Back in 1944, a few animal lovers in Port Washington, New York got together and formed the North Shore Animal League. Their work was a modest effort at first, with the shelter being simply a garage. A few fenced outdoor runs were built. A bit of money trickled in to feed and care for the stray animals.

The League grew slowly; they cared for the animals as well as possible, never destroying any, not even the older or ailing ones. North Shore Animal League was a little shelter that had fallen upon hard times; but the no-kill rule was a bedrock policy and it was this difference that began to attract important local attention.

In 1969, one animal lover who heard about the League was Elisabeth Lewyt. She couldn't believe this unusual shelter never destroyed animals, so she attended their next meeting with her husband, Alexander M. Lewyt. He was known nationally as a retired inventor (the Lewyt Vacuum cleaner was one of his ideas) and he sat quietly through the entire meeting until the treasurer's report was read. As usual, the treasurer reported, there wasn't much money and there weren't very many members. There were lots of dogs and cats that needed care and feeding. Costs were going up and the future looked bleak for this tiny shelter- nevertheless, the group stood by the no-kill cause.
With that, Alex could contain himself no longer. He'd had a lot of experience as an inventor getting his ideas across to people, and he was convinced that if others heard about the shelter, they would support it.

Mr. Lewyt's first suggestion was to start a membership drive. This closely-knit group of animal lovers saw the spark of enthusiasm in Mr. Lewyt's eyes and naturally gave the job to him. He immediately came out of retirement. Then, he got together a list of dog owners and asked his friend and neighbor, Perry Como, a dog lover himself, to serve as chairman of the drive. Away they went, and once the smoke cleared, the League had several thousand new members and enough money to pay the bills.

As more pets were adopted, more rescues were set-up. In stepped Elisabeth Lewyt, who was known to all as Babette. Our rescue program here at North Shore Animal League America began with one woman's desire to save innocent animals. While visiting a local pound, she saw all the puppies, kittens, dogs and cats about to be destroyed that day. Those companion animals had no idea how quickly their luck was about to change. Babette paid all the pound fees and put all the pets in her station wagon every last one of them! In a matter of minutes, these doomed creatures were given a second chance at life. The ride back to North Shore Animal League America was an exciting one, with all those orphans barking and meowing as if they understood that they had just been saved from certain destruction. In the words of Mrs. Lewyt, "These are not strays, there's no such thing as a stray. All these animals had homes at one time or another some were good, some were bad. But they all deserve another chance."

Thanks to Alex & Babette Lewyt's spirit and dedication, North Shore Animal League America has grown to become the largest pet adoption agency in the world. Animal orphans are rescued not only from shelters close-by, but also from animal organizations in near and distant states.

Mr. & Mrs. Lewyt surrounded themselves with animal lovers such as themselves, and their combined efforts paid off. We here at the League are proud to uphold the mission this remarkable couple began so many years ago-- to help save every homeless orphaned pet and to find each one a loving guardian and a safe place to call home.