JORDAN LIPPNER

Jordan Lippner is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. Jordan is a committed animal advocate who believes that animals enhance our lives and deserve to be treated with love and dignity. “This is Jordan’s take on the Shelter and what it means to him.”

The Southampton Animal Shelter is truly an amazing organization. Founded over 15 years ago when the Town of Southampton was on the verge of shuttering its town-run shelter, they are the leading no-kill open admission animal shelter on Long Island. Being open admission is essential to Southampton’s mission and one of the key elements that distinguishes the Southampton Animal Shelter from many of the other animal shelters out there. While many shelters will pick and choose which animals they rescue, they open their doors to the many cats, dogs, bunnies, birds, and assorted other animals that unfortunately get abandoned by their human families for various reasons, be it financial, time commitment, relocation or change of heart. While most shelters will turn away the pregnant dog with a broken leg, Southampton Animal Shelter will happily take her in, heal her and deliver her babies. This is in addition to taking in strays and rescuing animals from kill shelters around the state and elsewhere. But the organization does not simply take in these animals. They care for them, nourish them, provide any necessary training and medical care and ultimately place them in loving homes.

While the mission is locally focused in the Township of Southampton, they periodically reach beyond when the need arises and they have the space. For example, this past September, as hurricanes were about to ravage the Caribbean, the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation partnered with a pilot and shelters that were in the path of the storms to fly out and save numerous dogs from both Puerto Rico and St. Bart’s. This is in addition to the work they have done over the years pulling hundreds of dogs off of death row at various local kill shelters. All told, the Southampton Animal Shelter has saved, trained, healed and housed over a hundred thousand perfectly fun-loving animals from homelessness and death, and in turn placed with them in their forever homes. This vital work does not just benefit the animals, but as Jordan can personally attest to, people’s lives are immensely enriched and enhanced by adopting an animal. It is a beautifully symbiotic relationship. A story they like to tell (because it is true); Jordan was a 40-year old bachelor in the City until he rescued his first dog, Jack. The impact he had on Jordan was instantaneous. It is no coincidence that literally two weeks later he had the first date with the woman who would become the love of his life.

The Southampton Animal Shelter also invests in helping to educate the public about the benefits of rescuing an animal versus buying one at a pet store or from a breeder. They emphasize three key points in their outreach: First, mixed-breed dogs are typically far healthier than pure bred dogs. Pure bred dogs are the result of too much inbreeding and often have health complications and shorter lifespans. Second, you may find any breed you want at a shelter, be it at the Southampton Animal Shelter or elsewhere, including pure breeds. For example, Jordan and his wife have three rescues, two of which are pure bred Shih Tzus. Third, pet stores notoriously support puppy mills, which lock dogs in cages 24/7 with little to no medical care, force them to breed and then ship out their puppies for sale. When you buy at a pet store you are literally funding the torture and abuse of animals. So, in the end, if you are looking to enhance your world, visit the Southampton Animal Shelter, or stop by your local shelter and see the amazing animals who are looking for their forever homes. Jordan promises you won’t regret it!

Jordan is a lifelong New Yorker, having graduated the Rye Country Day School, Union College and Fordham Law School. His accomplished legal career has taken him from the AmLaw 15 law firm Hogan Lovells, to his years as Deputy General Counsel for News Corp to the head of employment and commercial litigation for The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, where he has been practicing since 2018. He happily left the city behind and now resides full time with his wife Dr. Jennifer Jablow in Water Mill, with their three senior rescue dogs, Jax, Suki and Sabrina.