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Tax service, Angels join to spotlight animal adoption
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
Liberty Tax Service marketing manager Troy Green feeds his dog, Hush, during an adoption event Saturday afternoon in Boardman.
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
For many people, tax season can be, well, taxing, but it also can be for the dogs.
Enter Babushka, Henry and Joplin.
They were the three dogs Angels for Animals featured as part of its adoption event Saturday at Liberty Tax Service, 90 Boardman-Poland Road.
“I wanted to volunteer [at Angels] because I’ve always loved animals,” said Kaitlyn Dastoli, a Canfield High School junior who goes to the Canfield-based animal shelter on Saturdays. “I want to be a veterinarian, and I thought this would be a good experience for me.”
Kaitlyn and several volunteers who work with dogs and cats temporarily housed at the 20-year-old shelter were on hand for the gathering, which also featured prizes as well as free food and tax preparation.
Fellow volunteers Cheri Williams and her father, Jim Brace, along with Jake Halatek and his sister, Leah, braved the cold as they stood with the dogs near U.S. Route 224 to encourage motorists to consider adopting the pets.
Williams said Jake and Leah, her nephew and niece, got her interested in volunteering, which she’s done for about a year. Jake and Leah attend Poland Middle and Poland McKinley Elementary schools, respectively.
The dogs range in age from 4 to 6 years, Williams added.
Giving plenty of affection to five cats was Brenda Austin of Salem, who provides foster care for cats and assists Angels with spaying and neutering procedures.
“She’s a nice, small and mellow kitty. She doesn’t have issues with anybody,” Austin said, referring to Violet, a petite, black-and-white animal that was rescued last month from a mobile-home park near Salem.
Violet and Winter, a cat with a genetic defect that caused it to have six toes on each foot, had been abandoned when the park went into foreclosure and were outdoors most of the winter, explained Austin, who also worked seven years at the Columbiana County Humane Society. A resident contacted her, and the cats were taken in mid-February to Angels, Austin continued.
“Winter’s personality has really emerged,” she said, adding that both animals are about 3 years old. “She’s playful and affectionate.”
As part of its community-service efforts, Liberty Tax Service contacted Angels for Animals to host the event, noted Troy Green, manager.
Green, who brought Hush, his 3-year-old terrier/Labrador retriever mix, said his business is focused on giving back to the area. Liberty also hosted a recent Red Cross blood drive and is collecting food items through mid-April to be donated to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, he explained.
In addition, Green said, the business offers free tax services to police, firefighters and health-care workers. “We want to make taxes as enjoyable as possible,” he added.
People interested in adopting these or any of the estimated 150 cats, as well as dogs, are asked to contact Kelly Witherstine, Angels’ cat manager, at 330-549-1111, or e-mail the facility at angelsforanimals.org.