A Dog's Life

Sparkplug is a gentle Dalmatian who is secretly dropped at The North Shore Animal League at the crack of dawn. But Sparkplug’s fate – to live or die – is undetermined. Many stray dogs abandoned on the League’s doorstep must be transferred to the local town pound where they are often killed. The staff at the League tries to find a way to get Sparkplug back to their shelter, where her life would be saved.

Debbie, recently evicted from her apartment, hopes The North Shore Animal League will help her beloved pet Shorty find a new home. And Bailey has a serious case of pneumonia. While her owner waits and worries at home, Bailey sits in one of the League’s oxygen tents, fighting for every breath.

The North Shore Animal League’s Director of Operations, Paul Greene and dog trainer Mike Malloy head south to Florida, where they get ready to save adoptable dogs left homeless after hurricanes. And Sparkplug must be admitted to the medical unit to treat pneumonia. Plans for her adoption must be postponed again, possibly for months.

Three-legged dog Trevor, left homeless after Florida’s latest fierce hurricane, is prepped by the League’s devoted staff for an upcoming adoption event, while the Chief of Public Relations at The North Shore Animal League aims to raise record-breaking funds for the League’s upcoming 60th anniversary celebration.

Charley, crippled by Parvo, may never walk again. Charley’s nurse uses everything she can to get him back to his family, including play therapy, exercise, and a souped-up walker. And Aubrey and Kim have to decide if Nyssa, whose owner has had to choose between giving up Nyssa and her older dog, is well behaved enough for a temporary home at the League.

The North Shore Animal League must tame and groom Shooter, a wild dog discovered in a junkyard in the Bronx, so that he may graduate from junkyard dog to family pet. And across the city in Queen’s senior citizen Joan, mourning the loss of her beloved poodle, adopts Dudley through the North Shore Animal League’s matchmaking program for senior citizens and senior dogs.