Sarah Eames: On the Bright Side: Oxford animal advocate expands operation

May 8—A Chenango County-based animal welfare organization recently introduced a new element to help in its mission to provide and care for community cats and dogs.

All Animals Matter last week opened the doors to its new facility, a modest wooden structure at the intersection of North Washington Avenue and state Route 12 in Oxford.

Not to be mistaken for a produce stand or a bottle shed, the 12-foot-by-24-foot structure was constructed by Kauffman Building in Bainbridge, according to Diane Troxell, founder of All Animals Matter.

The building is named in memory of Krista J. Bartle, a 1998 Oxford Academy graduate who died unexpectedly in 2011.

"I loved Krista," Troxell said, who was a longtime friend of her daughter, Delaware Valley Humane Society shelter manager Erin Insinga. "She was an animal person."

Troxell recalled the daily moment of joy when she would drive her school bus by Bartle as she walked to work each morning, when she would excitedly wave to all the kids on board.

Bartle's family, who own Blueox Energy Products & Services and the property upon which the structure sits, agreed to lease it to All Animals Matter for a dollar a year.

The building and its trap-neuter-release accouterments were funded by a $14,000 grant from a Norwich foundation that wished to remain anonymous, Troxell said.

Her husband, Bill, who oversaw the installation of the solar array at the Oxford Memorial Library as a 28-year member of the library board of trustees, made arrangements for Revolution Solar of Cooperstown to outfit the structure for basic electricity.

The site will serve as a pick-up and drop-off location for local residents who use All Animals Matter's low-cost spay and neuter services, and can also function as an overnight respite for feral cats awaiting similar transport.

"It's better for them here. It's safe, it's quiet, they can decompress," Troxell said. "When they're in the traps, a lot of them get beat up because they hate being in there."

Security at the site is not a concern, Troxell said, noting that local police regularly monitor the intersection for speeding motorists.

The structure was originally envisioned as a place to host on-site spay and neuter clinics, Troxell said, but the cost of purchasing or even renting a property large enough for that purpose became impractical.

"We could get a lot of animals spayed for what some of these places wanted a month," she said.

Since the nonprofit's founding in 2010, volunteers have transported hundreds of cats and dogs across the Pennsylvania border to the Animal Care Sanctuary in East Smithfield, which offers spay and neuter services at a premium.

"People always ask me why we're bringing all this business to Pennsylvania, but who else is going to do it for us, especially at this price?" Troxell said.

While many local vet clinics charge hundreds of dollars for singular spay and neuter services, the sanctuary charges $75 for females and $55 for males, plus $13 for a rabies vaccine.

Every penny counts, Troxell said, especially when it comes to the organization's goal of serving the area's poorest residents.

"We are an animal welfare assistance program," she said. "We're not only about the spay and the neuter. We help with pet food and we help with other veterinary costs."

Oxford resident Sarah Smith, Troxell's daughter and a member of All Animals Matter, organized a drive-thru food distribution last month at Kutik's Everything Bees.

In addition to 300 boxes of food for local families, volunteers also gave away hundreds of pounds of dog and cat food.

In spite of torrential rain, cars lined the shoulder of state Route 12 nearly two hours before the giveaway was scheduled to start, Troxell said. All available cat food was given away within the first 15 minutes and the dog food was gone within an hour.

"I'm so happy this isn't in my barn anymore," Troxell said. "It's our time to clean out and live our lives. I don't have to be here all the time."

Not long after retiring from a 35-year career as a school bus driver, Troxell and her husband, Bill, sold their art gallery and studio last fall to their daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Ron Smith.

With more free time in her day-to-day schedule, Troxell said she partnered with Community Cats, a Norwich-area group dedicated to alleviating the strain of the city's various feral cat colonies.

Three years ago, the Norwich Common Council proposed instituting a fine for local residents who feed feral cats. While significant public outcry put an end to the proposal, Troxell said, the feral cat problem remained unaddressed.

"If you feed them and don't fix them, there's just going to be more," she said.

Several local residents have complained about the property damage caused by feral cats, who spray urine when they're not fixed, dig up gardens, tear through garbage cans and give birth in and under homes and garages, Troxell said.

Some residents took matters into their own hands and started poisoning or shooting at cats, and many more are susceptible to being hit by cars on some of the city's busiest routes.

"It's been proven that cats should go back to where they came from, as long as it's safe," Troxell said. "They come in so sorry-looking, all beat up and missing skin. What kind of life is that?"

For those for whom it's not safe to return, Troxell said she works with Insinga to find them homes as working cats in barns and on farms.

"They're not wanted. We place them in a safe environment where they're not getting killed," she said. "The only requirements are that you provide shelter, food and water. They come vaccinated and spayed. We even deliver!"

Visit all animalsmatterinc.com for more information. To arrange for spay and neuter services or pet food donations, contact Diane Troxell at 607-435-7788 or allanimalsmatterinc@gmail.com

Sarah Eames, staff writer, can be reached at seames@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7213. Follow her @DS_SarahE on Twitter.