Dozens attend 'Fur-rari' Rally

Ferrari-Maserati of Long Island is in the business of selling cars with winning records. But on Saturday, the Plainview dealership was all about the “underdog.”

“It’s usually all about cars here, so we wanted to mix it up a little bit and help out the little guy,” said Laura Lee Fisher, Events and Client Relations coordinator for .

The upscale car dealership held its first annual Fur-rari Rally to the Beach Saturday morning at its Plainview location on the South Service Road. The dealership co-sponsored the event with the Little Shelter of Huntington, Suffolk County’s first no-kill animal shelter, established in 1927. They were voted the Best Animal Shelter on Long Island in 2011.

 “I’m so excited. I hope we can make this into an annual event,” Fisher said.  “We received a lot of amazing stuff for the dogs to help out the shelter.”

Around 60 Ferrari clients, along with their four-legged friends, gathered for a continental breakfast to raise awareness for the need for animal adoptions on Long Island. Donations included blankets, food, doggie dishes, leashes and other supplies to aid in the shelter’s efforts to house needy dogs and cats found in the area.

The event also featured various raffles of wine gift baskets, t-shirts and hats, which raised about $1,000 in cash, organizers said. 

David Ceely, executive director for Little Shelter, was thrilled by the turnout for the event and said he is optimistic to get some of additional exposure for the animals.

“I was so glad that (Ferrari of Long Island) came to us,” Ceely said. “This event is one of the easiest and best ways to get the animals seen and into a lot of good homes.”  Ceely brought three dogs with him to the event to represent the 50 or 60 animals at the shelter in need of adoption.

Guest had the option of looking through a binder of dogs and cats currently at the shelter. Each animal is listed with a picture and biography along with adoption information.

Ceely was especially pleased that Buddy Madison, a 6-year old lab mix, may have found a home. “We had Buddy at the shelter for two years,” Ceely said. “And this is the most hits he’s had in two years.”

Ceely said there are three families interested in adopting Buddy, including Ferrari-Maserati owner, Gregg Hayim. “He’s thinking about adopting (Buddy),” Fisher said. “But he’s probably not going to make his decision until Monday.”

Whichever family decides to adopt Buddy, Ceely appreciates the opportunity to be involved in such an event and the efforts of Ferrari of Long Island to include his shelter in such a worthy cause.

“It would be really awesome to have us back every year.”

Ferrari and Maserati are Italian sports cars with their origins in European racing circuit. New vehicles cost well upwards of $200,000, and can go much higher depending on make and model.