Bikers Against Animal Cruelty event rides into North Haven

NORTH HAVEN — The annual Bikers Against Animal Cruelty adoption event and motorcycle rally will be held this Saturday at the North Haven Fairgrounds.

Local residents will have the opportunity to enjoy and consider, food and drink, live music, raffles, and offerings from a series of vendors at the fundraiser, according to BAAC.

About 20 animal rescues will also be in attendance, some of which are set to bring potential pets, allowing attendees to look for a friend to share their lives, according to BAAC President Greg Belcher.

Belcher said Thursday the group has held this event every year since it was founded in 2007 to raise awareness about abused, neglected and ownerless animals.

“It’s just grown from something small to what we have today,” said Belcher.

The group was founded by V.J. and Cindy Peregolise, according to previous reports, after they adopted two pit bulls from an animal rescuer who told them how prevalent animal cruelty cases are.

Belcher said he came on board about four or five years ago.

He rescued two dogs about eight years ago, learning about the number of abused and neglected animals in the world, and was excited by the opportunity to bring together two things near-and-dear to his heart.

“The idea that I was able

to connect my love for animals and my love for motorcycles into one thing — I was just drawn to it,” said Belcher. “Ever since then, it’s been growing.”

Belcher said he hopes people are inspired to help the group, which aims to “advocate against animal cruelty and neglect, promote responsible pet ownership and help to defray costs of emergency veterinary care for the voiceless and owner less victims of animal cruelty and neglect,” according to its website, or take home a new pet.

“The biggest thing I hope they take away from the event is the love we have for the animals. And hopefully, somebody will learn from that and actually want to join us in our mission or actually find their next pet,” said Belcher. “And they can give them a loving home for the rest of their lives.”

“The more people we can get to come, the more animals we can help,” said Belcher.

Admission to the event is $20, including food and a drink, according to organizers. Children 6 and under are free.

According to the group, “the primary mission of our fundraising activities is to help defray the costs of veterinary care for the most severe cases of animal abuse and neglect of strays or surrendered pets on a case-by-case need.”