Kristy
08-21-2005, 08:21 PM
By MELANIE STAWICKI AZAM
Staff Writer
Last update: August 21, 2005
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Phyllis Negomir doesn't get a dime for her pet therapy work, but she is rewarded by plenty of wagging tails and big smiles.
As the New Smyrna Beach woman walks down the halls of Ocean View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center -- accompanied by a beagle and tiny kitten -- wheelchairs pause and hands reach out to touch the furry critters.
"We come every Tuesday over here," said Negomir.
She walked into the room of resident Sue Roberts, whose eyes lit up as she pet the beagle, named Hannah, and encouraged the dog to climb into her bed. Roberts said she misses animals terribly, after having spent her younger years working in a veterinarian's office and with the U.S. Equestrian Team.
"No matter how big the dog is, she gets them on the bed with her," said Negomir with a laugh.
Negomir is one of many Southeast Volusia residents who give time and resources to help animals in the community.
Local animals shelters and rescue groups say they rely on their volunteers to help care for the creatures they take in. Some people help out by doing hands-on work-like feeding, walking or cleaning out cages, while others work more behind the scenes, donating money or materials or helping out with office work and fundraising. Either way, volunteers say the unpaid work they do yields rewards beyond the monetary kind.
SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA HUMANE SOCIETY
Director Suzie Soule said the New Smyrna Beach animal shelter has about a dozen active volunteers, helping to care for the thousands of critters received each year.
"That ranges everywhere from adults, teens, school volunteers," she said.
Negomir, 67, began volunteering with the shelter five years ago, after seeing a newspaper ad seeking volunteers. She said she likes animals and had retired from working as a physical therapist in geriatric facilities. She said she likes visiting both the elderly residents and the animals.
"So it was just kind of a win-win situation. I get both," she said.
The pet therapy visits benefit both the animals, who get needed attention and socialization skills, and elderly residents. Negomir and other volunteers do weekly visits at several other Volusia County nursing homes and adult day-care centers.
The pet therapy visits are usually done by teams of two volunteers, just in case, the visiting dog and cat don't get along, she said.
She tries to take a variety of animals on the visits and feels out their personalities before she loads them in her car.
"I never know how they're going to react together," Negomir said with a smile.
And although some animals tug at her heartstrings more than others, she said she knows she can't take them all home. Rather, she said focuses on the time she spends with them, until they find loving families.
"I know not every animal can be mine," she said.
YORKIE AND MALTESE RESCUE GROUP
Pam Black has the same philosophy, working with a Cocoa Beach-based organization that specializes in Yorkshire terrier and Maltese rescues. Her chapter, with about a half-dozen active volunteers around Florida, has adopted out 60 to 70 dogs over the past two years, she said. Currently, the Edgewater woman is fostering a Lhasa Apso named Trevor, who was found wandering in the woods, full of fleas with matted hair. Trevor is now headed for an assisted living home in Port Orange, where he will be the newest resident pet.
"I know a lot of these dogs need a lot more than I can give them," Black said.
But Black did keep two dogs -- a Yorkie named Harry and a Maltese named Bailey -- that were so badly abused they are not adoptable, she said.
Bailey lets Black gently hold him, but the fluffy white dog growls at most people. Harry hides all the time and sometimes has seizures, after he was rescued from a puppy mill. Black said Harry, who has no teeth and damaged vocal chords, was kept cramped in a cage with other dogs in the basement for years, before he was rescued.
Luckily, Black, 55, said she has happier stories of animals who were able to adjust and be placed with loving families. She said her group mainly gets dogs from animal shelters, puppy mills or surrenders by their owners. She said the high price the breeds demand means they are often raised for money, sometimes in abusive situations.
Black's rescue group cleans the dogs up, take them to the vet and then find good homes for them.
She said she got involved in the rescue group three years ago, after her Yorkshire terrier was stolen and she was looking to get a new dog. A vet suggested she call Gail Harris, the Cocoa Beach woman who heads up the Yorkie and Maltese Rescue Group, to see if one might be available.
She fostered Harry and ended up keeping him.
"I'm an animal person. I always have been," said Black, cuddling with her pets.
Linda Colee, 57, also volunteers with the Yorkie rescue group, taking dogs to the vet and groomers.
The Edgewater woman got involved in the group through meeting Black. She said she used to foster them, but got too attached. She ended up keeping four of the dogs she cared for.
"I started fostering and I've got too big of a heart," Colee said.
Baby was her first dog, rescued from a puppy mill, where she said only 14 of 24 of the animals found survived. Cowboy is another rescue, whose tongue hangs out because he lacks teeth. Zekey was given up by his former owner and Little Bitty was found chained in a yard for years, she said.
Colee said her group is careful about trying to match up the right dog with the best owner, even doing a home visit. A fee is charged for the dog to help cover the cost of their veterinarian bills and other care given by the rescue group's volunteers.
