Happy Tails SUMMER 2011 • Volume 3, Issue 1
T h e o f f i c i a l N e w s l etter o f S ta n d U p F o r Anim a l s
A Conversation with Tom Gulluscio Westerly’s Animal Control Officer
When speaking with Tom Gulluscio, one cannot help but notice the great compassion he has for animals. He was born and raised in Westerly where he lives with Karen, his wife of 19 years, and their two sons Jared and Brady, and it was truly evident that he enjoys working in this community. Starting with the Westerly Police Department as a part-time Reserve Officer in 1992, Tom moved over to become the full-time Animal Control Officer in 1995 and has been there ever since.
Tom presented his concerns to Larry Hirsch and after five years of discussions, SUFA was born and the rest is history. The Stand Up For Animals/Westerly Animal Shelter has become a jewel of the Town of Westerly and this municipal/private partnership is a model for other communities and states to follow. “The shelter is a beautiful, bright, inviting place which residents and volunteers are proud to visit,” Tom said. “Moving to this facility has caused our adoption rate to skyrocket … and that really is the most important thing.” In addition to the innovative amenities that the facility offers, Tom marvels at how remarkably the entire town has embraced the organization. “Working in the community, I see that the mission of this facility is resonating with people …we want to make certain that pets in our care are treated with compassion and dignity, but also that ALL pets are cared for properly.” In Tom’s capacity as Animal Control Officer he has seen some deplorable cases of mistreatment and neglect. “There are two types of neglect – intentional and unintentional. Intentional is when someone purposely harms a dog or refuses to feed the dog. Unintentional might be accidental but can cause just as much harm.” He notes that simple instances like leaving your dog in the car on a hot day, even for 15 minutes, can lead to tragic consequences.
Tom recalls the struggles and obstacles he faced in operating a beautiful, bright, the old, antiquated facility. “The original Westerly Animal Shelter inviting place which was located in a tiny, stifling residents and volunteers building … the heating and ventilation system was extremely are proud to visit.” poor and there was really little space for housing animals,” he said. “The state-of-the-art Stand Up for Animals (SUFA) shelter was borne out of my frustration and I am proud to have been one of the founding members of the organization. You can only make room for abandoned or lost pets so many times, but the alternative was heart-wrenching. Turn the animals away or euthanize some to make room for others… something had to be done,” offered Tom.
“The SUFA facility is
“But that is why we are here. As Animal Control Officer, I visit schools and talk to children on how to properly care for pets. Over the last year, SUFA has held many informative and educational seminars in the community room of the shelter to enlighten the public … we really are here for the community – to educate them and answer their questions,” he added. And the community has been there for SUFA. The generous donations and support of local families and businesses have helped to keep the shelter running smoothly. The facility now has a medical procedure room and is on its way to having a full-scale operating room. “Having the ability to perform small procedures, dentistry work and neuters has been a huge cost savings to the Town. And with continued support, the surgical suite will be complete and we can begin to perform even more advanced procedures.” continued on page 2
Girl Scout Troop 912 Organizes PAWS 4 A CAUSE Dog Walk
Thank you to Captain Bruce “Buck” Ladd
Pins for Pets Bowl-A-Thon Raises over $5,000!
The girl scouts of Troop 912 needed a community service project to achieve the
Stand Up For Animals always
bronze award, the highest honor a girl can earn in junior girl scouting. Initially, they
appreciates the generosity of this
wanted to donate volunteer time at the Westerly Animal Shelter but found they
community, and would like to
were too young. The girls knew they definitely wanted to do something to help
extend our heartfelt thanks to
Our 7th Annual Pins for Pets Bowl-A-Thon, held on
animals and decided to organize a community dog walk.
Captain Bruce “Buck” Ladd for his
March 26th at Alley Katz Lanes in Westerly, was a
generous gift. Captain Ladd was a
tremendous success. We want to thank all of our
lifelong fisherman - well respected
wonderful volunteers who once again donated their
by all who knew him, and missed
time and talents to help Stand Up For Animals organize
by all who had the pleasure of
this event.
On May 1, 2011, pets and their owners descended on the Avondale Farm Preserve in Westerly. The seven girls working toward this award were: Olivia Chiaradio, Megan Gimple, Mollie Keena, Cinphany McClure-Snead, Gabrielle Townsend, and Gianna Cabral. Each girl was asked to manage a certain area of the event, which included a
calling him friend. Though he is
Doggie Café, for tired pets and their owners to rest, and an obstacle course. All participants were asked to bring a donation for the Westerly Animal Shelter, and donations included: money, gift cards, pet food, and blankets. After preliminary meetings with animal experts and shelter representatives, the girls learned more about the shelter and what it takes to keep it operating successfully.
no longer with us, his legacy of Pictured from left to right: Gabrielle Townsend, Mollie Kenna, Megan Gimple with her dog Charlotte, Olivia Chiaradio, Cinphany McClure-Snead, Gianna Cabral and Julianna Hill.
For more information on how you can help our shelter animals, call 401.584.7941.
kindness and generosity will live on through the many animals his gift will help to protect. Captain Bruce “Buck” Ladd pictured with his beloved German Shepherd, Agnes.
In addition to the 140 bowlers who enjoyed the day many spectators came out to lend their support. Many local businesses and eateries also donated raffles prizes and food and we are grateful for their continued support of our shelter animals.
