Abused, homeless animals to get relief with new fund

By Jeanne Starmack

The fund is taking donations and still needs volunteers.

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — A Lawrence County relief fund for homeless and abused animals is getting off the ground with an important goal in mind — zero tolerance for animal abuse, said its president, Richard Rapone.

Rapone, who is also county treasurer, has led the effort to organize the Lawrence County Animal Relief Fund. It now has a 12-member board of directors and $1,065 in donations aside from $1,500 the county donated to help with filing fees to become a nonprofit organization, he said Tuesday at a news conference in the county government center.

With him were people he called instrumental in helping to establish LC-ARF, some of its board members, and volunteers who will help with fundraising and community education programs.

The fund, which will even solicit donations through fliers sent out with 10,000 dog-license notifications, is set up with the eventual goal of hiring at least one full-time humane officer for the county.

Though the county has a dog officer now through the state, that officer’s duty is to protect people from animals. He is not focused on animal welfare, though he does do some of that kind of work, officials have said.

Tom Sansone, New Castle police chief, said the officer, Tom Wharry, works for the city at night as an animal control and humane officer.

He said that under mutual aid, he can let Wharry go into the rest of the county on an animal abuse call.

Sansone and police officer Chris Fabian, who is on the ARF board, said police officers must enforce the humane laws if the dog officer isn’t available.

“We don’t have the time you would like to have,” Sansone said. County District Attorney John Bongivengo, also on the board, said part of the problem is that local police forces don’t have the manpower to investigate. He said that with the addition of Wharry as a countywide humane officer, he anticipates there will be “far more cruelty cases to be filed.”

Bongivengo also said his office has drug forfeiture money for community-based programs. He has offered to pay for the fliers.

ARF also intends to support county shelters, such as the county Humane Society, a network of foster homes called Promises for Pets, and a cat shelter in Ellwood City called Fur-Ever Feline Rescue and Re-homing.

Promises for Pets has $15,000 a year in expenses, said its president Susan Papa, who also is on the ARF board.

Fur-Ever Feline is the work of two Ellwood City women who have used their own money to help homeless cats and establish the shelter.

Rapone said it is yet to be determined if individuals who are helping homeless animals will be able to apply for ARF funds.

Another portion of ARF’s money will be used for its own operations, Rapone said.

ARF came about after county commissioners investigated whether the county could hire a humane officer. They did so because of e-mails and calls about animals from concerned residents, said Commissioners Steve Craig and Rich DeBlasio.

They discovered that as a fifth-class county, Lawrence is not permitted to hire an officer. But a nonprofit organization could.

Residents John Altman and Chris Brogren looked into what other counties are doing. The result was the idea for ARF.

County residents Corrinda Clarke, Rochelle Shaftic and Dick Craig have agreed to volunteer for the organization.

starmack@vindy.com