For students who love animals and want to give back to the local community, Pet Pals offers a unique and rewarding way to spend time off campus while supporting a local shelter. Through weekly volunteering trips at the Chenango Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Pet Pals allows students to socialize with animals in need while also providing a fun and much-needed break from the stresses of college life.
A unique feature of the club is that Pet Pals is extremely flexible because students can pick and choose the days and times that work best for them. Students are not expected to go to a session every single week — although they, of course, are welcome to — so each slot is a one-time reservation. Sign-ups are sent out weekly via the Pet Pals mailing list on Sunday nights and slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The club is also aware that not everyone has a car, so to make transportation easier, the Pet Pals use a carpooling system. During the session, students help with a variety of tasks at the shelter, including socializing with the animals and exercising them, cleaning their homes and providing general care to the cats and dogs waiting to be adopted.
While the cats and dogs at Chenango SPCA get taken care of, students also benefit from the experience. Spending time with the animals can be a great way to get off campus to a new environment and provides a welcome break from classes and exams.
Sophomore Charley Agranoff explained why she has been volunteering with Pet Pals for over a year now.
“Working with Pet Pals is incredibly fulfilling, as I can take time to care for and play with cats and dogs that need homes,” Agranoff said. “I have two cats and two dogs back home, so I’ve always enjoyed playing with animals.”
Similarly, sophomore Catey Gross spoke about previous experiences with stray animals back home, a passion that has continued at Colgate.
“I loved participating in Pet Pals because it’s amazing being able to give love to animals that haven’t received it in the past. I participated because back home I have a ditch of stray cats that I took care of every morning and night, which now that I’m at college, my neighbors took over,” Gross said. “Helping stray animals is the most rewarding feeling in the world to me.”
Sophomore and Pet Pals leader Maddie Mason shared this sentiment, explaining that she was originally drawn to the club due to missing her pets at home.
“Pet Pals offered me the opportunity to interact with animals again, something I really missed from being at home. I have a lizard, but playing with cats and dogs are obviously totally different things, and so it’s nice to be able to have that new experience,” Mason said. “It is also so rewarding to help out the shelter while getting some much-needed animal therapy.”
When asked about her favorite Pet Pals memory, Mason recalled a particularly sweet encounter with one of the shelter’s cats.
“He just had his legs amputated, but he was so happy to get cuddles, and kept purring the whole time,” Mason said.
In addition to weekly trips, Pet Pals also hosts a variety of other events, including “COVE Cats,” where the cats from Chenango SPCA are brought on campus to spend time with students in the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education, known to students as the COVE. This event typically occurs after spring break or finals week, making it a perfect opportunity for those looking to relieve stress during exam season. Through events like this, Pet Pals brings Colgate students and animals in need together.
