The Rescue was founded in 2019 by Melissa Smith and her son, Jake Leo, after visiting Puerto Rico and seeing that the island was inundated with stray, neglected and abandoned animals. On the last day of their vacation, they met a woman who was feeding stray dogs. They immediately wanted to keep three of the dogs but had no idea how they were going to get them home. Eventually, they got back to New York with the dogs and Melissa Smith began devising a plan to save the strays of Puerto Rico with one of her coworkers, Kylie McCarron. Thus, Hope for Dogs and Cats PR was born.
With our NY Tri-State Area and Puerto Rico volunteer network* of:
we provide medical care, socialization, and temporary (foster) homes, until these dogs and cats are matched and placed into permanent homes. Then we offer ongoing consultation support to ensure continued success of our adoptions.
* Our organization has no paid employees. In support of our volunteer network and communities, we do sometimes accept local surrenders and over-flow dogs and cats from other shelters in the NY Tri-State area and Southern US.
Founder and Executive Director of “Hope For Dogs and Cats PR” has spent 29 years as a dedicated school counselor, guiding students with compassion and care. Her journey as an animal rescuer began when she rescued her first dog, Sara, in 8th grade. From that moment, helping animals became a lifelong calling. Today, Melissa lives on a small farm surrounded by her rescue family: a horse, a donkey, a mule, a steer, a host of beloved rescue dogs and cats. Her home reflects a deep devotion to giving animals in need a second chance. Passionate, empathetic, and deeply committed, Melissa embodies the heart of “Hope For Dogs and Cats PR”. A life-changing trip to Puerto Rico in 2019 with her son, Jake became the spark that ignited the Rescue. What started as getting lost on the island turned into fate – meeting Maria, a local woman on her feeding route, and rescuing three small dogs by secretly bringing them into their hotel, arranging veterinary care, and securing their flights to safety. From that moment, Melissa knew this was her life’s mission. Hope For Dogs and Cats PR was born out of her determination to rescue, educate, and advocate for animals – one life at a time.
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I first got involved with Hope For Dogs and Cats PR when I saw Melissa needed someone to pick up a few Satos at the airport. I figured I would help once… and here I am, happily doing transports and volunteering at adoption events. It’s hard not to fall in love with this work when you’re surrounded by puppies, kittens, and so much hope.
I’ve always been an animal person. I grew up in a house full of pets and raised my four sons the same way. After we lost our 20-year-old cat, Bella, my husband and I thought we would take a break so we could travel—and maybe finally have a house without pet dander. Then Henri showed up. I picked him up at the airport, thinking he’d be adopted immediately. Instead, after one event (where he refused to stay in the pen with the other pups), I brought him home for a temporary foster… However, overnight we knew he was ours. He blended right in, and now he’s part of the crew along with our six grand-dogs.
I’m a registered nurse at the local hospital and a proud “environmental nut,” always trying to cut down on waste and do my part to help heal the planet as well as people. When I’m not working, I love volunteering—it genuinely fills my heart. I also help out at Retake/Remake in Peekskill, an arts & crafts thrift store. At home, you’ll usually find me sewing, baking, crafting or spending time with my favorite people: my husband, our four sons and their partners, our granddaughter Penelope, friends and family and of course, the dogs
Karen got involved with Hope For Dogs and Cats PR when she was volunteering at an adoption event. While holding the rescue puppies all day, witnessing the joy of families falling in love with and adopting their dogs, and meeting Melissa Smith, Karen knew that she wanted to be more involved. Living in an apartment, Karen is unable to have a dog but in the meantime she cares for other friend’s adopted pets when needed and acts as a Volunteer Coordinator for the Rescue. For over 30 years, Karen has worked full time with New Day Films, a distributor of social issue documentaries. Karen also enjoys gardening, pickleball, the outdoors, and time spent with friends.
Melissa began her journey with the Rescue during an adoption event in Beacon, NY. She and her husband stopped by with no plans to adopt a dog, but that quickly changed when they fell in love with a puppy who became their beloved Willow. That same day, she met Melissa Smith, and immediately knew that she wanted to get involved. Melissa started volunteering at adoption events and over time, became one of the Rescue’s Volunteer Coordinators. Being part of the Rescue has brought Melissa more joy and fulfillment than she ever imagined. Outside of the Rescue, Melissa recruits nurses for hospitals across the country. In her free time, she loves hanging out with Willow, pickleball, live music, and spending time with her husband and friends.
Megan is a mother, wife, avid animal lover, and a special education teacher for over 27 years. She has volunteered and donated regularly to numerous animal rescues and ran a rescue for 10 years that found homes for about 1,200 dogs. She and her family have fostered over 400 dogs and cats and she has been a foster failure eight times. Megan has been a foster caregiver, volunteer, and board member for Hope For Dogs and Cats PR almost since its inception and she looks forward to many more years of helping animals in any way that she can.
Co-founder of the Rescue, Kylie has been an English teacher for more than 15 years. Her shared values and passion for helping animals brought her together with Melissa and Jake. On a trip with Melissa and Jake to Puerto Rico, Kylie and her oldest daughter, Soren, experienced the reality of animal suffering. Needless to say they returned home with four rescued lives saved from the streets. While deeply supportive of all animals, Kylie has a special heart for cats, who often suffer as much, or more, than dogs due to fewer resources. Outside of rescue work, Kylie loves reading, running, living a vegan lifestyle, and spending time with her daughters.
Co-founder of the Rescue, Jake is actively engaged in running the day-to-day operations of the Rescue. As a young man, Jake and his mother traveled to Puerto Rico, where he witnessed firsthand the suffering of the island’s dogs. Growing up on a farm surrounded by horses, donkeys, and even a rescued steer, Jake was no stranger to caring for animals. But it was at Los Machos Beach in Ceiba – where he connected with three small dogs – that the spark for the rescue was born. Now a 20-year-old college student studying real estate and business, Jake is compassionate, kind, and committed to inspiring other young people to join the fight for the animals of Puerto Rico. In his free time, he enjoys cheering for the Yankees and going to car shows.
