By Lisa Kava
Nellie Sierra, 76, lives on West 68th Street with her dog Jango, an eleven-year-old, 60-pound pitbull-German shepherd mix. A divorced mother of two grown children, retired from her retail job, Sierra has mobility issues that often keep her home in her apartment. Jango gives love and companionship.
“Jango is my family. He keeps me going,” Sierra told the West Side Rag in a phone interview. But the arthritis, along with spinal stenosis affecting his back and hips, makes it difficult to walk the dog. “He pulls. He’s stronger and has struggled more. I want to walk him,” Sierra said. And getting a walker was too expensive for Sierra’s budget.
Sierra’s dilemma was solved when a friend told her about PAWS NY, a non-profit whose volunteers help seniors and disabled or financially challenged people care for their pets. Those who qualify can get complimentary services like dog walking, dog sitting, cat litter box changing and general pet care.
One of Jango’s regular walkers now is PAWS NY volunteer (and Upper West Sider) Beth Schwartz, an attorney, who has been a dog owner for years. When Schwartz’s own dog passed away, the demands of work and travel kept him from jumping right into dog ownership again. Volunteering to help other people’s pets seems like a good idea.
“I love dogs and Jango is a sweetie,” Schwartz told the Rag. “He was very friendly and very special.” He enjoys time outside with Jango and the break from work. “Walking Jango and getting away from my laptop clears my head,” she says. Sierra is grateful for the help – and it shows. “Nellie expresses her gratitude to me every time I take Jango for his walk,” Schwartz said. “He gives me little gifts on holidays.”
Rachel Herman, executive director of PAWS NY, founded the nonprofit in 2008, when she was a graduate student at New York University. PAWS, which stands for “Pets Are Amazing Support,” was inspired by a homeless couple and their dog that Herman sees every day on his way to class.
“It breaks my heart that someone would give up a warm bed at night to stay with their dog, because at the time shelters didn’t allow pets,” Herman told the West Side Rag. “I started thinking about the elderly and how as we get older taking care of pets can become more difficult for some.” While working in development at the ASPCA, Herman pursued his idea for PAWS, eventually raising funding to make it a full-time job in 2012.
PAWS volunteers sometimes have additional responsibilities, such as providing foster care or assisting with vet visits. Victoria Leon, the group’s program manager, acts as an intermediary between volunteers and clients; she talks with PAWS clients about their needs, coordinates volunteer shifts, schedules vet visits, and arranges foster care. “My role allows me to witness the importance of the human-animal bond,” Leon told Rag. “I also connect with our incredible volunteers who really make an impact with their kindness and dedication.”
Another PAWS client, Rosa Olan, 79, is a retired security guard who lives on West 102n.d Street in Amsterdam with his son Julio Perez, a paraplegic in a wheelchair, and their five-year-old Labrador retriever mix Clover. When Olan was recently hospitalized for three nights, Leon contacted one of Clover’s volunteers, Upper West Sider Jennifer Berman, to ask if Clover could stay with Berman for a while. “I was happy to host Clover,” said Berman. “Rosa is a loving and caring mother, and Clover is kind and loves everyone. I fell in love with her immediately when I started walking her in December 2021.”
Neither Olan nor Perez can walk Clover, due to Olan’s back and leg problems and Perez’s disability. A social worker connected them to PAWS. “Jennifer and the other PAWS volunteers are angels on earth,” Perez said. “Because of them, we can keep Clover.”
When Clover has a visit to the vet, twelve blocks from home, Berman visits her there. “I don’t have the leg strength to do this,” said Olan. “It means the world that I can count on Jennifer.”
Berman and Olan often sit and talk after the walk. “I tell Rosa about our adventures – if we play with other dogs, if I throw a stick for her to catch, or if she rolls in the snow. Rosa makes me feel like part of the family.”
“Helping someone keep their beloved pet in their home is very rewarding,” said Beth Schwartz, Jango’s walker.
Berman added: “The job is very satisfying because of the relationships I develop with clients and dogs.”
Victoria Leon said PAWS NY is always in need of volunteers. If you love dogs or cats, have extra time, and think you might be interested, click here.
Subscribe to WSR’s free email newsletter here.
