Aperol Spritzes, French Toast with Sour Cherry Compote and playing with an adorable dog named Zeuss—sounds like the perfect combination for the the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation’s First Annual Barkin’ and Meowin’ Brunch held last week at Calissa.

Throughout the afternoon, guests played with adorable adoptable cats and dogs.  A litter of new kittens, a senior Jack Russell called Fred, a Golden Retriever puppy named Zeus, a red nose Pitbull named Sister Girl and a mix breed puppy named Macy were among those looking for their forever families and received a lot of attention from guests both young and old.

Jerry Rosenthal, Executive Director, made a short toast to the shelter citing their achievements in the past year that include an incredible adoption rate and high rate of reunification of pets and owners. He then spoke about how “it was an honor to have rescued Mason, who is now the first shelter dog in New York to be accepted to K9s for Warriors and is now a service dog for one of our country’s veteran.” He then encouraged all attendees to purchase tickets for their upcoming gala to support their community shelter.

Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation is unique on the East End, as it takes in animals from all seven villages and 16 hamlets in the Township and with its open admissions policy, it accepts all animals. The funds raised at this brunch helped support the shelters many services including low-cost, mobile veterinary services throughout the region. The Southampton Animal Shelter is a true community shelter.

The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation will host their Ninth Annual Unconditional Love Gala on Saturday, July 21^st with cocktails at 6:30pm and dinner at7:30pm. Guests of the Gala will experience an exciting evening at a beautiful waterfront estate in Southampton. The Chris Norton Band will provide music for the night with dinner catered by Robbins Wolf Eventeurs. A live auction will feature fabulous items that include packages for five-star European hotels, group golf outings at the East Ends most prestigious golf courses, and more. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.southamptonanimalshelter.com

— by Amanda Summers