"It's like adopting a child," she said. "Because (we) don't want them back in another mess."
BIRD RESCUE CENTER
For local veterinarian Paul Lamborn and his wife, Phyllis, rehabilitating injured birds has become a constant part of their lives. For over a year now, the backyard of their rural South Glencoe Road home has held recovering avian patients in five flight cages and Paul's workshop now doubles as bird treatment room.
"In the Bible, it says God sees the smallest sparrow that falls," said Phyllis Lamborn. "And one of them came on my doorstep years ago."
The Bird Rescue Center, a grass-roots bird rehabilitation group, formed in 2002 and was formerly housed with the Marine Discovery Center in the old city wastewater plant on the North Causeway. It moved to the Lamborn property last year after the plant was torn down.
Lamborn said she and a few other volunteers learned a lot about rehabilitating birds from Mary Keller and were independently helping birds in need before the Bird Rescue Center was formed. Now, she said, she worked closely with the Marine Science Center, who also does bird rehab, and other rescue groups.
"I love the birds. They are a real passion for me," she said. "I appreciate all the birds do for us (humans)."
The Bird Rescue Center cares for everything from injured pelicans to abandoned baby ducklings -- with the ultimate goal of releasing the animals back into the wild. Every once in a while, an animal is unable to return to the wild, like a sea gull Lamborn points out with a permanent wing injury.
"He will be a permanent resident at the Marine Science Center when they finish their new wing," Lamborn said.
Volunteer John Corhern and his wife Paige volunteer a few times a week at the Center, helping the Lamborns feed the birds, which can take about two hours.
"It's been a lot of work, but we enjoy it," said John Corhern, 32.
Earlier this year, the New Smyrna Beach couple fostered a duckling, along with a group of baby wild turkeys.
"The duck would run around with the turkeys -- they were all babies and they played with each other," he said.
The four turkeys are now also teenagers, residing with a baby chick in another flight cage on the property until they are released. The couple got to show the baby turkeys how to drink and eat. She said they had trouble knowing when to eat without a mother.
Lamborn said the Center survives on donations and help from about a dozen active volunteers. There is no paid staff, so dedicated volunteers like the Corherns are a gift, she said.
"When I was praying, because I was getting so burnt out I didn't know if I could do this anymore, God sent them to me," Lamborn said.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/DailyJournal/03AreaDJ01082105.htm
Staff Writer
Last update: August 21, 2005
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Phyllis Negomir doesn't get a dime for her pet therapy work, but she is rewarded by plenty of wagging tails and big smiles.
As the New Smyrna Beach woman walks down the halls of Ocean View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center -- accompanied by a beagle and tiny kitten -- wheelchairs pause and hands reach out to touch the furry critters.
"We come every Tuesday over here," said Negomir.
She walked into the room of resident Sue Roberts, whose eyes lit up as she pet the beagle, named Hannah, and encouraged the dog to climb into her bed. Roberts said she misses animals terribly, after having spent her younger years working in a veterinarian's office and with the U.S. Equestrian Team.
"No matter how big the dog is, she gets them on the bed with her," said Negomir with a laugh.
Negomir is one of many Southeast Volusia residents who give time and resources to help animals in the community.
Local animals shelters and rescue groups say they rely on their volunteers to help care for the creatures they take in. Some people help out by doing hands-on work-like feeding, walking or cleaning out cages, while others work more behind the scenes, donating money or materials or helping out with office work and fundraising. Either way, volunteers say the unpaid work they do yields rewards beyond the monetary kind.
SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA HUMANE SOCIETY
Director Suzie Soule said the New Smyrna Beach animal shelter has about a dozen active volunteers, helping to care for the thousands of critters received each year.
"That ranges everywhere from adults, teens, school volunteers," she said.
Negomir, 67, began volunteering with the shelter five years ago, after seeing a newspaper ad seeking volunteers. She said she likes animals and had retired from working as a physical therapist in geriatric facilities. She said she likes visiting both the elderly residents and the animals.
"So it was just kind of a win-win situation. I get both," she said.
The pet therapy visits benefit both the animals, who get needed attention and socialization skills, and elderly residents. Negomir and other volunteers do weekly visits at several other Volusia County nursing homes and adult day-care centers.
The pet therapy visits are usually done by teams of two volunteers, just in case, the visiting dog and cat don't get along, she said.
She tries to take a variety of animals on the visits and feels out their personalities before she loads them in her car.
"I never know how they're going to react together," Negomir said with a smile.
And although some animals tug at her heartstrings more than others, she said she knows she can't take them all home. Rather, she said focuses on the time she spends with them, until they find loving families.
"I know not every animal can be mine," she said.
