NorthJersey.com
A North Jersey animal shelter is set to receive $25,000 from the Petco Foundation after a Ringwood couple’s adoption story finished second in the public vote for a national holiday campaign.
Ian Azeredo said he is thankful that his story of adopting his dog, Otter, from St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center after a near-fatal skydiving accident in July 2019 earned a top prize. Azeredo and his wife, Linda Farkas, who chronicled the tale, chose the Madison shelter in spring 2020 after Azeredo’s release from nearby Morristown Medical Center.
Azeredo said the Petco Foundation sent the couple a book with every finalist’s story. All of them in their own way tugged at the heartstrings, he said.
NorthJersey.com
RINGWOOD A borough couple and their new best friend, Otter, are sharing their story of resurgence following a near-fatal skydiving accident to help a North Jersey animal shelter potentially win $25,000 from the Petco Foundation.
Ian Azeredo, 34, and his wife, Linda Farkas, 30, adopted Otter, a young Labrador retriever and hound mix, from St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison this spring. While there are plenty of shelters closer to home, they chose St. Hubert’s for one key reason.
“He spent two months in the ICU in Morristown, Farkas said. And they wouldn t let you eat in the ICU. So I went one day to shovel lunch in my face real quick and saw this couple putting up therapy dog posters. They were local to Morristown, and they actually recommended St. Hubert s.