This Organization Makes It Possible For New Yorkers To Keep Their Pets

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — David De Porte and his guide dog Ven are the "dream team," De Porte says.

"Matching us was a stroke of genius," the 69-year-old told Patch. "He's very attentive, very smart, very friendly, he's devoted. And he can be quiet when he needs to be, like in church, at a concert or at a play, at an opera, at a lecture, those are all things we do fairly regularly."

But when Ven, a six-year-old German Shepherd, hurt his hind leg, and the vet recommended he stay off his paws for a few months, Ven had to temporarily retire his guide dog responsibilities and become a regular dog. De Porte, who fully lost his eyesight about a year ago, couldn't fully care for himself and his now-"regular" dog, he said.

PAWS NY is an organization based in Williamsburg that helps elderly people and other vulnerable people in the New York City area keep their pets. De Porte called them up in 2014 and has been raving about the nonprofit ever since.

De Porte has three PAWS volunteers come to walk Ven during the week, and the volunteers have all become close friends with both Ven and De Porte, he told Patch.

"PAWS made it possible for me to keep Ven," De Porte said. "Their volunteers are also the nicest bunch of people. Ven loves them, and I like them a lot."

PAWS NY was founded in 2008 by Rachel Herman, who has a persistent dream of making it possible for elderly people to keep their pets. Herman first developed the idea for the organization when she would walk to class in graduate school and see homeless people outside with their pets, sacrificing a warm shelter to be with their animals, who are not allowed in city shelters.

"It led me to think about seniors, and the limitations they face, struggles in their lives that are making it difficult to provide for their pets' daily needs," Herman told Patch.

Herman did local research and found that no other New York City organization existed solely to help vulnerable people keep their pets in this way.

PAWS NY sticks with its clients for good, Herman said. Once PAWS NY decides to help a pet owner, it does so until that pet owner or his pet dies.

The organization provides financial aid for vet programs, transportation to and from the vet and pet care for those who are unable to care for their pets, either temporarily or until they pass away. It also pays for dog food for most of their clients.

"Usually when somebody comes to us, they need us until they pass away," Herman said. "A lot of our clients are elderly or dealing with health issues that are often not improving. We're coming in for as long as we can."

PAWS NY has been helping De Porte and Ven since 2014, and the organization has tallied over 500 hours of assistance in their schedule for them, Herman said.

De Porte is one of several people with seeing eye dogs whom PAWS NY helps.

"The reason they come to us is because when they're outside with their dogs, their dogs are working, so they don't always get to have time to be a dog," Herman said. "So volunteers come to take the dogs out for some exercise."

Every week, PAWS NY completes 350 home visits. In 2016, it conducted over 15,000 visits. The organization enrolls more than 1,200 volunteers who serve hundreds of pet owners in the five boroughs. Volunteers are required to give at least a six-month commitment to their person, and many of them have ended up working for their person for years and becoming close to them, Herman said.

"Our clients wake up in the morning, and that's their companion, that's their best friend, that’s their family member," Herman said. "The organization is here to help the people in our communities who are facing life’s biggest challenges, and who deserve to be able to stay with their best friend."

PAWS NY conducts bi-monthly volunteer trainings. The schedule for upcoming trainings can be found on its website. The next ones are coming up on Thursday, March 2 and Wednesday, March 29.

Photos by Emily Dewan Photography