Today's Central New York Woman magazine profiles co-founder of the Shamrock Animal Fund.

Today's Central New York Woman magazine has chosen Shamrock Animal Fund Co-Founder and President Jamie Pomilio-Mulcahy for a "Her Passion" feature article in the March 2011 edition.

Shamrock Animal Fund is also positioned nicely on the calendar for the Greater Syracuse area St. Patrick's Day festivities. There's the Shamrock Run on Tipperary Hill on March 5th, the St. Patrick's Parade Downtown on March 12th and Shamrock's Celebration on March 19th at PJ's Pub and Grill in Armory Square.

You can read the text of the full article below or view the magazine through the online publication featuring Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle on the cover.

Bringing a Little Luck to Animals in Need

 BY CAROLINE K. REFF

Founder Jamie Pomilio-Mulcahy, above, will host Shamrock’s Celebration 2011, a fundraiser to benefit the Shamrock Animal Fund, at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at PJ’s Pub & Grill, Syracuse. To donate, call 315-415-8563 or visit shamrockanimalfund.com.

Jamie Pomilio-Mulcahy has always been an animal lover. Growing up in Rome, she brought home a constant stream of lost dogs, injured birds or other animals in need. She said she fondly remembers several dogs her family had as pets. Her greatest love, however, was a toy poodle named Shamrock, born on St. Patrick’s Day 1991. This beloved ball of fur brought great joy to Pomilio-Mulcahy and her husband, Matt Mulcahy, and became well-known in their Fayetteville community and through appearances on Matt’s television station NBC 3.

Sadly, after battling a number of health issues, Shamrock died in January 2010 just short of his 19th birthday. His death was heartbreaking to Pomilio-Mulcahy, but she turned her grief into hope as she and her husband established the Shamrock Animal Fund, a not-for-profit aimed at bringing urgent veterinary care to animals that have owners with financial limitations. “Matt and I spent a lot of time in the waiting room at Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital,” said Pomilio-Mulcahy, who cared for Shamrock through health issues ranging from heart problems to kidney failure. “We witnessed the hardship other animal owners were going through when faced with veterinary care they simply could not afford. We were fortunate we were able to pay, but we realized others were not so lucky.”

Soon after Shamrock’s passing, the Shamrock Animal Fund was formed to bring a little luck to Central New York animals and their owners. The fund has guidelines designed to make the best use of its resources. It pays for some of a pet’s veterinary costs, but animal owners must be willing to assume some of the financial responsibility and verify their need in order to receive assistance. The participating veterinarian also must be willing to provide discounted care or financial accommodation. The Shamrock Animal fund pays the veterinarian directly. The fund also advises and advocates for owners searching for care for their animals.

Financial support for the Shamrock Animal Fund has come from more than 250 donors across a 10-county region. “The need for donations is constant, whether the dollars come in one at a time or by the hundreds,” said Pomilio- Mulcahy. In its first year, the Shamrock Animal Fund has worked with 11 veterinary hospitals and helped dozens of animals -- and Pomilio-Mulcahy remembers each one.

Brownie is a shepherd mix that needed treatment and emergency surgery after being shot in the neck in his own backyard. Isabel is a 2 year old St. Bernard that needed lifesaving orthopedic surgery after being hit by a car. And, Chips is a young cat requiring surgery due to a life-threatening autoimmune disease that impaired the animal’s ability to eat. The list goes on, and each story is compelling. “It’s always about helping the animals. The need in the community is great,” said Pomilio-Mulcahy. “If these pet owners are contacting us, then they are trying to do the right thing. We want to keep pets with their owners. Those we’ve helped have been so grateful, and sometimes these animals are all they have. The Shamrock Animal Fund has helped ensure a happy ending for many animals in Central New York.”