A Ribbon for a Good Paws

With the ribbon becoming the societal symbol of awareness for many a good cause, it was only a matter of time before a ribbon was cut to support animals at risk.

At this past Sunday’s Puttin’-On-The-Dog fundraiser, one tent sported the bright Orange Ribbon, a trademark of Rational Animal (RA).

RA is an NYC based non-profit that works through a variety of projects, each designed to aid animals and keep them from harm. One of their projects is Mother’s Comfort.

Liz Peterson and Lynn Rucker work the Mother’s Comfort tent at Sunday’s Adopt-A-Dog event. Credit: Rose Zivic

With a twist on the classic Aesop’s Fable, The City Mouse and The Country Mouse, Mother’s Comfort came up to Greenwich to sell their wares to their country cousins in support of those in the city. “We provide our mats to fund our project. The city shelters love them because they are so easy to store,” says Liz Peterson, Mother’s Helper volunteer.

The Mother’s Comfort tent was chock-full of colorful, homemade crate mats, catnip toys and of course the Orange Ribbon. All their mats are stitched by hand from volunteers whose mission is to make sure NYC shelter animals have cozy pillows to snuggle up with. The catnip toys are placed inside the cages “to bring pats of hope to weary souls”.

Handmade crate mats like these are for sale to support NYC shelter animals. Credit: Rose Zivic

The truth is NYC shelters and animal control organizations are very harsh places. They are noisy and over-crowded. The cages are at times too small for the animals that are put into them. Due to the lack of space, many abandoned animals in NYC shelters face euthanasia.

Fannie Shapiro was the inspiration for Mother’s Comfort. Credit: Rose Zivic

The Mother’s Comfort Project was created in honor of the late Fannie Shapiro, an animal lover and grandmother of RA founder Susan Brandt.

If you’ve got room on your lapel for the bright Orange Ribbon, you can purchase one or two at www.orangeribbonforanimals.org. You can also shop the website for a variety of hand-sewn crate mats or catnip toys.