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VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

Retirees put pep in their steps walking shelter dogs

By Shelby Fisk sfisk@scrantonedition.com
Scranton Edition Staff Writer / Photographer

CLARKS SUMMIT – Five years ago, Dolores Bandru had open-heart surgery and Marilyn O’Leary is a breast cancer survivor of eight years. They both believe they have been given a second chance at life and they use that second chance to enrich the lives of others, especially of the four-footed variety. Bandru and O’Leary are volunteers at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in Clarks Summit.

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Marilyn O’Leary of Justus takes a miniature pinscher at the animal shelter outside for a little exercise.

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Dolores Bandru of Clarks Summit walks Tug, a terrier/pug mix that is waiting for adoption at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.

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“We’re kind of recycled,” O’Leary said. “We come here and we ‘recycle’ the dogs. They didn’t throw us away, so we’re not going to throw them away.”

O’Leary is currently recovering from a June 15 knee surgery, but otherwise she said that she would be at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, formerly The Humane Society of Lackawanna County, every day with Bandru.

“I’m out of commission. She’s (Bandru) doing double duty,” O’Leary said.

The two met while volunteering at the animal shelter, which they do almost every day. They primarily walk dogs, but also wash dogs, feed dogs and clean cages when needed. The two also sit and talk with dogs that may be too big to walk or too anxious to go outside.

“It started one day a week, and then it became two and eventually it’s become like a full-time commitment,” O’Leary said.

“For me it is,” Bandru agreed. “I was here the Fourth of July, in the morning. But we love them. You feel guilty if you don’t come. You think ‘Oh God, they’re waiting for us.’”

So, normally every day, when the shelter opens at noon, Bandru and O’Leary start walking dogs, usually staying until 2 or 2:30 p.m. They walk, on average, five small- to medium-size dogs each.

“The shelter closes at 4:30. She’ll come back again at 4 p.m.,” O’Leary said about Bandru.

“We came in the snow, the blizzard,” Bandru added. “We’re like the mailman, rain snow or sleet.”

“People will say, ‘Oh, I couldn’t come up here. I couldn’t look at all of this badness,’” O’Leary said. “That’s not the attitude. You’re making it easier while they’re here.”

This is a good outlet,” O’Leary added, saying she enjoys spending time at the shelter.

“When you are retired, you have a tendency to sedate and you get caught up in your own little world, and yet you come over here and you see all the problems that are here,” O’Leary said.

“A lot of times when I’m home and I feel so lazy…I come here and I perk right up. I feel good,” Bandru said.

O’Leary said others walk dogs as well. She said Vince Morelli is someone who deserves “a pat on the back.”

“He is such a big, burly guy with a gentle spirit and a heart for animals,” O’Leary said, noting that Morelli faithfully visits the shelter two or three times a week, making sure that he walks every single dog in each of the three kennels before he leaves.

“If I don’t show up, I worry about them,” Bandru said.

“My daughter says to me, ‘Why do you go there and then you come home and you’re so upset you cry?’ I say, ‘Well, what can you do? You just do it and if I don’t go, it kills me.’

“A lot of people don’t care, and we do,” she said.

An upcoming fundraiser for the shelter, the Northeast Harley Club Motorcycle Run, is scheduled for Sunday, July 26. The ride begins at Electric City Harley Davidson on state Route 6, Dickson City, and ends at the Milestone Ranch, Johnson Road, Clarks Summit. All proceeds benefit the shelter. Registration will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Cost is $20 per rider or $15 per passenger.

“(Do) anything to benefit the society,” Bandru said.

“Anything that helps these dogs out is absolutely great,” O’Leary added.

Marilyn O’Leary

Dolores Bandru

TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Justus

OCCUPATION: Retired from former Bell telephone company, later was stay-at-home mom

YEARS: 12 years

CHARITIES, VOLUNTEER WORK: Volunteering with Griffin Pond Animal Shelter for more than two years and Parker Hill Community Church

FAMILY: Husband Robert; children, Karen and Bob Jr.; grandchildren, Jordyn, Taylor and Joshua; dogs, Hoagie, the late Oscar

EDUCATION: High school

HOBBIES, INTERESTS: Walking dogs

TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Clarks Summit

OCCUPATION: Retired, former manager at Thomas’s Naturalizer Shoes, Viewmont Mall, Dickson City

YEARS: 14 years

CHARITIES, VOLUNTEER WORK: Volunteering with Griffin Pond Animal Shelter for nearly two years

FAMILY: Late husband John; daughter, Debbie; dogs: Cricket, Sadie, Coco, Binky and the late Snookie.

EDUCATION: High school

HOBBIES, INTERESTS: Walking dogs

Volunteer of the Week is a regular feature in The Times Leader Scranton Edition that recognizes individuals, businesses or other organizations for their volunteer efforts and contributions to their communities. To nominate someone or an organization to be considered for this feature, e-mail mondrako@scrantonedition.com or call 558-0113.