YORKIE AND MALTESE RESCUE GROUP
Pam Black has the same philosophy, working with a Cocoa Beach-based organization that specializes in Yorkshire terrier and Maltese rescues. Her chapter, with about a half-dozen active volunteers around Florida, has adopted out 60 to 70 dogs over the past two years, she said. Currently, the Edgewater woman is fostering a Lhasa Apso named Trevor, who was found wandering in the woods, full of fleas with matted hair. Trevor is now headed for an assisted living home in Port Orange, where he will be the newest resident pet.
"I know a lot of these dogs need a lot more than I can give them," Black said.
But Black did keep two dogs -- a Yorkie named Harry and a Maltese named Bailey -- that were so badly abused they are not adoptable, she said.
Bailey lets Black gently hold him, but the fluffy white dog growls at most people. Harry hides all the time and sometimes has seizures, after he was rescued from a puppy mill. Black said Harry, who has no teeth and damaged vocal chords, was kept cramped in a cage with other dogs in the basement for years, before he was rescued.
Luckily, Black, 55, said she has happier stories of animals who were able to adjust and be placed with loving families. She said her group mainly gets dogs from animal shelters, puppy mills or surrenders by their owners. She said the high price the breeds demand means they are often raised for money, sometimes in abusive situations.
Black's rescue group cleans the dogs up, take them to the vet and then find good homes for them.
She said she got involved in the rescue group three years ago, after her Yorkshire terrier was stolen and she was looking to get a new dog. A vet suggested she call Gail Harris, the Cocoa Beach woman who heads up the Yorkie and Maltese Rescue Group, to see if one might be available.
She fostered Harry and ended up keeping him.
"I'm an animal person. I always have been," said Black, cuddling with her pets.
Linda Colee, 57, also volunteers with the Yorkie rescue group, taking dogs to the vet and groomers.
The Edgewater woman got involved in the group through meeting Black. She said she used to foster them, but got too attached. She ended up keeping four of the dogs she cared for.
"I started fostering and I've got too big of a heart," Colee said.
Baby was her first dog, rescued from a puppy mill, where she said only 14 of 24 of the animals found survived. Cowboy is another rescue, whose tongue hangs out because he lacks teeth. Zekey was given up by his former owner and Little Bitty was found chained in a yard for years, she said.
Colee said her group is careful about trying to match up the right dog with the best owner, even doing a home visit. A fee is charged for the dog to help cover the cost of their veterinarian bills and other care given by the rescue group's volunteers.
"It's like adopting a child," she said. "Because (we) don't want them back in another mess."
BIRD RESCUE CENTER
For local veterinarian Paul Lamborn and his wife, Phyllis, rehabilitating injured birds has become a constant part of their lives. For over a year now, the backyard of their rural South Glencoe Road home has held recovering avian patients in five flight cages and Paul's workshop now doubles as bird treatment room.
"In the Bible, it says God sees the smallest sparrow that falls," said Phyllis Lamborn. "And one of them came on my doorstep years ago."
The Bird Rescue Center, a grass-roots bird rehabilitation group, formed in 2002 and was formerly housed with the Marine Discovery Center in the old city wastewater plant on the North Causeway. It moved to the Lamborn property last year after the plant was torn down.
Lamborn said she and a few other volunteers learned a lot about rehabilitating birds from Mary Keller and were independently helping birds in need before the Bird Rescue Center was formed. Now, she said, she worked closely with the Marine Science Center, who also does bird rehab, and other rescue groups.
"I love the birds. They are a real passion for me," she said. "I appreciate all the birds do for us (humans)."
The Bird Rescue Center cares for everything from injured pelicans to abandoned baby ducklings -- with the ultimate goal of releasing the animals back into the wild. Every once in a while, an animal is unable to return to the wild, like a sea gull Lamborn points out with a permanent wing injury.
"He will be a permanent resident at the Marine Science Center when they finish their new wing," Lamborn said.
Volunteer John Corhern and his wife Paige volunteer a few times a week at the Center, helping the Lamborns feed the birds, which can take about two hours.
"It's been a lot of work, but we enjoy it," said John Corhern, 32.
Earlier this year, the New Smyrna Beach couple fostered a duckling, along with a group of baby wild turkeys.
"The duck would run around with the turkeys -- they were all babies and they played with each other," he said.
The four turkeys are now also teenagers, residing with a baby chick in another flight cage on the property until they are released. The couple got to show the baby turkeys how to drink and eat. She said they had trouble knowing when to eat without a mother.
Lamborn said the Center survives on donations and help from about a dozen active volunteers. There is no paid staff, so dedicated volunteers like the Corherns are a gift, she said.
"When I was praying, because I was getting so burnt out I didn't know if I could do this anymore, God sent them to me," Lamborn said.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/DailyJournal/03AreaDJ01082105.htm