Many families are not able to have pets due to allergies, objections, space, finances or many different reasons; despite this, one person in the family may long for the impossible family pet. My fantasy community would be one where no one owned the pets, but care for the animals was shared among the members. Thereby, everyone would be free to travel, knowing the pet would be cared for, or the same would go in the case of illness.
The main reason I never had a dog, as much as I’d would love to, was that I had no backup, and my job often required me to work late. I couldn’t bear the image of my pet alone at home, needing to go out or be fed, and dependent on me. Communal ownership was not available, so I have always had cats instead of dogs or horses. Meow!
You may be aware of the Doggone Inn in Manlius as a dog daycare and grooming business, but the owner, Leah Pekarsky, also provides shelter for homeless dogs and cats. The animals she shelters are largely overflow from other facilities who are rescued from other shelters; it would be wrong to think this is a place where anyone can dump an unwanted pet. However, the Doggone Inn is a place where you can find a cat or dog to adopt.
Leah also needs and accepts human volunteers who can take one of the homeless dogs for a walk. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer for this purpose, all you have to do is ask, sign a brief agreement, and show up. Volunteers under 16 years of age need a parent’s consent.
Other types of volunteer contributions could come in the form of donations — towels and blankets for bedding, pet food, flea collars, toys, kitty litter or supplies for cleaning the pet areas. Of course, monetary donations are always welcome.
As for adopting a pet, new owners will be giving a home to a pet who has been thoroughly checked by a veterinarian and received all vaccinations, flea treatment, worming and spaying or neutering. All pets are microchipped. Of course some animals are still too young to tolerate some procedures, but this will occur later, as provided for in the adoption agreement. One should not expect adopting a pet to be free — the fee reflects the excellent care the animal has received during the time it was sheltered.
Residents at the Doggone Inn can be viewed anonymously with photos posted on Facebook or Pet Finder. If you type “DGI Paws” (without the quotation marks), you will find the DGI list featured by Petfinder. If you don’t see the list immediately check to be certain you are on “Petfinder,” and not on one of the other pet adoption sites. All logistics aside, the pets are so cute, and so very adoptable.
To volunteer, donate or adopt call 682-0783. The business as well as the shelter are works of love, since Leah Pekarsky gave up her career so she could work with animals. The results are very impressive.
You may be interested to learn that the word “shelter” probably derives from the original English term for “shield,” and so be it.
