Carol Fisher-Linn
The other day, my husband and I took a ride to Randolph to meet a couple of brothers I was told about by my kind friend, Maria Barrera, who is always looking for sweet, wonderful stories for me to share with our readers. I must admit, I was quite skeptical when she told me about a fund designed to help low-income people in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties pay for veterinarian care for their pets – especially when the only way I could reach them was through an email to their financial advisor in Depew. However, contact was made, a phone call ensued, and a date was set to meet these retired twin brothers and learn more about Shadow’s Veterinary Relief Trust. (https://www.shadowsveterinarianrelief.org/trust-details/)
My reaction upon spending several hours with these wonderful men in their lovely, comfortable home, was surprising. It turns out their hearts are genuine, and their kind generosity is truly an example for others. Let me tell you about them and their program to help pet owners.
Timothy and Theodore Stanley live in their family home together. These gentlemen have never married and are now retired, Timothy from teaching and Theodore from being an X-Ray tech. Frugal savers, they decided several years ago that they need to plan for the future. With no immediate family to care for, it seemed only appropriate that they would take their lifetime love of animals and turn that into the Stanley brothers’ legacy. With Dr. Robert Rappole from Moonbrook Veterinary Hospital in Jamestown serving as a medical advisor, they developed a program, using funds set up in a trust by the brothers to provide financial assistance for the medical and surgical care of family pets whose limited income owners (under $30,000 annually, adjusted for CPI -Consumer Price Index) reside in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties. Their generosity truly means the difference between life and death to the animal. When speaking to “Kat,” Tech and Office Manager at Moonbrook, she said, “this is a great program offering a big advantage to pets and their owners. If we did not have access to Shadow’s Veterinary Relief Fund, some of those sick animals would have had to have been euthanized. They are alive today because of the generous Stanley brothers. I don’t know why more veterinarians do not participate in this program for their clients. It takes only five or ten minutes at the most to complete the paperwork online and submit it to the trustees for approval.” To date, the fund has paid out approximately $38,000 since May 2020 for the care of 26 dogs, 22 cats and one rabbit.
How it works: Distribution of funds will be based on an application submitted by any veterinarian in Chautauqua or Cattaraugus Counties for residents of those two counties. 80% of most care will be covered by the fund, e.g., surgical care and follow up surgery, emergency care for an abandoned or stray animal, care by referred specialists, care of a litter and the mother, care for pets whose owners are over 65 or those currently unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits in the last six months, pet owners who are disabled and receiving SSI, or any veteran’s service animal. This fund will not pay for declawing, long-term care, or cosmetic procedures (ear cropping, tail docking., etc.) Again, this fund is available only to the individuals mentioned above and earning $30,000 annually or less.
The brothers were petless for some time after their cat died. We all experience grief over the death of our beloved fur babies and will often say, “Never again.” That was the case with the Stanley brothers until they were adopted last fall by two tiny feral kittens whose mother abandoned them in a bush next to their house window. They gathered them up and took them to an organization called Ten Lives Club in Buffalo. They were familiar with the organization and felt comfortable taking these babies to them for care and perhaps fostering until they could be tamed, and a forever home could be found for them. As time passed, they were fostered, but then the brothers had a change of heart and wanted to adopt them back. They insisted on paying to adopt them and finally, they all went home one happy family.
The time is perfect to tell the story of the generous Stanley brothers since it is National Volunteer Appreciation month – a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions of volunteers. It is an opportunity to join the impact of volunteerism and encourage more people to get involved in their communities and to reaffirm their commitment to giving back. Check back next week for a full article about volunteerism and how you can become involved.