A Voice for the Voiceless – Four Legs Good Celebrates 1 Year

On September 22nd, 2023, Four Legs Good began their contract with Rockland Green Center for Animal Rescue and Educational Services, or RG CARES, and assumed control of one the largest animal care facilities in Rockland. After a year of new management, the shelter has undergone a dramatic operational overhaul to better serve the homeless animal population in the county. 

Dawn Bernstein, the Executive Director of Four Legs Good, comes from a business background. With a masters in Industrial and Labor Relations, Bernstein shares that her work has been “…primarily focused on human resources, risk management and compliance…everything to make sure that the human asset part of the organization is in place”. 

Part of Bernstein’s involvement in the makeover of the shelter has included parsing through all of the organization’s protocols and revamping them to better serve the animals and the staff. 

So far, this has meant implementing and enforcing new cleaning standards, ensuring play and socialization times are a priority, and rebuilding relationships with other local shelters and veterinarians. Bernstein does not come from a shelter background, but her love for the animals is evident. 

Four Legs Good, or 4LG, has also taken the last year to focus on increasing their community involvement and education. Every person who is interested in adopting goes through both a paper application and an in person interview. This interview allows 4LG to assist potential adoptive “paw-rents” in finding a pet that fits their lifestyle. Bernstein states that “…our goal [is] to set them up for success…so [the animals] can be at that forever home”. Bernstein also speaks at local schools, educating children on topics such as how to be a good pet owner and what to do if they see an animal outside or in crisis. 4LG continues its community involvement by working with programs like Jawanio and the Boards of Cooperative Education Services, or BOCES. These programs help people, some who have developmental disabilities, enter the workforce confidently. 

Much of the progress and renewed enthusiasm that 4 Legs Good has experienced in the last year can be credited to Michael Sanducci, who seems to be somewhat of a celebrity around the shelter. The shelter manager has been working with animals for sixteen years and approaches his work with an openheartedness that is infectious. 

One of Sanducci’s biggest overhauls  has been the shelters new approach to addressing an old and prevalent issue: the large number of  feral cats in Rockland.

 Sanducci felt that the old ways of trapping and then euthanizing feral cats was inhumane. He worked with rescue groups in Rockland County to go out and Trap-Neuter-Release, or TNR, feral cats. Being able to neuter the animal helps to target the issue at the source. Sanducci soon devoted all his time to working with Four Legs Good and TNR-ing. At the start, they were doing 50-80 cats a year. Sanducci states that by the time 4LG began contracting with Rockland County Green, they were averaging 500 to 600 cats a year around Rockland. That number included TNR-ing feral adult cats, but also rescuing kittens. According to the shelter manager, this was done through volunteer work. Rockland County Green then reached out to 4LG and asked what they need to TNR even more cats. Sanducci said that what they really needed was “more space to hold the animals and funding”. RG CARES has listened and is building a facility due to open December 2025.

The amount of animals that come through 4LG is staggering. Sanducci stated that the previous contractor High Tor averaged 1,000 animals a year. As of August, 4LG was already at 1,200 through the shelter and 800 through the TNR program with no signs of slowing down. 

While walking through the shelter, one can see the strong volunteer force in full effect. Volunteers take dogs for walks, smiling and waving as they pass by. Others work together to scrub a line of crates, and they are a crew that seems to care for each other as much as they care for the animals. 

Christina McGregor, a volunteer at the shelter for 20 years, has seen the shelter go through several changes. She shares that “all of the changes that have happened have been for the greater good of the animals and the volunteers and the staff…everything is organized and clean. It’s just a really, really nice place to come and spend my time”. McGregor also encourages curious community members, stating that “If anyone has any questions about what the organization is like, what the conditions are like, what the animals are like – come here. Just come and see for yourself that everything and everyone [is] so welcoming, so friendly”. 

Four Legs Good seems to be on the up and up thanks to the individuals working around the clock for the welfare of the voiceless. “It’s a different day in Rockland County for animal shelters, animal management and animal welfare in general”, said Sanducci. 

For anyone who wants to help 4LG but may not be able to physically volunteer, Sanducci says that what they need the most of is kitten food (wet and dry), cat litter and cleaning supplies such as paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent, dish soap, sponges and garbage bags. The shelter also has an Amazon wish list of items on their website at fourlegsgoodnynj.org.