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Folks concerned about border security can put their minds at ease: Rolo, Banjo, and Brodie are in the trenches to keep us safe. The three detector beagles, trained members of the Department of Homeland Security’s Beagle Brigade, are tasked with sniffing luggage at airports, thereby protecting our nation from the unauthorized import of potentially hazardous agricultural products. The canine U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were granted a furlough from airport duty at JFK to attend the Animal Medical Center’s Top Dog gala at The Rainbow Room. All other guests walked upright and were endowed with opposable thumbs.
This year’s fundraiser honored Elaine and Kenneth Langone for their commitment to the Animal Medical Center and for bankrolling the expansion of the Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Unit of New York’s premier non-profit veterinary hospital, which serves more than 50,000 furry, feathered, shelled, or slithering patients annually. In her speech, Elaine Langone paid tribute to animal lover, racehorse breeder, and event co-chair Cynthia Phipps, who had tragically perished less than a month earlier in a Manhattan fire. Donna Acquavella, Barbara Liberman, Elizabeth Monaco McCarthy, and Annette de la Renta formed the remaining cadre of co-chairs.
Eliza and Alexander Bolen hosted the candlelight dinner, which featured a special demonstration by beagle agent Brodie of how to execute an effective luggage inspection using the nose in lieu of fancy radiological gadgetry. The simple isn’t always the best, but the best is always simple.
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