For many senior citizens, a loving pet, often also a “senior citizen,” makes a crucial difference in the quality of life, offering companionship and sometimes filling the emptiness left by the death of a spouse. But, when a pet owner can no longer care for a beloved four-legged friend because of temporary or permanent heath issues, or death – what then?
A new nonprofit – For the Love of Paws Senior Pet Sanctuary Inc. – is providing an answer, thanks to a North County family that recognized some special needs among older pet owners struggling with health issues and fixed incomes.
Ted Pankiewicz is best known as the president of the North County Republican Club but, long before that, back in New Jersey, Pankiewicz had a 3-decade career as a police officer, 25 of which were as a police academy instructor, training dogs for the K-9 unit. He was among six officers chosen to write the state’s first official police K-9 training guidelines. At the academy, Pankiewicz met his future wife, Cookie, who shared his love of animals. He remembers how, at 2 a.m. a week before Easter, he spotted a tiny rabbit on the highway, scooped it up and brought it to Cookie’s apartment. The local paper ran a photo of the police officer and the rescued “Easter Bunny.”
Rescuing animals became a common occurrence for the couple, and word spread, “people would call [when there was] an animal situation, and the kids grew up the same way,” says Pankiewicz.
Pankiewicz retired and the family moved to Sebastian in 2002. When he became manager of Park Place, he began to see a need for some kind of senior animal rescue. Pankiewicz, his son Ted Jr. and daughter Patti all have acreage in Fellsmere, and the family frequently discussed the idea. When Ted Jr.’s wife Jessica died tragically in the spring of 2014, Pankiewicz told his son, “Why don’t we do it – in her memory. I’ll do the legwork and you do the legal stuff.” Everybody pitched in, including Ted Jr.’s sons, Hunter and Ryder.
This past February, For the Love of Paws was licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, and was incorporated in June. “We are,” says Pankiewicz, “a senior citizen pet sanctuary that rescues pets owned by senior citizens who are going into surgery, rehab, assisted living, a nursing home, Hospice or who have died. We take care of their beloved pets when they no longer can.” The Sanctuary is located on the Fellsmere property owned by the Pankiewicz family.
He explained that some of the pets are placed in foster homes (”we retain ownership”) until the original owner can once again care for them, or, if not, they‘re returned to the sanctuary to live out their lives. The Sanctuary has already begun working with entities such the Senior Resource Association to identify seniors in need of their help.
For three months, Tom, 87, had put off getting hip replacement surgery because he had no one to care for his deaf, temperamental Dalmatian, Cesar. The Sanctuary provided a foster home for Cesar, and Tom has now recovered and is back home with his pal.
A lady brought her cat to the Pankiewiczes for five weeks while she went through surgery. She delivered him in a carrier, and said he was a nice cat. From the moment Pankiewicz unzipped the carrier, the cat turned into a growling, snarling jungle creature. “He ran under our bed and didn’t come out except to snarl – and eat. Basically, we gave up our bedroom for five weeks. When we brought him back to his owner, he went right to her and purred and snuggled. That wasn’t the cat we knew,” he laughed. “We didn’t say anything.”
Pankiewicz shares another story: A lady who resides in a senior living facility with an older dachshund, Sweet Pea, called in tears. “She told me, ‘I only wake up every morning to take care of Sweet Pea.’ But Sweet Pea had barked at another resident, who complained to the management. Because the facility’s pet weight limit was 15 pounds, and Sweet Pea weighed 28 pounds, the dog was evicted.”
The Sanctuary took Sweet Pea and put her on a diet. “I did some research,” said Pankiewicz, “and learned that, with a doctor’s written ‘prescription,’ a dog can be considered an Emotional Support Animal and allowed to remain with its owner. When we brought that to the management, they said ‘OK.’ When Sweet Pea came home, the lady’s tears were happy ones.”
The Sanctuary has permanently adopted as a mascot an 11-year-old blind Lab, Liberty, whose owner went into assisted living. He and other Sanctuary animals can be seen at www.pawspetsanctuary.org.
There is another important aspect of the organization – Paws Pet Food Pantry. “We partner with local food banks and distribute pet food to those in need who might otherwise abandon or give up their pets.” The Pantry works with Meals on Wheels, St. Sebastian Full of Grace Food Ministry, Operation Hope, The Source and St. Vincent DePaul.
Pet food donations can be dropped off at several locations, including: Dapper Dog in Sebastian; Dr. Dan’s Animal Hospital, Carpet and Tile Warehouse, Vatland Honda and the Florida Veterinary League in Vero Beach; Pankiewicz is seeking more drop-off locations.
Several local businesses provide pet food and/or hold pet food drives for the Paws Pantry: Sebastian WalMart, Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Bark Avenue, Imagine School and the North County Republican Club have collected hundreds of pounds of food. Pankiewicz and his family re-bag the food into easier-to-manage zip lock bags.
The operation is totally volunteer and, as it continues to grow, more are needed. Volunteer Joan Fox says “It’s getting so big Ted needs HELP!”
While the Sanctuary itself is in Fellsmere, Pankiewicz is looking for a more centrally located, modest space – a couple of rooms should do it, for an office and storage area. Currently both are housed in, and rapidly outgrowing, Pankiewicz’s garage. “Somewhere in the central county would be great,” he says.
Other needs include: volunteers to drive a pet food pick-up route; an enclosed utility trailer; a utility van; 1,000 feet of post and board fencing for the sanctuary; a zero-turn mower for the sanctuary’s 5 acres; and a laptop. Currently the Paw Pantry uses approximately 1,000 pounds of dog food per month and the same amount of cat food (“We’re always short on cat food,” says Pankiewicz.)
This month, the Sanctuary will receive the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River’s annual Joan Carlson Animal Protection Award; and it will be featured in a coming issue of Humane Times.
Pankiewicz is happy to speak to county groups and organizations, and the Sanctuary participates in local festivals and parades, to gain as much exposure as possible. To volunteer, donate or for help with a senior pet or pet owner in need, call 772-539-2417.
