What's Hot

    Treat Yourself: Festa Italiana returns for its 25th year

    September 1, 2023

    315 Bulletin

    September 1, 2023

    Kate Laissle, Director of Education at Syracuse Stage

    September 1, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Treat Yourself: Festa Italiana returns for its 25th year
    • 315 Bulletin
    • Kate Laissle, Director of Education at Syracuse Stage
    • Explore CNY: Cortland is home to a nature center, a theatre, and a Guinness World Record holder
    • Homework Habits: How to Motivate Kids
    • After-School Activities and Programs in CNY
    • Syracuse Stage Celebrates 50th Season
    • Fun, Educational Websites You Won’t Want Your Kids to Miss
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Family TimesFamily Times
    • Community Guide
    • Things to Do in CNY
      1. Central New York Events
      2. Activities
      3. Treat Yourself
      Featured

      Treat Yourself: Festa Italiana returns for its 25th year

      By Courtney KlessSeptember 1, 20230
      Recent

      Treat Yourself: Festa Italiana returns for its 25th year

      September 1, 2023

      Explore CNY: Cortland is home to a nature center, a theatre, and a Guinness World Record holder

      September 1, 2023

      Treat Yourself: Right Mind Syracuse hosts one-session art workshops at local venues

      August 1, 2023
    • Parenting
      1. Pregnancy
      2. Babies
      3. Kids
      4. Preschoolers/Toddlers
      5. Special Needs
      6. Teens
      7. Pets
      8. View All

      The Power to Save a Life: Cord blood is being used to treat more than 80 diseases

      January 30, 2020

      It’s Not What It Looks Like: Reflections on motherhood’s changes, outside and inside

      July 29, 2019

      In Search of Sleep: 8 Strategies for coping with wakeful babies

      July 29, 2019

      A Surgical Birth: Many pregnant women are likely to deliver by cesarean

      July 29, 2019

      Strangers Bearing Advice: New babies bring out the expert in everyone

      August 1, 2021

      Hand to Mouth: How to help babies start to sample solid food

      August 1, 2020

      315 Bulletin

      August 1, 2020

      Name, Please? Expectant parents face another momentous decision

      August 1, 2020

      Prep Work: Keep your family’s food safe this summer

      June 1, 2022

      A Blooming Craft: These homemade flowers make a great centerpiece

      March 1, 2021

      Rainbow Snowflakes: A colorful craft even little ones can make

      November 24, 2020

      DIY Critter Magnets: Make cute clips for hanging reminders and more

      September 1, 2020

      DIY Critter Magnets: Make cute clips for hanging reminders and more

      September 1, 2020

      Allergy Adjustments: Parents can support their food allergic child

      September 3, 2019

      Calming Commotion: How to deal with car sickness and more

      June 27, 2019

      Introducing Riff Rockit: Kindie artist to play jingles at Leon Fest

      June 1, 2017

      A History of Inclusion: The Jowonio School marked 50 years in 2019

      March 30, 2020

      Reaching a Milestone: Now the largest chapter in the country, Special Olympics New York is celebrating 50 years

      March 30, 2020

      Come Out and Play: Move Along offers adaptive sports for youth, adults

      March 30, 2020

      Let’s Get Together: Remaking classrooms so all students are included

      September 3, 2019

      Prep Work: Keep your family’s food safe this summer

      June 1, 2022

      A Little Jolt: Caffeine’s risks for kids and teens

      March 1, 2021

      A Blooming Craft: These homemade flowers make a great centerpiece

      March 1, 2021

      Environmental Club: Auburn Junior High School

      January 30, 2020

      Furry Friends: What it takes to adopt a pet for the first time

      July 1, 2020

      Tail Wagging Fun: Lights on the Lake Dog Walk 2019

      November 14, 2019

      Uncommon Companions: Local pet store sticks to its niche

      May 30, 2019

      Dog Food for Thought: Trying to keep your pet from your plate

      May 30, 2019

      Homework Habits: How to Motivate Kids

      September 1, 2023

      After-School Activities and Programs in CNY

      September 1, 2023

      Fun, Educational Websites You Won’t Want Your Kids to Miss

      September 1, 2023

      Take the Stress Out of School Mornings

      August 31, 2023
    • Health
      1. Child Development
      2. Food
      3. Nutrition
      4. The “Recipe Doctor”
      5. View All

      Financial Literacy for Families: How parents can teach children, teens about money management

      April 1, 2022

      Strangers Bearing Advice: New babies bring out the expert in everyone

      August 1, 2021

      Choosing a Daycare: Learn As You Grow’s Joshua LaGrow offers some tips for finding the right fit

      August 1, 2021

      A Little Jolt: Caffeine’s risks for kids and teens

      March 1, 2021

      Berries and Cream Croissant Breakfast Casserole

      June 1, 2023

      Prep Work: Keep your family’s food safe this summer

      June 1, 2022

      Nutrition in No Time: Are you always on the go? These tips will help you stay on track.

