rescue

THE ULTIMUTT EVENT THIS WEEKEND!

Walk Your Dogs for a Great Cause in Sag Harbor

For those who don’t know me personally, I’m a major dog lover, and I’m a massive fan of all our local shelters and rescue groups, which gave me my jack russell terrier/beagle mix, Russell, and Bella, my incredibly loud and bark-a-rific malamute/black Lab/Australian cattle dog mix. There are a million rescue organizations to love out there and I love them all (why wouldn’t I?), whether it’s ARF, Last Chance Animal Rescue, Gimmie Shelter, Best Friends—you name it. I’ve also grown very fond of NYC’s No Dogs Left Behind, aka NDLB, which is hosting their inaugural Walk for Awareness Dog-a-Thon starting at 10 a.m. this Saturday, June 19 at Havens Beach (1 Havens Lane) in Sag Harbor. I urge any dog lover or owner who’s able to take part in NDLB’s latest, and local, effort to raise awareness about the reckless slaughtering of dogs in Asia. It must not continue!

SIMBA… Now flying first class and eating at the finest restaurants in Tribeca!

You can register for this one-mile walk starting at 9 a.m. the day of the Dog-a-Thon, or, if you happen to see this today, June 17, register online at nodogsleftbehind.com/dog-a-thon/, where you can also find out how to be a virtual participant. The $50 registration fee goes to the very best of causes, and it will get you admission, an event T-shirt, water and doggie poop bags for your four-legged friends. Tables will also be set up with coffee, pastries, doggie treats and water, raffle baskets, NDLB merch, and even dogs to adopt.

One of my fellow Elliman brokers and friend, Jason Walker from our NYC office, is a very active supporter of NDLB—he’s also the one my Hamptons houseguest that refuses to leave (and I have to turn off the wi-fi), but he’s literally a saint for the world’s canines in need. You may have read (click here) about Jason’s amazing work rescuing large numbers of dogs from China’s barbaric Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat festival, where they are literally butchered and eaten. Among them was his beloved Simba who is now his partner in crime and flies with him everywhere and eats at better restaurants than most of us.

Please join Jason and me, and so many more good-hearted dog supporters, on Saturday. Bella, Russell and I look forward to seeing you! 

Call it the Baby Jessica event of the Hamptons… or the Chilean Dog Minor of East Hampton!! TV Movie is soon to follow!!

Who said there is no excitement in the Hamptons in the winter. Take the following case of the mischievous Beagle mix known as Russell. This morning as I was finishing my final cup of coffee before heading out the door and emergency arose. NO, it had nothing to do with Ann Currie saying something inane again on the Today show. It involved a loud bark coming from the back yard.

As I went outside, I saw my trusty and well behaved girl Boo digging away at the side of the pool house! What was she doing?? Wait there’s another bark coming from… GASP…. underneath the pool house!!! Oh my god, I had visions of Jo Beth Williams somehow working her way into a TV version of what could be a truly tragic event!!! “BABY JESSICA 2; RUSSELL’S TRAPPED!” The air was filled with tension and suspense. But as often is the case in times of tragedy, the spirit of man causes him to rise to the occasion. WE ARE ALL HEROES DEEP DOWN INSIDE (cue David Bowie song)!

Luckily my trusty house manager Daniel Strohmeir was there with crow bar in hand. If you know me well, you know why I often owe mine, Boo, Peter and Russell’s very survival to Daniel. This morning all of our lives came crashing together in what could have been a tragedy!! In all seriousness for a second, I got scared when the little guy stopped barking for a few minutes. I actually got a shiver thinking what if somehow Russell really got himself hurt down… choking or suffocating! Yikes, maybe I should have called the fire department. I mean they rescue cats out of trees right?!

No, never call the fire department or the police in the Hamptons unless it’s an absolute emergency. Because knowing my luck Russell would pop out the minute I did and I would end up being disgraced in the community fire/police blotter as the neurotic crack pot who called over his dog chasing a rabbit under a pool house. Read the Hamptons police blotters and you learn so much about the community. My favorite of late was the gentleman crackpot on Georgica beach who called 911 after a dog owner forgot to pick up some poop! It’s a true story and no it wasn’t me. I was on a cruise and have proof to back my claims. Now back to the rabbit chasing Russell. Did I say he was chasing a rabbit before?! Well that’s my theory anyway.
Anyway, after about 90 minutes of tension, tears and fears. Russell was liberated thanks to a quickly kicked and pulled hole in the floor. Russell didn’t say much about his ordeal after the liberation. But I have noticed he’s all of a sudden taken an interest in the New York City Marathon website. Is his surfing of said website an indication he’s planning to run like a certain Chilean Miner next fall! ONLY TIME WILL TELL!! By the way, I think I want Doug Savant to play me in the TV version, don’t you think that’s good casting?! (photo of a concerned Boo, eager to help-she did actually start digging a hole and ripping shingles off the house)

Finally some quick Almond update gossip. Rumors are floating that Eric Lemonides will take almond into… ta dah… BOBBY VANS. While I really doubt that scenerio big time. My bets are going to COPA around the corner. The School Street restaurant has been kind of quiet lately. It’s just my theory anyway!