NWR: So sad.
Animal activist mourns loss of pets in Stony Brook fire
BY JESSE COZZETTI |
7:20 PM EDT, August 6, 2008
Amid the ruins of what had been her home, Dori Scofield tearfully walked around her property after Wednesday morning's rain and realized how much she had lost.
'If I had my dogs and my cats, I wouldn't care. Things can be replaced,' said Scofield, founder of the Port Jefferson Station-based animal rescue group Save-A-Pet.
Seven dogs, three cats and three kittens -- all of them rescued animals -- were killed in the fire that destroyed Scofield's Stony Brook home Tuesday night.
Scofield said she and her husband, Gary, left the house for dinner at 7:30 p.m. and a neighbor called 45 minutes reporting the house was on fire. By 8:30 p.m., she said, it was destroyed. The family's four children -- teenagers and young adults -- were not home at the time.
Stony Brook Fire Chief Michael Ebbecke said the blaze was traced to an electrical fire in the rear of the house. Ebbecke said when he reached the house, he called the water authority and asked for a boost in water pressure. 'The fire spread rapidly,' he said.
Firefighters rescued four miniature horses and two cats from the property.
'These pets were my babies,' she said of the animals lost in the blaze. One was a dog, Gianni, a cane corso she rescued last year before it was to be euthanized.
The director of Save-A-Pet, Lynne Schoepfer, of Stony Brook, surveyed Scofield's property yesterday. 'I'm devastated,' she said. 'It's a loss beyond words.'
Scofield said Save-A-Pet, a not-for-profit rescue group she started in 1994, has helped more than 3,000 animals.
'I always try to help people in these situations,' she said. 'I never thought I'd find myself in it.'
This is so sad. I used to volunteer for Save-A-Pet and Dori is just a sweet amazing person. I cant believe this happened to her. Its just so awful. I dont know why bad things have to happen to good people. Its really unfair.
BY JESSE COZZETTI |
7:20 PM EDT, August 6, 2008
Amid the ruins of what had been her home, Dori Scofield tearfully walked around her property after Wednesday morning's rain and realized how much she had lost.
'If I had my dogs and my cats, I wouldn't care. Things can be replaced,' said Scofield, founder of the Port Jefferson Station-based animal rescue group Save-A-Pet.
Seven dogs, three cats and three kittens -- all of them rescued animals -- were killed in the fire that destroyed Scofield's Stony Brook home Tuesday night.
Scofield said she and her husband, Gary, left the house for dinner at 7:30 p.m. and a neighbor called 45 minutes reporting the house was on fire. By 8:30 p.m., she said, it was destroyed. The family's four children -- teenagers and young adults -- were not home at the time.
Stony Brook Fire Chief Michael Ebbecke said the blaze was traced to an electrical fire in the rear of the house. Ebbecke said when he reached the house, he called the water authority and asked for a boost in water pressure. 'The fire spread rapidly,' he said.
Firefighters rescued four miniature horses and two cats from the property.
'These pets were my babies,' she said of the animals lost in the blaze. One was a dog, Gianni, a cane corso she rescued last year before it was to be euthanized.
The director of Save-A-Pet, Lynne Schoepfer, of Stony Brook, surveyed Scofield's property yesterday. 'I'm devastated,' she said. 'It's a loss beyond words.'
Scofield said Save-A-Pet, a not-for-profit rescue group she started in 1994, has helped more than 3,000 animals.
'I always try to help people in these situations,' she said. 'I never thought I'd find myself in it.'
This is so sad. I used to volunteer for Save-A-Pet and Dori is just a sweet amazing person. I cant believe this happened to her. Its just so awful. I dont know why bad things have to happen to good people. Its really unfair.
