The Bideawee Ball: Red Carpet Meets Rescues, Where Education is the Key

Bideawee means “stay a while” in Scottish and the 360° pet care they offer, unusual for a not-for-profit animal rescue organization, makes you want to do just that. I covered their big annual fundraiser last night – the Bideawee Ball – capturing some glitz, some glam dahlink!, and some angels for animals.

Bideawee President, Nancy Taylor, on the carpet

Bideawee is one of the nation’s oldest animal welfare and pet adoption organizations, clocking in at an impressive 111 years old. It was founded in 1903 by Mrs. Flora D’Auby Jenkins Kibbe. While on a trip abroad, she was touched by the, at that time, unique work of the Barrone d’Herpents Dog Refuge in Paris. This organization would send an ambulance all over the city to pick up stray and unwanted animals. Instead of being destroyed, this dog refuge would care for them until they could find them loving homes. Upon returning to her home in New York City, she promptly decided to set up her own animal refuge organization, calling it the Bide-A-Wee Home Association. In 1906, Bideawee was incorporated as a (501(c)3). Since the beginning, it has been Bideawee’s policy never to euthanize an animal unless it is incurably ill or suffering. Today, Bideawee has facilities in New York City, and two on Long Island, in Wantagh and in Westhampton, and has more than 700 employees and 96 employees. And, it still remains true to Flora Kibbe’s vision as a safe haven for animals.

I arrived at the Ball, which had a masquerade theme, at the perfect time. Bideawee President, Nancy Taylor, was on the carpet. I wanted to talk with her about a new program they recently launched, called Loving Legacy. I was especially interested in this because my husband and I struggle to decide who to name as Sophie’s caregiver, in the event that something happens to us. My daughter works long hours and has her own big dog, Mackey. My husband’s children both live overseas and have very busy lives. What Loving Legacy does for people like me and maybe like you, is takes the fear and worry out of making sure your pets are properly cared and provided for in that circumstance.

“We know it’s becoming standard for people to do advanced planning for themselves, but many people who have pets, who may or may not have children or extended family, worry what will become of their pet if they become incapacitated and no longer take care for them,” Taylor explained. “So, we created this program which we hope will give people peace of mind. If you can no longer care for their pet, Bideawee will step in, take on all the arrangements, retain legal ownership of the pet throughout the pet’s entire life and pre-select a home for that pet to live, where we can be assured it will gets lots of love, lots of socialization. We’ll provide medical care throughout its life, check on them periodically and, at the end of its life, we’ll memorialize the pet as the owner would have hoped we would do.” Bideawee has the owner fill out a very extensive questionnaire, so they know everything about your pet, including what they like to eat. It’s also updated annually. I think this program is amazing and, because it’s expensive to care for a pet throughout its life, as we know, Bideawee

London Jeweler’s President and Rescue Paws Founder, Candy Udell, with The Hope Collar

appreciates donations. You can donate to Bideawee here.

Being honored this year were London Jewelers’ and Rescue Paw Foundation founder, Candy Udell, and Royal Pet Club and Animal AID USA founder, Prince Lorenzo Borghese, whose amazing work I’ve covered before on Bark and Swagger. You can read more about what Lorenzo and his partner, Karen Talbot do for animals here. The evening was emceed by the very cool Cat Greenleaf, host of NBC’s three time Emmy Award-winning series, “Talk Stoop,” which she does with her co-host, the very adorable Gracie the Bulldog.

Candy Udell is a very warm lady doing wonderful things for animals. And, as the President of the prestigious London Jewelers, her Long Island-based, family run business, she’s been able to create some wonderful pieces to raise much-needed funds for both her rescue organization and others. For the Bideawee Ball’s auction, she donated a seriously stunning diamond-encrusted dog collar called The Hope Collar, which took 130 hours to make by hand, features 205 diamonds equaling 15.20cts, and would retail for $55,000! The center is removable, becoming a brooch for humans. The bidding began last night at $30,000. Who knows what this incredible, one-of-a-kind piece will fetch.

One of Rescue Paw’s  newest initiatives, in conjunction with HEART, an organization focused on humane education,  is a program for children that is becoming part of their school curriculum. Beginning with grades 4-6, the program will focus on shelters, spay/neuter programs, animal fighting, kindness, compassion, care and safety. It was launched this year in Lawrence County, Alabama. Alabama doesn’t have spay and neuter laws, and is a high at risk area for animal abuse and abandonment. So far, it’s off to a great start, so much so, that the program will be launched this month in schools in Nassau County, New York. I asked Udell about it. “I’ve been rescuing animals in Lawrence County for five years, and I’ve seen the effects of neglect, of not having spay and neuter programs,” she emphasized. “We’ve been working with the poorest county in Alabama. I believe you have to get to the root of the

Royal Pet Club founder and Animal AID USA co-founder, Prince Lorenzo Borghese & Georgina Bloomberg, board member and animal activist

problem, and that is education in the importance of spaying and neutering, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. We’ve been through hurricanes, floods, you name it. And, we’re able to get dogs out to safety, transport them and find homes for them. But, my goal now is not only to save their lives, but to teach people, as well, about the importance of humanity. What better way to do that then through our children.” Candy, via London Jewelers, has created beautiful paw and dog tag jewelry specifically for the purpose of raising money. “Every piece sold saves a life. And, because Rescue Paws is my organization, I know where every penny is going.”  I asked Candy if she’s ever designed matching dog and human jewelry. “I’ll do anything anyone asks me to do,” she said. “We designed tonight’s Hope Collar, we’ve done two Victoria Secret Fantasy Bras. After you’ve done that, you can do anything,”  she responds, with a smile. ‘Nuff said!

Prince Lorenzo Borghese, founder of the Royal Pet Club brand, which makes gorgeous shampoos and conditioners under the Royal Treatment name, is a committed animal activist, educator and co-founder, with Karen Talbot, of Animal AID USA. Animal AID rescues about 200 dogs from kill shelters in Georgia every month, transports them north, makes sure they have the proper medical care and finds them homes. Borghese, like Candy Udell, believes that educating people, especially children, is paramount to slowly ridding the planet of animal abandonment and abuse. In a partnership with the American Humane Association, Animal AID provides a curriculum for school children to teach them about compassion for animals and about the importance of adopting. I asked him about how the program, called Animal AID Club, was going. “It’s going great!,”  he enthused.  “If you just think about how children are the next generation of leaders,  and how they are more passionate than adults, you can see the power in getting both engaged to help animals. Animals as pets teach children how to care for and love something. We believe that if children want to find a home for a dog, it will happen. If you have 20 children going home with a picture of a dog up for adoption and it becomes a project, the chances are increased even more. And, the parents will want to become involved. Our program does just that – it teaches the children responsibility and gets parents involved, too.

“We also have a play one of our board members wrote called Animal AID, which encourages people to choose adoption. The children portray dogs in the play.  There’s a Bully breed,  and the Pitbull can’t find any love. Then, all the other dogs end up loving him, so it teaches that not all Pitbulls are bad; not all Bully breeds are bad.” Two schools currently have the pilot program, prior to a national roll out, but already the results are impressive. Both schools have a 100%  adoption rate for the dogs.

Karen Biehl, fiance Joseph Lento & Eli the Celebrity Chihuahua

A great evening and cause and I’m so happy Bark and Swagger could be there to share it with you!

Do you have a favorite animal charity or cause? Tell me about it in the Comments below.

Stacy McCosky & Sadie in an Anthony Rubio creation