Sunday marked National Dog Day, and some Long Islanders marked the occasion by bringing furry friends to their forever homes.
The Suffolk County SPCA held an Adopt a Pet event at the Atlantic Automall in West Islip. There were dogs, kittens and rescue groups like Paws of War, whose mission is to match dogs with veterans who have conditions such as PTSD.
"Shelters are overrun with animals that people turned in, and a lot of these shelters have to put these animals down," says Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross. "There are so many good ones in there."
The SPCA also paired up with Long Island Cares for the event to provide pet food for families in need.
"It's part of our way of helping families that are struggling stay together and avoid placing your pet in an animal shelter because you can't afford to feed them," says Paul Pachter, of Long Island Cares.
Atlantic Automall presented the Suffolk SPCA with a check to help the group protect local animals.