      January 1, 2022

      Easy Holiday Recipes: Are you searching for some new dishes this season? These are some of our favorites.

      November 1, 2021

      Nutrition in No Time: Are you always on the go? These tips will help you stay on track.

      January 1, 2022

      Liking Lunch: Best bets for serving kids a delicious, nutritious meal

      September 1, 2021

      A Little Jolt: Caffeine’s risks for kids and teens

      March 1, 2021

      Better Choices: How about a resolution to eat vegetables and other nutritious foods?

      January 1, 2021

      Best Friend’s Treats: Bake up some special dog biscuits

      June 1, 2018

      Colorful Soup in a Jar: Give the gift of winter comfort

      December 1, 2015

      Berry Good! Use a summer favorite in this ice cream

      July 1, 2015

      Flapjack Fever: Even pancakes can be a healthy breakfast

      June 1, 2015

      Treat Yourself: Festa Italiana returns for its 25th year

      September 1, 2023

      Treat Yourself: Right Mind Syracuse hosts one-session art workshops at local venues

      August 1, 2023

      Treat Yourself: Oswego Harborfest returns with food, live music and children’s activities

      June 28, 2023

      Treat Yourself: Explore restored wetlands, more at Canastota’s Great Swamp Conservancy

      June 1, 2023
    • Travel
    • Education
      1. Educator of the Month
      2. Class of the Month
      3. Education News
      4. Reading
      5. Teaching
      Featured

      Kate Laissle, Director of Education at Syracuse Stage

      By Courtney KlessSeptember 1, 20230
      Recent

      Kate Laissle, Director of Education at Syracuse Stage

      September 1, 2023

      Annie Gordon, Education Program Coordinator at the Sciencenter

      July 31, 2023

      Stephanie Waldron, Director of Environmental Risk Assessment for the Onondaga County Health Department

      June 28, 2023
    • Crafts & DIY
      • Create
      • Holiday Crafts
    Family TimesFamily Times
    Home»Local Faces»Doing Right by Animals: Shelter helps heal and find families for dogs and cats
    Local Faces

    Doing Right by Animals: Shelter helps heal and find families for dogs and cats

    Christy Perry TuoheyBy Christy Perry TuoheyMay 30, 2019Updated:May 30, 2019No Comments6 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    There wasn’t much hope the kitten would survive. A distraught motorist brought a 2-month-old orange tabby through a rainstorm to Wanderers’ Rest animal shelter, just as staffers were about to turn out the lights and lock the door for the night.

    “He was just like, ‘I don’t know what to do, I just found this kitten. I think I hit him when I was on the Thruway,’” recalled Mason Groesbeck, who is on staff at the shelter.

    The driver knew about Canastota’s Wanderers’ Rest. And although the animal shelter is only staffed during the day and has no full-time veterinarians, it turned out to be exactly the right place to drop off the injured kitten.

    Advertisement

    “The kitten was kind of sluggish and upset,” Groesbeck said. “His face was covered in blood. One of his toes kind of looked like it was cut off, like it must have gotten run over or something. He was in pretty rough shape.”

    Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association is a Madison County shelter open to all Central New Yorkers looking to adopt a dog or cat. Groesbeck applied for a job there about four years ago and has been there ever since. He works as a foster coordinator there, which means he contacts volunteers who are willing to provide temporary care to stray animals brought to the shelter.

    There are two ways animals are accepted at Wanderers’ Rest. Stray dogs are brought in by Madison County animal control officers because of a contract between the county and shelter. It’s a different intake process with cats. If a person has a stray, she or he must make an appointment with shelter staff to bring in the cat.

    “We work with six or seven vets around Madison County and a couple from Onondaga County,” Groesbeck explained. “We have a vet come each week.” Those volunteer veterinarians also perform spaying and neutering services.

    “Some people call us where they’re financially stuck,” he said. “Sometimes they can’t get the cat spayed or neutered. We have a spay or neuter voucher that, if you qualify, the shelter actually pays for it. We try to help every person that calls.”

     

    The next step

    Luckily for the orange tabby, a veterinarian was on site the day he was brought in. But Wanderers’ Rest is not a medical facility and relies on volunteers like Butch and Cindy Hall to take dogs and cats with special care needs into their homes. After the kitten was examined, Groesbeck called the Halls and they agreed to foster him.

    “We took him immediately,” Butch Hall said, “Once we take them in as our fosters, we treat them like they’re our own.”

    He explained that although the shelter is a safe, clean place, the environment can be stressful, especially for puppies and kittens, whose immune systems are not yet strong enough to fight off infections. And then there’s the noise.

    “You’ve got the dogs barking, you’ve got strangers reaching into their kennels all the time and it’s just a very stressful situation, for both dogs and cats. So taking them out of that stress helps a lot.”

