Photo submitted to the Times Observer During a recent trap and recovery, these ladies, members of Great Dames Trap and Recover, all played a role in rescuing two boxers Onyx and Jyna, for owner Becky Pacheco. Pictured left to right are Heather Burkey, Frankie Johnson, Kim Cusimano, Vicki Cusimano, Becky Pacheco, Tracy Horner, and Linda Loomis.

Many women establish friendships based on shared workplaces or communities. A local group of ladies whose friendships began through lost pet searches demonstrates the power of community-led volunteer efforts.

Now working together as a team, ladies that make up The Great Dames Trap and Recover are known for their hearts’ mission to recover lost dogs. A unique calling to assist dog owners in their search, founder Vicki Cusimano, established the organization about eight years ago along with friend Beth Thompson. When a dog went missing in her neighborhood, Cusimano, along with a neighbor Frankie Johnson, Linda Loomis and a few others, decided to get involved to look for it. Weeks went by, and they found out that this dog had gotten hit on the four lane highway, yet still alive.

“We knew that it was injured and really needed to be found, so we spent a long time looking for this dog, and we found it up on a hillside, bedded down, and we all were able to capture it,” Cusimano said.

The dog was returned to its owner after it had been gone for roughly three months. It had covered hundreds of miles and had an amazing recovery after it even made quite a loop through Ohio. In rough condition, emaciated and a broken hip, this dog needed $1,500 worth of surgery. Cusimano said the money was raised to cover that cost. From that point on, Cusimano has felt that this is her calling. Realizing the need for the service, Cusimano said she is looking into becoming a nonprofit organization. Since its beginnings in 2018, the funding comes out of her pocket or from donations received from owners.

Based out of Warren County, Cusimano said she would save everything she has ever found that needed to be saved. Cusimano along with Frankie Johnson, Kim Cusimano, Tracy Horner, Linda Loomis and Bethe Thompson service Warren, Jamestown and surrounding areas. Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments but the team has been able to acquire a variety of humane traps, which includes different types and sizes available to aid in their recovery of lost pets. The variety of options available allows customization for their plan of action by individualizing each lost pet.

Animal shelters have assisted the group including Warren’s Paws Along the River, Friendship, New York’s Rescue Pups Inc. and Celebration of Canine Lives in Cuba, New York.

“We’re all kind of tied together, because when we trap a dog, say it’s a stray, no owners, you know, we have to have a place for it to go, so they usually help us out,” said Cusimano.

Before a stray can be trapped, it must have a place to live. An owner of four dogs, Cusimano said that the shelters usually step up and help out, unless they are overloaded at the time.

“Then we have to find fosters,” Cusimano said.

Unfortunately, finding people to foster dogs can be difficult. She described how taking on a stray dog is a big responsibility, especially if the dog’s temperament is unknown.

The love and deep passion for animals is what drives the Great Dames team to take every opportunity to help pets in need and their families, free of charge. Regularly, they achieve their goal of getting pets to safety and reuniting them back into the arms of their families. Saying that every day there’s a different animal that needs help, Cusimano and her team are ready to report for duty. When the service began she said that it was maybe one dog every couple weeks, but now it’s every day. Cusimano makes herself available 24/7 and her husband supports her 100% in doing this job she loves. Cusimano said she is always looking for volunteers.

“Always, always, but the thing is, they have to be ready to go. They have to be dedicated because I can’t be making 20 phone calls,” she said.

Dogs are not the only animals the group has trapped. Recently, Cusimano was in the right place at the right time to save two horses. They even once trapped wallabies in the region from an exotic farm. “His wallaby got out, and somebody tagged us, so we reached out to him, and we actually were able to trap it for him.” Ultimately, they will trap anything that needs to be trapped and saved.

“Probably the worst thing I ever trapped was a bear,” said Cusimano. Found near the Red Oak Campground area, the bear broke out and ruined a 6 foot, $600 trap.

All self-trained, Cusimano learned a lot from Sherlock Bones Lost N’Hound Recovery and Joelle Buczkowski-Stanton out of Buffalo, N.Y. She said she is willing to train anybody who wants to get involved.

“I’d love to have more people that do this, because it’s really getting overwhelming,” Cusimano said.

Perhaps an opportunity for those that might want to go into the veterinary field of any kind, Cusimano agreed and mentioned that it is good to know how dogs’ minds operate when they’re in survival mode, which they do almost immediately upon leaving home.

“They’re scared and everybody’s a predator,” Cusimano said. “They won’t come to anyone, not even their owners.”

Putting their owners right in front of them, until the dog gets their owner’s scent, Cusimano shared that the dogs often snap right out of it, however it’s quite a process to know what to do. Learning from past mistakes, Cusimano now has a high success rate. Without a sighting, the group cannot do anything. Using another dog can be a great way to attract the lost dog.

Some precautions that people should be mindful of when losing a dog is that, first and foremost, the dog should never be chased and should never be called.

“There’s a lot to know about setting traps and how to set traps and where to set them and how to bait them,” Cusimano said. “We set up live feed cameras and still feed cameras. We do food plots and cameras first, then once we get the dog coming to this spot and eating, we know he is coming back there, unless he’s chased. Then that’s when we’ll go in and set the trap.”

It might take several days or longer to actually trap. In the meantime, other animals including skunks, opossums, raccoons, and cats get trapped.

A 100% success rate with 5 x 10 foot kennel traps are used with laser beams to shut the door once the dog goes to the back of the trap for food. The group has two laser beam traps, along with other traps in various sizes for different sized dogs. The newest tool to aid in their rescues is a thermal drone acquired by Tracy Horner, who is also the pilot for the group. They are about to build a smaller trap that will be easier to put together while they are out on their searches. The group is getting well known with around 3,400 followers now on Facebook. With every story, Cusimano said that 50 more followers are gained.

“The comments are amazing. It’s amazing how people feel about what we do. It just makes you feel so good, and just fuels you to really just get out there and do more of it,” Cusimano said.

“We don’t expect any money. It’s just about saving the dog and helping strangers,” said Cusimano. “We meet some of the nicest people doing rescue work.”

Two boxers, Onyx and Jyna were recently found; one by way of a thermal drone while the other was recovered by Heather Burkey – a friend of the owner prior to arriving. Both dogs were injured with Onyx’s paw so swollen she could hardly walk. Becky Pacheco, the dogs’ owner and Cusimano took turns carrying her out of the woods. Porcupine quills were taken out of Jyna’s mouth and the two dehydrated dogs were taken to the ER. They are reported to be doing well now.

While this dedicated group does not charge for their services, donations are appreciated and it would seem, necessary. Donations can be made by way of PayPal and Zelle which are linked to this email: rognvic@ymail.com

“When we are asked to help someone, we put our whole hearts into it as if it were our own pet because we know how we would feel in their shoes. When we lose a pet to a tragedy, we grieve right along with the owner,” said Cusimano. The group is available 24/7 for pet owners whose pet has gone missing, whether only for advice or if a pet needs to be trapped.

For more information contact Vicki at 716-397-2506 or visit the Great Dames Trap and Recover Facebook page.