There are no goats at the Connecticut Humane Society, however one Hartford Yard Goat baseball player wanted to stop by to see what volunteering with animals is all about.
From throwing a baseball to playing fetch, Jack Wynkoop is an expert at the perfect pitch and his perfect pet. The Yard Goat’s pitcher brought home his rescue dog, Macy, after his girlfriend fostered the puppy for a shelter in Kentucky. Due to the travel involved, Macy stays with family during the busy baseball season. Therefore Wynkoop wanted to give his time to some animals in Connecticut.
“This looks exactly like Macy when she was a puppy! A little skinnier, but the same face,” Wynkoop said when he glanced at a puppy at the Connecticut Humane Society.
All of the puppy faces and playtime with the dogs became a fast favorite for the rookie volunteer. Wynkoop was definitely a designated dog walker, but was surprised by his skills when he stepped up, not to bat, but to meet a cat!
“We have lots of different roles for our volunteers and one of them is. … Do you want to hold him? To be a cat cuddler,” Susan Wollschlager, an employee at the Connecticut Humane Society, asked.
Snuggling and cleanup are both in the volunteer jobs lineup.
“I think I would take the cat cuddler job over cleanup duty,” Wynkoop said.
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While not every job is a home run, Wynkoop said the animal education was pitch perfect. In fact, he wasn’t sure if the sound from a kitten was a growl or something else.
“The little rumbling is just him purring? " Wynkoop asked.
Reassurance from other volunteers that the cat’s purring was a good thing made Wynkoop more confident as he rounded the bases from room to room. Every animal he met inspired the athlete to be the greatest volunteer of all time, a GOAT on the field and at the shelter.
“You’re going to get adopted on the 19th?” Wynkoop asked a puppy looking for its forever him.
On Aug. 19 rescue groups across Connecticut will be pairing up with NBC Connecticut to clear the shelters and help get all animals in need of a home, adopted.
Wynkoop hopes to volunteer that day, as long as he’s not pitching, to help some future pets win their most important game.
“I am wishing for the shelters to be cleared, no doubt,” Wynkoop said.
