Bernie was a “problem child.” The black Labrador retriever mix was brought to the animal shelter because he bit people. What’s a shelter to do with a dog like that? It would be risky to allow him to be adopted into a new home.

Some shelters quickly euthanize dogs with a bite history. At Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, Bernie instead went home with CEO Dan Rossi, who often took work home with him, including newborn motherless kittens who needed to be bottle-fed every two hours.

“Bernie never bit me, but he did bite three of my friends,” Rossi said with a chuckle. Bernie learned to stop biting and be a good boy, “and he was my heart dog.”

That’s a term animal lovers use to describe a once-in-a-lifetime dog with whom they share a special bond. Three other dogs and a cat who also had special needs and challenges now share an O’Hara home with Rossi and his husband, Edward Garofolo. 

On Jan. 21, Rossi will leave his hometown and HARP to work as executive director of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter In California.

Many animals are surrendered to shelters by owners who say, “we’re moving and we can’t take them with us.” That, of course will not be the case here.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Rossi said.

The only pet who won’t be moving across the country is Bernie. He died earlier this year at age 13.

Rossi  has worked 12 years at heading shelters that find new homes for dogs, cats, rabbits and the occasional pig, bird, guinea pig, snake and lizard along with several alligators. 

Rossi was CEO of Animal Rescue League in East Liberty when the nonprofit shelter merged in 2016 with Western Pennsylvania Humane Society on the North Side. He became CEO of HARP.

A native of Pittsburgh, he earned an undergraduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Robert Morris University.

His graduate work included courses on raising money for nonprofits, which came in handy at HARP when Rossi headed up a $15 million capital campaign to replace the aging shelter in East Liberty with a new state-of-the-art shelter several blocks away in Homewood. The facility includes an expensive state-of-the art ventilation system with frequent air exchanges that prevent the spread of canine and feline respiratory diseases — and now COVID-19.

The Palm Springs facility is new, so Rossi won’t need to raise millions of dollars. He and the new board are interested in starting a low-cost veterinary clinic like the one at HARP.

“I’ll be bi-coastal for a while,” he said.

His husband is a medical doctor who is staying in Pittsburgh to finish up his work here while seeking certification and credentials to practice medicine in California. Dr. Garofolo will be taking care of the dogs and cats, including Callie, 12. The curly-haired dog has kidney disease, and the doctor administers subcutaneous intravenous fluids twice a day.

The other pets include Oreo, 8, a Chihuahua/papillon mix “who is completely un-housebroken,” Rossi said. “You take him outside and he pees, then he comes inside and pees again.”

Oreo wears a “belly band,” which is a kind of canine diaper for male dogs.

The cat, Frickles, “was biting and attacking people on the adoption floor,” Rossi said, so he brought him home. In his forever home, Frickles is a good boy except that he clearly dislikes women who visit. He also has a thyroid issue, which is handled with medication.

Petey, 7, is a Chihuahua/terrier mix “who is the most normal pet we have,” Rossi said.

Rather than fly the pets in the cargo hold of an airplane, the couple will a cross-country drive at a later date.

“I’ve been looking ahead and thinking about retirement,” said Rossi, 60. “We’ve been talking about where we would like to retire, and Palm Springs was one of the cities we like. I’m a warm-water, warm-temperature kind of person though I’ve lived most of my life in Pittsburgh.”

Longtime HARP board member Gerry Delon will serve a interim executive director. He’s worked with Rossi for more than a decade.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or at PG Pets on Facebook.

as well as the occasional alligator

First Published: January 14, 2022, 5:28 p.m.