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But her compassion isn't just for her friends and loved ones. The Westport woman will help strangers, even if that means spending nearly $2,000 of her own money and weeks of hassle to reunite a woman and her lost dog.
It started in January when Viveiros happened across a Facebook post from Tammy Proctor — a woman from Pittsfield she'd never met.
Proctor had been part of a guardianship program with a New York dog breeder and was taking care of a puppy named Radar. The dachshund became her "healer" in the years after her son died from complications of cancer following a car crash.
Proctor loved him. Radar was her "entire world," she wrote in the post. She was devastated when the breeder made her give up the dog, but Proctor never gave up hope that one day they'd be reunited.
Two years later, Proctor found Radar for sale online but couldn't afford the $1,600 price tag.
Viveiros felt compelled to act, but time was a factor and the circumstances were not in her favor.
"My heart ached for Tammy," Viveiros wrote in an email. "... I immediately began thinking of ways to somehow reunite her with Radar. I contemplated starting a fundraiser to collect the funds for purchasing him back from Doreen, but quickly realized I didn’t have that type of time to waste before he was sold to someone else."
So she withdrew the money from her bank account, hopped in her car with brother Chad Pavao, and made the nine-hour round trip from her home in Westport to New York to buy Radar and return him home to Proctor.
Viveiros documented the reunion in a now-viral TikTok.
But her work to save Radar is far from over. The dog returned home with several health conditions requiring expensive treatments and special care.
Viveiros started a GoFundMe to help cover those vet bills and recoup some of the money she spent on getting him back. So far, the campaign has raised more than $2,000 of her $3,000 goal.
Viveiros also worked with the Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital to set up an account where people can donate directly to Radar's care. Anyone can give by calling the veterinarian's office at 413-499-1580 and adding cash to Tammy Proctor's account.
Viveiros admits that getting Radar home wasn't easy. When she picked him up, he was "in rough shape," she said. "He was wet, foul smelling, had apparent dental issues, appeared underweight, and was visibly frightened."
A month later, Tammy still sends Shannen photos and videos almost every day of a happy and healthy Radar playing and living his best life in Pittsfield.
It was all worth it.
Click here to learn more about Shannen Viveiros' efforts to shut down puppy mills and rescue other dogs.
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