Dogs’ and Cats’ Best Friends

By Mary Beth Roach

They say that dog is man’s best friend.

But for the dogs — and cats — at the Central New York SPCA, some of their best friends are the men and women who volunteer at the facility on East Molloy Road.

Of that volunteer crew, about 15 to 20 are at least 55 years of age and they handle quite a wide variety of tasks, such as tending to the animals; helping at the front desk; cleaning bedding and washing dishes and litter boxes

Troy Waffner, CNYSPCA director, estimated that the organization is currently housing about 110 dogs, 40 cats and a few guinea pigs and rabbits.

We met three individuals who represent the range of volunteer opportunities at the organization.

Longtime dog lover John Whitford, 75, noted that working with the dogs gives him what he calls his “dog fix.”

He came to CNYSPCA in February 2020 and even with the interruption caused by COVID-19 he has been able to log in 1,130 hours. Referred to as a dog mentor, Whitford said he does some basic training, socialization, behavior modification.

He explained that he enjoys building a trusting relationship with the dogs and since many come in as strays, they have lost their homes, their families and even their names.

He had volunteered with a similar agency at his former home in Butler, Pennsylvania. When he relocated to the Liverpool area about 4.5 years ago, he said he opted to volunteer at the CNYSPCA because of the broad range of services offered there.

He also believes that volunteering as a dog mentor provides him with some exercise — bending, stooping, leashing and unleashing. “It keeps me flexible and helps with my weight,” he said.

Karen Pierson, 75, has been involved with the CNYSPCA for about three to four years, first by fostering cats and kittens. About a year ago, she also started helping out at the front desk. She helps process paperwork for those who surrender their animals and reviews folders of information for the new owners.

But her first love is those cats and kittens. She said she has fostered 23 litters. She explained that sometimes, she takes a pregnant mother cat home; tends to the litter when they’re born; returns the mama after about five to six weeks so she can be spayed; and then brings the kittens back to the CNYSPCA once they’ve reached two pounds. She noted, too, that she still stays in touch with some families who have adopted a kitten she’s fostered several years ago.

Pierson spoke of the satisfaction that she finds in her volunteer work.

“You’ve done something nice for someone besides yourself,” she said.

Taking on a more behind-the-scenes role is Judy Tarrants.

For about the past 2.5 years, the 83-year-old Fabius resident comes in on Monday mornings and spends between five and six hours laundering the bedding for the animals and washing out litter boxes and food bowls and helping to sort through donations.

She said that during her time at the facility she’s learned how much the staff and volunteers care about the animals and “how hard they work to make them adoptable.”

She prefers her work in what is called the garage area of the facility rather than being with the animals.

“If I was out with the animals, I’d want to take them all home,” she said.

The volunteers are vital to the CNYSPCA’s operation, according to Waffner, CNYSPCA director. He said that the need for volunteers will continue to grow when the Companion Animal Standards Care Act comes into effect in December 2025. Companion animals are those that are domesticated or domestic-bred and this legislation is aimed at enhancing the quality of care provided to homeless companion animals at shelters and rescues.

Another opportunity for volunteering is by becoming a foster parent for an animal. CNYSPCA has an active cat or kitten foster program and is looking to create a dog-puppy foster program, according to Waffner. It allows people to have an animal, while providing the animal with a temporary home until it can be adopted, he explained. Participants take in the animal, socialize it, try to find it a home,and CNYSPCA provides the food, medical services, etc., Waffner noted.

The organization is also hoping to expand its current facility, which dates to 1955. While in the early design phases now, the multi-million-dollar development would be phased in over several years, be more efficient and enable the SPCA to expand its capacity, Waffner said. The organization was started in 1891, with the mission to investigate cruelty against the mules that pulled the canal boats through along the Erie Canal.

For more information on volunteering, visit cnyspca.org/volunteer.