Bikers Against Animal Cruelty: Bikers with a Cause

Bikers Against Animal Cruelty started off as a casual party. V.J. Peregolise, an engineering designer at Northeast Utilities in Connecticut and an avid motorcyclist—he's been riding for more than 20 years and now rides a Harley Davidson Road King—had always had dogs growing up. Several years ago, he and his wife adopted two pit bulls from a rescue organization in New York City, and the owner of the rescue told the couple about the horrific cases of animal abuse her organization encounters.

Peregolise decided to take action. "We would always have a big party at our house every year, so we started asking our friends to bring donations of dog food and blankets and other things, and we brought them to the local shelters," he says. "There was such a big response, and we'd get a huge truckload of stuff."

The parties were so successful that in 2007, Peregolise and his wife decided to turn their efforts into a legitimate charity. They filled out the paperwork to get nonprofit status, and Bikers Against Animal Cruelty was born. The group now has 30 members in Connecticut, one in Texas, and two in Florida. Potential members have to fill out an application so the group can check out their background. "We want to make sure that no one has a past that might make us look bad," Peregolise explains. While all the members are bikers, non-bikers often volunteer their time and skills at B.A.A.C. events.

The organization raises money for abused and neglected animals all over the U.S. "People contact us through the website or phone, and then we put the case to the board of directors, usually through e-mail," Peregolise says. "We have a vote, but we never really turn anything down; if it's a case of abuse or neglect we donate money towards it as much as we can." The B.A.A.C. website is filled with photos of animals that need help, such as two dogs that were found wandering the streets with cases of demodectic mange, a type of skin disease.

Another dog, Scooter, was found with a half-severed paw, eating out of a Dumpster behind a McDonald's. The video B.A.A.C. members created to help find Scooter a home says, "This is Scooter's story, and I'm hoping by the end of this video, your heart melts like mine did. Scooter needs a forever home, one that can give him all the love this sweet boy deserves and hasn't had...until now!" (Scooter was later adopted.)

Bikers Against Animal Cruelty has been a great success: In 2008, close to $30,000 went through the organization to dogs in need. And Peregolise couldn't be happier: "I've always loved dogs," he says.

By Linda Formichelli