. You can see all my videos, and when we come back, I'll be chatting with Marlan Roberts, the Executive Director of Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City, who I'll be working with on this heartwarming campaign. You don't want to miss it.

Stay tuned. Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue. I'm Jill Rappaport.

You heard in the open my exciting news. I'm going to be partnering with Best Friends Animal Society, and I am thrilled to have the Executive Director, Marlan Roberts, of the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center. I know, Jill.

We are extremely excited. This is such a great opportunity because Best Friends, even your tagline, Save Them All, we are so in alignment with trying to make sure that every animal gets what they deserve, which is a beautiful, loving home. And we're going to be doing my underdog campaign, where I have always focused in on the seniors, the special needs, the bully breeze, and especially at holiday time, Marlan.

Yeah, I think you said everything perfectly. Our work aligns. And as you mentioned, there's so many folks who are willing to open up their home temporarily throughout the holiday season.

And this is the perfect collaboration, the perfect time to really get awareness to some of these dogs and cats, I mean, on some of these dogs and really hopefully find them a loving home. And we're going to be doing some cats, too. Oh, cats, too.

Which is so great. And, you know, I had the pleasure of meeting Marlan just last week at the wonderful Best Friends Gala, and I got to sit next to you. But you have such beautiful energy and compassion.

What does it mean to you to work for an organization like this and do what you're doing? You know, like you mentioned, this all aligns as well with my mission in life. I believe that dogs and cats should have the opportunity to land in a loving home. There's so many folks out there looking to bring on another dog and cat into their home, to foster temporarily, to volunteer their time.

And for this organization to be so passionate, to be so powerful when it comes to making that statement and making those movements, it gives me chills to see the difference that we're making, the amount of lives that we're saving, and the awareness that we're bringing across this nation to really save dogs and cats out of America's shelters. Now, I am so excited to see the animals, the dogs and the cats that you will be putting me with. I love meeting these animals for the first time.

And as everyone knows that has been listening to this podcast for six years, I've always been about the underdogs. In fact, I just adopted six months ago, a 14 plus blind, deaf doxy, who is the love of my life. And I want to encourage people to understand that these dogs, these seniors, the bully breeds, the special needs, they're the ones left languishing in shelters nationwide.

What can you tell our audience, Marlan, about how wonderful these animals are? And please don't look at the age. That's what I say about myself too. Yeah, honest.

I mean, you have a perfect point. There's so many folks who are new time pet owners, or dog and cat owners, and having a dog or cat that's already housebroken, that's already went through those phases of puppy stage. Been there, done that.

And used to being at home alone. A lot of the times, acclimating a dog that has already kind of went through those stages that could be a little bit more challenging, and just bringing them into your home can make it so much easier for a new time adopter. So there's so many pros to adopting a dog or a cat that's a little bit more mature, that has maybe had another family that really invested a lot of time and work into them.

But it just unfortunately did not work out, and they ended up in our shelter system. So being able to really put focus on that, it makes it also worth it. These dogs and cats need just as much love and tender care as cute puppy or kitten.

Again, there's no difference in the two. It just depends on the amount of time and energy you have. But I just adopted a puppy, but hey, my mature dogs, my nine-year-old puppy is amazing.

He's the one who's training my puppy. I'm not. So I'm like, he's my help.

So I love having mature dogs or cats around to hold. It makes just transitions a lot smoother if you're open to having one of them in your life. I can't wait to film these animals.

Can you tell me about any of the dogs and cats, maybe the first one you're going to put me with? I'm so excited. I think we have a few that are particularly going to be posted with you. I believe Thomas is going to be one that may be also shared as a part of one of our underdogs.

Thomas is the dog that was adopted out a few years ago. And unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances in his home, he did have to come back into our care. But he's one that has been looked over.

He's mature. He's mostly very well outside on walks. He doesn't mind being alone.

He's a love bug. So when you get to meet him, you will be extremely excited. And you'll be wondering, as we are like an og, why have no one came in and given this lovely fella a loving home? Well, hopefully this campaign is going to change all that.

Because in holiday time, it breaks your heart when you walk through the shelters and you see these cold cages and they're just sitting there looking at you, please pick me, please pick me. If you can't, at this particular time, take one of our underdogs or undercats, there's so many other things people can do, Marlan. Yeah, there are so many ways that you can get involved and engaged.

Even if you cannot adopt right now, as you mentioned, you can foster and volunteer. Those are two essential vital steps to continue to take our movement to the next step and continue to make that impact on lifesaving. So if you can't take on a dog permanently right now or a cat permanently, then you can temporarily house them.

That could be for a medical reason, for just like a short term stint until they get into their loving home. And most resources are provided. With Best Friends Animal Society, you can always come to one of our centers across the U.S. and all supplies are provided, even in your community, in your backyard.

This is really a time to bring a focus and really bring awareness to these underdogs. So in any community that you're in, there is opportunity for you to help, whether that's bringing awareness to sharing that dog or cat's photo. Another really easy way to make a difference is donations.

So for everybody listening, where can they donate to Best Friends? You can go online to our website at bestfriends.org. So you can donate overall to our cause or if you have like gently used collars, leashes, towels, bedding, those things can always be repurposed and reused in our community. It's not with us, with our local partners, the other shelters within the community. So you can come to 307 West Broadway.

That's where donations can be dropped off in person here in New York City. Or again, monetary donations can be made on our website at bestfriends.org. Oh, well, listen, I am so thrilled to be kicking off the 2025 Home for the Holidays campaign with you Marlan and Best Friends. And you know, I am known for a 100% adoption record and I'm going to continue with my record.

We know we are excited about the momentum. We know that it's going to be game changer for the underdogs that we do show, show pace. We're excited really to just like hope and really give inspire to folks that all dogs and cats that are in the shelter system or in a rescue or a foster, they are in need of a loving home during this holiday season.

Oh, Marlan, cannot wait to work with you. And thank you all for listening to this very special edition of Rappaport to the Rescue. Don't forget a Home for the Holidays kicks off today with Best Friends and we will be sending out those videos.

And please give of your heart, your home, your wallet, your time, whatever it is, they need your help now.

"Rappaport to the Rescue" Theme Song Written & Produced by Mark Winter
© Copyright 2022 Such Fun Music (ASCAP)