FOX 35 Recognizes! Florida Woman’s Compassion, Reuniting 2,500+ Lost Pets
Winter Park, Florida – A woman with a golden heart is leading a group of volunteers to help abandoned pets find their owners, and the FOX 35 Care Force Team is honoring her amazing efforts.
It can be a terrible experience for anyone who has ever had a pet escape and disappear. The first thing someone might wonder is, “Who can I call for help?”
A lot of people in Winter Park are aware that Judy Charuhas should be called.
Over 2,500 missing pets have been successfully reunited thanks to her management of the Winter Park Missing Pets website.
Over the years, she has been able to take numerous pictures of pet owners and their friends that show them genuine happiness and relief.
“When you see a kid crying because they have their pet back in their arms – I try to take those pictures as often as I can because a picture is worth a thousand words,” Charuhas stated. “It’s amazing.”
According to Charuhas, she has personal experience with the pain of looking for a missing loved one.
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“I have been through what that’s like,” she replied. “You’re in a panic.”Thankfully, she was able to locate her dog, who had escaped since her gate hadn’t closed. She was motivated to launch the Winter Park Lost Pets webpage by that experience.
“It’s also helpful for me the fact that I’m also a therapist, so when somebody is in that crisis mode – we’re able to do what we can to help them and search for that pet,” she stated.
Pets that have been lost or found can be posted on the website.
An alert is sent to over 20,000 members of an email listserve and social media platforms.
“What makes us successful is kids will get on bikes, people will walk down the street, a group will get together,” said Charuhas. “They are going to go socialize.
We usually get back together in 24 to 48 hours. Cats require a little more time. It could be longer—it can sometimes last up to a month. I advise folks to persevere. We are not going to give up. Thus, you persevere. And we’re still looking.”
It is all managed by volunteers. She is passionate about this initiative.
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She exclaimed, “We reunited our 2,563 pets last night!” “Hooray!” She is positively impacting the community in numerous ways.
When someone loses a pet, they frequently call the police, according to Tim Volkerson, the chief of police in Winter Park. “They call us first. Judy is the first person we call once they call.”
When Charuhas learned that K-9 Wyatt of the Winter Park Police Department lacked a protective vest, she took immediate action.
“We recently donated a K9 vest to Wyatt our K-9 police officer because they serve and protect us and we want to protect him,” she stated. “I also reached out to the fire department and found out they needed pet oxygen masks, so we did funding and were able to give every vehicle a pet oxygen mask.”
Charuhas is constantly seeking methods to assist. Volkerson remarked, “Judy is the definition of compassion and generosity.” She is the kind of person that selflessly contributes her time and abilities, which is what makes this community so unique.
She is always willing to serve others and never asks for anything in return. She is not just a delightful person to be around, but she is also genuinely unique.”