    Butch and Cindy Hall foster 30 to 40 kittens a year. He credits the shelter’s management with greatly expanding the foster system and saving more animals’ lives. According to Wanderers’ Rest’s 2018 Annual Report, the percentage of animals “live-released”—animals who leave the shelter alive through adoption, are returned to their owners or are released to another agency for adoption—has increased by more than 20 percent since 2015.

    The Halls have sometimes taken in entire litters of kittens, including seven who were left in a basket in the woods. “Several litters that we’ve had didn’t have a mom, so we had to bottle-feed or syringe-feed, depending on the kitten,” Butch said. “We take care of the food, the litter and the vet bills.”

    They also raise the kittens along with their own two rescue dogs, and that gives the Halls a chance to observe the kittens’ temperament. They can then give an adopter an idea of how the felines behave with other animals, whether they’re skittish or calm, and other helpful bits of information.

    You might think that the folks who work and volunteer at Wanderer’s Rest have a hard time resisting adopting the animals themselves, and you’d be right. Groesbeck had one dog and one cat when he started his job there. Now he has four dogs and nine cats.

    The story of one of his pets goes back three years to St. Patrick’s Day. That’s the day a pregnant dog gave birth to a litter of bluenose pit bull mixes at Wanderers’ Rest.

    “I remember coming in on St. Paddy’s Day, and our manager came running up front, and she was just screaming through the hall, ‘Puppies! Puppies!’”

    Groesbeck was drawn to the runt of the litter. He took him into foster care and bottle-fed him until he was able to eat on his own. He named him Killian—an Irish name in honor of the pup’s birth date—and adopted him.

    Mouse (left) is a little over a year old, friendly and playful. Bargy, a Jack Russell terrier, is a bit older, at 9½, but still loves to run and play with toys. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTOS

    Kimble, the stray kitten

    Back to the story of the tabby kitten, whom the staff named Kimble. After two weeks of foster care at the Halls’ home, the couple brought the much-healthier kitten back to the shelter.

    “I saw that cat and I didn’t believe that it was the same cat,” Groesbeck said, remembering how banged up the tiny kitten had been on the rainy night he came to Wanderers’ Rest. “I literally looked at my fosters and said, ‘Did you guys go out and get a different cat?’”

    Hall assured him that it was, indeed, the same cat. “Kimble was a real highlight of our fostering because of the transition that he went through in just a couple of weeks,” he said.

    After Groesbeck posted a photo of Kimble on the Wanderers’ Rest Facebook page, the kitten was quickly adopted. He keeps that photo for inspiration. “I look at it every once in a while. Those days that you’re feeling kind of low and you’re like, ‘Am I still doing good?’ and you look at that photo and you’re like, ‘Yep.’”

    Fosters Needed

    Mason Groesbeck said Wanderer’s Rest is always in need of volunteers to foster the animals brought to the shelter, especially between April and September, which are the months when the greatest number of kittens are born. If you are interested in helping foster animals or adopting a dog or cat, contact them at (315) 697-2796 or email: [email protected].

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Christy Perry Tuohey

    Related Posts

    Kate Laissle, Director of Education at Syracuse Stage

    September 1, 2023

    Annie Gordon, Education Program Coordinator at the Sciencenter

    July 31, 2023

    Stephanie Waldron, Director of Environmental Risk Assessment for the Onondaga County Health Department

    June 28, 2023
    Flip Through Our Latest Issue!
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    Top Posts

    Summer Activities Guide

    June 1, 2023147 Views

    DIY: Make your own vibrant, paper fans in only a few easy steps

    July 1, 2020108 Views

    Wondrous Waterfalls

    June 1, 202374 Views

    Staying Safe This Summer

    June 28, 202366 Views
    Recent Posts
    • Treat Yourself: Festa Italiana returns for its 25th year
    • 315 Bulletin
    • Kate Laissle, Director of Education at Syracuse Stage
    • Explore CNY: Cortland is home to a nature center, a theatre, and a Guinness World Record holder
    • Homework Habits: How to Motivate Kids

    Family Times Magazine publishes a digital magazine highlighting events, businesses, and content to inform and entertain families here in Central New York. Sign up for our twice monthly newsletter to have the magazine and other featured content.
    ____

    Email Us: [email protected]
    Contact: 1.315.422.7011

    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS
    Our Picks
    Most Popular

    Summer Activities Guide

    June 1, 2023147 Views

    DIY: Make your own vibrant, paper fans in only a few easy steps

    July 1, 2020108 Views

    Wondrous Waterfalls

    June 1, 202374 Views
    © 2023 Family Times, CNY. Designed by Crossroads Marketing.
    • Our Authors
    • Archives
    • Community Events Calendar
    • Advertising

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Go to mobile version