Home > Out of the Cage! > October 2004 > Volunteer Spotlight: Sharon Mear: Volunteering to Make a Difference

Volunteer Spotlight

Sharon Mear: Volunteering to Make a Difference

For Sharon Mear, helping animals isn't just something she does. It's who she is.

A certified canine behavior counselor, instructor, and trainer, Sharon is also an animal rights advocate and vegetarian. Her love of animals and belief that everyone can make a difference led her to transform her life as a corporate-based businessperson to her current profession. Sharon's company, Training Cats and Dogs, provides several different services. Sharon teaches people how to train their dogs for the home so they will be better companions. She offers consultations for dogs and cats with behavioral problems, such as fears and anxieties, as well as teaching group classes. "I needed to do something meaningful, something that would awaken me, stimulate my mind, and somehow provide an opportunity to make a difference in the world," she explains.

For more than a year, Sharon has volunteered with the Mayor's Alliance. She appears regularly at the "Ask the Trainer" table at Alliance Adoption Events, where she educates prospective adopters by addressing their concerns and questions about their companion animals. She has offered her expertise at two Mayor's Alliance Pet Adoption Festivals in Central Park, at Prospect Park's Great American Mutt Adoption Day, and most recently, at the Cat Awareness Day at BARC Shelter in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

"All of these events have been very satisfying," says Sharon. "Knowing that cats and dogs are being adopted and given a second or third chance for a full, happy life with loving adopters is what it's all about. The fact that I might allay someone's concerns about first-time guardianship, offer suggestions on housebreaking, or field questions about the animals they already have, is in itself completely satisfying. Knowing that I can make a difference and impact on a life makes it worthwhile. All of these events offer valuable ways for organizations to network, and open up more and more ways to facilitate public awareness."

Sharon also submitted the name chosen for the Mayor's Alliance e-newsletter, Out of the Cage!.

Whether she's educating animal guardians, walking dogs for animal shelters, or finding homes for strays from the street, volunteering is a big part of Sharon's life. Her association with the Mayor's Alliance is particularly meaningful to her. "As an animal activist, humanitarian, canine behavior counselor, and trainer, my life is all about animals, and the Alliance's mission is in line with mine," she says. "When I heard that there was a coalition whose goal was to work with animal shelters and rescue groups to save lives and make New York a no-kill city, I wanted to be involved. Working with such dedicated people makes me believe that anything is possible."

In addition to her busy professional and volunteer activities, Sharon has important responsibilities at home, where she shares her life with Gillespie "Mr. Cheeks" and Billie Blue — two adopted feral cats she describes as "black domestic beauties."

"Mr. Cheeks found me!" says Sharon, laughing. For several years she fed Gillespie on the fire escape outside her third floor apartment, which she shared with her three elderly companion animals that were not at all interested in acquiring a new feline roommate. After old age claimed her three companions, Sharon went away for a year, having made arrangements with neighbors to look after Gillespie in her absence. "When I came back, there he was. He must have read the vacancy sign," she says. She opened her window so he could come and go. One day he showed up with a gash on his leg. Sharon lured him into a Have-a-Heart cage, took him to the hospital, returned home with him, and, according to Sharon, he's never wanted to go out the window since. "He's my big mush head, a real sweet and loving boy."

Billie Blue, a former feral cat from Staten Island, came into Sharon's life at a local shelter. Recognizing instantly that Billie would be a good match for Mr. Cheeks, Sharon adopted her. "She is beautiful, independent, smart, manipulative, talkative, playful, and now, after many years, has finally agreed that belly rubbing really does feel good," explains Sharon. "And she loves Mr. Cheeks."

Sharon takes her volunteer work seriously. She explains, "When you are working with animals, especially shelter animals, your actions have a direct and immediate impact on their well-being. You must be committed and compassionate, with a strong constitution, because every day you deal with lives that are already so fragile. If you don't show up for your volunteer job because of a headache it could mean that a dog doesn't get walked or a cat doesn't get held."

Sharon relies heavily upon her strong people skills, in both her professional and volunteer work. "People often say they would rather work with animals than with people, but one of the best ways to help animals is by working with their owners or prospective owners," she explains. "Whether I'm working with a dog or a person who has serious anxiety issues, or helping someone get through their pup's basic housebreaking, I try to give them the tools and guidance they need. But it is their commitment and diligence that will ultimately make it work. I hope that what I do every day makes a difference."

For information about volunteering with the Mayor's Alliance or to complete a volunteer application online, click here. To find out about volunteer opportunities with any of the Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs), click here and select from the list of APOs.