Nothing tugs at the heartstrings like a four-legged fur ball that needs a home. Park Sloper LAURIE BLEIER works around the clock to ensure that as many as possible abandoned, abused or unwanted companion animals in Brooklyn find safe and loving foster families. As founder of the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network (BAFN), she and other dedicated volunteers have placed over 750 pets since the group opened shop in October of 2005.
“People looking for a pet have really good hearts but most don’t have the stomach to go to a kill shelter,” said Bleier. By working very closely with Animal Care and Control, BAFN makes the effort to bring animals out of the shelters and into neighborhoods like Park Slope and Cobble Hill.
How did Bleier become a professional pet advocate? “I’ve always been an individual rescuer,” she told the Eagle. “But there was a limit to how much I could do.” She puts her own personal foster abilities to no more than four dogs at once. “Any more than that,” she said, “and it spirals out of control.” You can catch BAFN most Saturdays in Park Slope at 7th Avenue and 4th Street. Or consider taking part in their benefit cruise, which will set sail around Brooklyn and Manhattan aboard a 450-foot yacht on Sunday, Oct. 8. At only $25 a person, you could take in some spectacular views and maybe even make some new furry friends.