It was late 2007, when Captain Ladd met with then-SUFA Board
View, share, and download photos at:
President Diane Kinney and Board Secretary Peter Lewiss expressing his desire to name SUFA as a charitable
Thank you to Ariana Ross for her generosity While most six year olds provide their parents with a laundry list of birthday gift requests, young Ariana Ross decided she wanted to help our animals instead. In lieu of presents she requested that relatives and friends make donations to the SUFA/Westerly Animal Shelter. On April 12th, Ariana and her parents, Dena and Barry Ross of Pawcatuck, CT, delivered them to the shelter. We thank Ariana for her warm and generous
Local businesses lend a hand Stand Up For Animals would like to extend its gratitude to the many local businesses that display our coin banks. Because of your generosity, our mission to create a place of dignity and respect for animals can continue.
We appreciate each and every donation, and we sincerely thank you.
gesture and we hope more young people will follow her lead.
beneficiary of his estate. Though the SUFA building had not yet been constructed, Captain Ladd was inspired to make certain that SUFA was able to succeed for many years to come. He appreciated the mission of SUFA and he had a strong desire to provide for and improve the quality of life and well-being of shelter dogs. His beloved German Shepherd, Agnes, was a shelter dog and he watched her suffer with disc problems as a result of the poor treatment she endured prior to being adopted. “He truly was a special person. I wish that I had the pleasure of knowing him,” said Howard Thorp, SUFA Board President. “His love of dogs is evident through his long time companionship with Agnes, and his wonderful gift. We at SUFA will ensure that his memory will live on in perpetuity in the many animals we will help as a direct result of his generosity.”
AGWAY of Westerly continued from the cover In his tenure as Animal Control Officer, Tom has experienced literally every facet of the job –adoptions, care of animals, answering calls, fundraising, investigating violations, and prosecuting cases of neglect. He is pleased with how far the shelter has come and with the tremendous advancements that have been made. “In this job, you not only have to love animals – you have to love people. And I have to say that the team of staff members and volunteers working for SUFA is a great group of people who truly care about this community … I cannot wait to see where this facility will be in the next 5 years,” he concluded. Since the interview with Tom, the Town of Westerly hired a new Shelter Manager/ Volunteer Coordinator to run the daily operations at the shelter which also includes pet adoptions. Tammy Sarber came on board June 8th and has hit the ground running. Her hours are Wednesday thru Sunday 8am-4pm while Tom is on duty as Animal Control Officer Saturday thru Wednesday 8am-4pm. The SUFA Board of Directors, along with Lil Gagnier, SUFA’s office manager, welcome Tammy in her new role and is looking forward to a symbiotic relationship towards a common goal, working together to ensure the health and well-being of our shelter animals.
Beach Street Dermatology Dunn’s Corners Market Dunn’s Corners Mobil
The Procedure Room is Up and Running! Surgical Suite Coming Soon...
Exceptions Consignments Famous Pizza Fra’s GC Rare Coins, Inc. Good Dogma McQuades ACE Home Center Mobil “On the Run” Sable’s Salon Scavello Sisters St. Clair Annex The Bean Counter VCA/Turco Animal Hospital
Dr. John Turco, DVM, and Sue Davis Marino, Hospital Manager of VCA Turco Animal Hospital, tend to one of our shelter residents. The procedure room has been a tremendous benefit to the shelter and has already completed several small procedures. And stay tuned for the opening of the surgical suite.
Board Members President Howard B. Thorp
Treasurer Jill Kass
1st Vice President Debbi Bammer
Secretary Lori Harrison
2nd Vice President Lina O’Leary
Assistant Secretary Gail Quattromani Trustees
Carol Amedeo Betsy Dotolo Peter Kaschuluk
Robert H. Pattillo Pasquale A. Cavaliere
We thank our departing Board Members, Larry Hirsch and Peter Lewiss, for their nine years of supporting SUFA’s mission.
Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID providence, RI Permit # 1899
33 Larry Hirsch Lane - Suite B PO Box 1706 Westerly, Rhode Island 02891 401-348-9595 www.standupforanimals.org Open 7 Days a Week 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Westerly Dog Ordinance Reminder From May 2nd to Labor Day pets are only allowed on the beach between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. All dogs must be on a leash and all droppings must be picked up and removed. Also, any areas on beach property that are marked by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as piping plover nesting areas are restricted. Dogs are allowed in the Santo Algiere Recreation Area, and assistance dogs are allowed to attend to their owners as needed. For more information visit the town of Westerly website (http://westerly.govoffice.com/) and click on the ordinances link.
Don’t miss out on this year’s Pet Friends Calendar Visit www.standupforanimals.org for details on how your pet can be featured in our 2012 Pet Friends Calendar!
SIGN Up TODAY!
9th Annual Golf Tournament September 29, 2011 Misquamicut Club 60 Ocean View Highway, Watch Hill, RI Registration 10:00 a.m. Brunch 11:00 a.m. Shotgun Start 12:00 p.m.
Player entry fee of $275 includes greens fee, golf cart, brunch, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres reception, awards presentation, prizes, and lots of fun! Best Ball Format. Reserve your foursome today at standupforanimals.org. Sponsorship opportunities still available.