Brooke Shields Emcees Animal Rescue Fund Of The Hamptons’ Bow Wow Meow Ball

Brooke Shields negotiated the ARF Bow Wow Meow Ball with an injured foot. “I missed a step,” she told Hamptons.com. “But then, I’m always missing a step!” We doubt that. “No, I’m actually very clumsy,” she laughed. Brooke brought that self effacing humor to the task of emceeing the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF) gala, when she described her own rescue dog’s tale, and how it all tied into her injured player status.

The family was vacationing in the Bahamas, she told the room. “My kids came up to me with this little puppy and held it in a ‘Lion King’ kinda way, which was really cute. The next day, they found him and brought him back, again. He was living under a bush and I thought, ‘You know what? Fine! I’m going to take this dog home.'”

“So, I smuggled him on the plane, illegally into the country. Don’t tell Donald Trump,” joked Shields. “I literally stuffed him in a duffle bag and said, ‘Shut up if you know what’s good for you!'” The rescue effort was going well until the Bahamas bred pup experienced his first East Coast winter. “He was quiet and seemingly very happy, until we got him to New York in January and it was 20 degrees. I take him outside to, you know… and he said, ‘Are you kidding me? I was in the Bahamas, eating jerk chicken and drinking beer. Now I’m freezing and you’re picking up my poop in a bag. I hate you!'” But in the end, the dog adjusted to his new home. “He’s doing well,” shared Shields. “But, he got back at me. I was running to get him a treat and I slipped on the steps and had 10 stitches on my foot!”

The Shelter never misses a step in their service to the four legged souls they save and the community they serve. “We’re currently running a 13 percent increase in adoptions over last year,” ARF Board President Lisa McCarthy told us, “which puts us on par to hit 1,500 adoptions this year.” Turning to Michele Forrester, Senior Director of Operations and Partnerships Programs, and husband, Jamie Forrester, Lisa said, “These guys are the heart and soul of making that happen.”

Peter Marino with Equis. (Photo: Owen Hoffmann/PatrickMcMullan.com)

There’s no denying the cuteness factor at ARF. “We have the best dogs on the Island,” said Michele, “and a mix of everything. We try to pull in the animals that our community is looking for. We have Squeaky, our pit bull ambassador, but we also have a lot of younger, smaller dogs and beautiful house cats. From mid-September to February, we’ll be inundated with small dogs, once our Dallas transport starts up again.”

David Monn Decor and Decorations and Alex Papachristidis Interiors donated their services to create a stunning black, white and silver tented ballroom in ARF’s Wainscott parking lot. Kathy and Bill Rayner presented the Champion of Animals Award to Peter Marino. Benjamin Doller served as auctioneer. Henry Schein produced and donated the evening’s film presentation. Peter Duchin and his Orchestra entertained.

For more information visit, www.arfhamptons.org.