WBZ Cares: 'The Shadow Fund' Helps Pets Get Life-Saving Treatment

BOSTON (CBS) – The WBZ Cares campaign is now underway.

Each month, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 will highlight a worthy non-profit organization and tell the story of what it does for the community.

The campaign will involve news reporting, public service announcements and interviews.

For the month of June, WBZ Cares will profile The Shadow Fund, which helps hard-luck pets get the life-saving medical treatment they need.

It was created at the Massachusetts School of Law in 2007 to help a veteran Marine who was going to quit his job so he could access his 401k plan to pay for his rescue dog's expensive surgery.

Professor Diane Sullivan thought no one should be in that position, so she raised money to help fund the surgery.

"Robert Burke was going to have to quit his job because his lab (named Shadow) required $3,800 in medical expenses and he didn't have any money, except the money in his 401k plan at Papa Gino's," she told WBZ.

"I thought to myself – how terrible is this that somebody who has been overseas in Vietnam has to quit his job for money so that he can help his dog."

Sullivan was able to raise the money through the School of Law to help Burke pay for the surgery and out of that the Shadow Fund was born.

It has since helped hundreds of people and their pets over the years, but sometimes they have to say no.

"It might be a 14-year-old dog that needs thousands of dollars. There is very little likelihood that's going to turn around the situation," Sullivan said.

Massachusetts School of Law Dean Michael Coyne said he's amazed by the need that's out there.

"People maxing out their credit cards and then they still don't have enough resources left to be able to get them the additional services and that's when people come to us," he told WBZ.

"The stories are actually very heart-breaking, especially if you've been with an animal for a period of time. They're not property. They become a member of your family."

"We're not just helping the animal, we're helping, often times, an elderly person who this is their only contact in the world. They're shut-ins. They live on very limited budgets. Their cat or their dog is their only friend in the world," Sullivan said.

"I can't imagine having to say good-bye to an animal that I loved because I couldn't afford what was necessary to save the pet's life."

Coyne says the partnership between the school and the fund is a perfect fit because the school prides itself on producing lawyers that make a difference in their communities.

"(We) provide opportunities for law students to be able to be involved in community service that they choose to be involved with and it's amazing how many students gravitate to this project. We have many other community service projects that they can get involved in, but this is where people's hearts are – with their pets, with their companion animals," he said.

It's a 100-percent volunteer operation, according to Coyne.

"The school doesn't take any overhead. This is a community service both on behalf of the law school, its professors and its students to try and ensure every dollar that is actually raised goes directly to pets in need and their immediate care, " he told WBZ.

"We get calls virtually every day from someone needing services."

Donations are always welcome.

"The Shadow Fund can do a lot with a little. So I would in courage all of WBZ's listeners to think about making a contribution, particularly if you care about animals, help us help them," Sullivan said.

If you'd like to donate, you can visit their website.

In:
• Kim Tunnicliffe