April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PET-LOVING TEEN
Abby protects God's smallest creatures
Guinea pigs and rats occupy her former bedroom; the squirrels live in a backyard structure built by her father, Geoffrey, who initially opposed Abby's menagerie and then gave in. The rabbit keeps to itself in the living room; the turtle lives in a bedroom.
Your nose wouldn't know it.
"A lot of people are shocked when they walk in," Abby's mother, Mary Jane, said of the home's clean scent despite all its furry residents.
For Abby, a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar, an interest in keeping underdog pets evolved into a passion for rescuing abused or abandoned animals and advocating for animal rights.
Pet mills
It started with a persuasive essay she wrote in the fourth grade at St. Thomas the Apostle School after her veterinarian told her about dirty, crowded guinea pig "mills."
"I was shocked, because there are some disturbing videos online," Abby said. "I think kids should know that pet stores don't treat the animals kindly."
Abby already owned Hammy, a dwarf hamster, plus some fish. Then came the rabbits, flying squirrels and guinea pigs - most of which she rescued from veterinarians or shelters.
"I don't have a favorite," Abby said, "but [Hopper the rabbit] certainly is a character."
The student learned that animals like guinea pigs, hamsters and rats receive poor medical attention in the animal breeding facilities that some pet stores use as distributors.
Abby has raised almost $2,300 over the past five years for a handful of humane societies and animal sanctuaries in the Capital Region. The most recent was the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley, which used the money to care for pets displaced by Hurricane Irene. Abby also protested the circus outside the Times Union Center.
The fundraisers started as a booth at the annual St. Thomas the Apostle School craft fair and became "Dust Bunny's Boutique," a traveling store that offers information on Abby's causes and crafts made by the Serfilippi women.
Going vegan
When Abby was in seventh grade, Mrs. Serfilippi was surfing the internet and saw information about fur farms and factory farming. That led Mrs. Serfilippi, Abby and her older sister, Jessie, to adopt a vegan diet.
The information on animal abuse "really got to me. It was really cruel what they were doing to them," Mrs. Serfilippi said.
Because the three Serfilippi women banded together on the issue, she added, "we've grown closer. The compassion in these two is just amazing."
Abby used her eighth-grade service project to recruit the founder of the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties to speak to classes at St. Thomas about animal rescues. A vegan chef from the organization also hosted an instructional evening on cooking with plant-based foods.
Abby's legacy at the school will be a $100 scholarship for eighth-graders interested in helping animals.
As Abby starts her freshman year at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, she hopes to create an animal-rights group at her new school and expose even more people to her cause.
One of her first goals is to bring vegetarian and vegan options to the lunch menu; she has already received clearance to wear leather-free shoes for her uniform.
"I think I'm making people aware of this - and I think that's a big step, because I had no idea about this" until a few years ago, Abby said. "A lot of people have very strong opinions. I tell them they should just think about it. [A plant-based diet is] not only benefitting the animals; it's benefitting the environment and their health."
Animals are "just so sweet," she added. "It just feels good helping" them.
Abby can tell her guinea pigs apart with her eyes closed, just by feeling their fur. She isn't interested in more popular pets like dogs or cats.
People "don't know about [guinea pigs'] personalities," she remarked. "They actually relieve stress, too."[[In-content Ad]]
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