nonprofits

Upstate Pups focuses rescue efforts on NYC pets

Upstate Pups focuses rescue efforts on NYC pets

Milly is a Staffordshire bull terrier mix currently available for adoption from Upstate Pups, a Poughkeepsie-based dog rescue focused on rehoming pets in New York City shelters.

Photo provided

POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County’s newest dog rescue, Poughkeepsie-based Upstate Pups, sets itself apart from other rescues by exclusively rescuing dogs from New York City and Long Island animal care centers.

Ryan Judge, long-time animal lover, fosterer and co-founder of the nonprofit, said other rescues source their dogs from a variety of places and a majority of rescues come from out of state.

“New York City euthanizes about 50,000 animals every year,” Judge said. “That’s where the idea for Upstate Pups came from.”
The nonprofit officially formed in July and Upstate Pups got its first rescue from Town of Babylon shelter on Long Island; a dog named Fluffy.

Since then, the network has grown to include four foster homes, but Judge said finding more fosters has been their biggest hurdle. “We can only pull the amount of dogs from shelters that we have foster homes for,” Judge said. “We don’t have a physical location. We don’t have a shelter.”

Fostering is a hard job and it takes a very special person, Judge said, but it’s rewarding to help a dog heal and find its forever home. Judge explained Upstate Pups goes to great lengths to ensure the best outcomes for the rescue dogs, foster parents, and adopters.

New fosters begin the process with an application where they’re asked what kind of dog they’d be willing and able to care for. “Then we comb the available dogs in New York City to find ones that would fit that foster home,” Judge said.

“We don’t want anyone to have a bad experience and decide they never want to foster again,” he said.

Similarly, Judge said he goes to great lengths to vet adopters before releasing an animal. The safety and health of the animal is paramount to Judge, and comes before anything else.

Another thing which sets Upstate Pups apart from other agencies is Judge’s insistence on home visits prior to adoption. Sometimes, and too often in Judge’s opinion, adopted dogs are returned to rescue agencies for reasons which could have been anticipated if thorough vetting happened first.

Right now there are three dogs listed for adoption:

Max the 4 year old terrier mix is “20 pounds of pure joy and affection,” according to the website. He loves rides in the car and adventures.

Max the Terrier sitting on a wooden chair in his foster home.Photo provided

Baby is “well-socialized” boxer/bully mix that was raised in a “loving home with children and another dog,” according to the website.

Baby the boxer/bully mix enjoying views of the hudson river on a walk.Photo provided

Milly is a 3 year old Staffordshire bull terrier mix with a friendly, playful attitude. Upstate Pups' website says Milly has "some anxiety," but she knows basic commands well. Milly's also friendly with other dogs and cats.

Adoption fees, tips and information on fostering are available online at www.upstatepupsny.org.

nonprofits

Latest News

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

A speed enforcement camera in New York City.

Photo courtesy NYC DOT

Speed cameras remain a tough sell across northwest Connecticut — and are still absent from local roads in neighboring Dutchess County.

Town leaders across northwest Connecticut are moving cautiously on speed cameras, despite a state law passed in 2023 that allows municipalities to install them. In contrast, no towns or villages in Dutchess County currently operate local automated speed-camera programs, even as New York City has relied on the technology for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
law enforcement

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

There are artists who make objects, and then there are artists who alter the way we move through the world. Tim Prentice belonged to the latter. The kinetic sculptor, architect and longtime Cornwall resident died in November 2025 at age 95, leaving a legacy of what he called “toys for the wind,” work that did not simply occupy space but activated it, inviting viewers to slow down, look longer and feel more deeply the invisible forces that shape daily life.

Prentice received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1960, where he studied with German-born American artist and educator Josef Albers, taking his course once as an undergraduate and again in graduate school.In “The Air Made Visible,” a 2024 short film by the Vision & Art Project produced by the American Macular Degeneration Fund, a nonprofit organization that documents artists working with vision loss, Prentice spoke of his admiration for Albers’ discipline and his ability to strip away everything but color. He recalled thinking, “If I could do that same thing with motion, I’d have a chance of finding a new form.”

Keep ReadingShow less
people
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Hyalite Builders is leading the structural rehabilitation of The Stissing Center in Pine Plains.

Provided

For homeowners overwhelmed by juggling designers, architects and contractors, a new Salisbury-based collaboration is offering a one-team approach from concept to construction. Casa Marcelo Interior Design Studio, based in Salisbury, has joined forces with Charles Matz Architect, led by Charles Matz, AIA RIBA, and Hyalite Builders, led by Matt Soleau. The alliance introduces an integrated design-build model that aims to streamline the sometimes-fragmented process of home renovation and new construction.

“The whole thing is based on integrated services,” said Marcelo, founder of Casa Marcelo. “Normally when clients come to us, they are coming to us for design. But there’s also some architecture and construction that needs to happen eventually. So, I thought, why don’t we just partner with people that we know we can work well with together?”

Keep ReadingShow less
architecture

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

Autumn Knight will perform as part of PS21’s “The Dark.”

Provided

This February, PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, New York, will transform the depths of midwinter into a radiant week of cutting-edge art, music, dance, theater and performance with its inaugural winter festival, The Dark. Running Feb. 16–22, the ambitious festival features more than 60 international artists and over 80 performances, making it one of the most expansive cultural events in the region.

Curated to explore winter as a season of extremes — community and solitude, fire and ice, darkness and light — The Dark will take place not only at PS21’s sprawling campus in Chatham, but in theaters, restaurants, libraries, saunas and outdoor spaces across Columbia County. Attendees can warm up between performances with complimentary sauna sessions, glide across a seasonal ice-skating rink or gather around nightly bonfires, making the festival as much a social winter experience as an artistic one.

Keep ReadingShow less
performances

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Exterior of the Linde Center for Music and Learning.

Mike Meija, courtesy of the BSO

The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI), based at Tanglewood, the legendary summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating an expanded season of adventurous music and arts education programming, featuring star performers across genres, BSO musicians, and local collaborators.

Launched in the summer of 2019 in conjunction with the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on the Tanglewood campus, TLI now fulfills its founding mission to welcome audiences year-round. The season includes a new jazz series, solo and chamber recitals, a film series, family programs, open rehearsals and master classes led by world-renowned musicians.

Keep ReadingShow less
education
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.