Pet Rock Fest 2013 Heroes

People are doing wonderful things out there for animals. And animals do wonderful things for people. Pet Rock each year focuses on a few of these wonderful people, animals and acts of kindness.

This year at the Pet Rock Festival, held on Sept. 8 at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, the Pet Rock Hero Awards were presented to:

Lyn Gorka

Gorka, a local real estate broker, was showing a condo in Hudson when she learned that a dog was left in a unit a few doors down. The condo was going into foreclosure, and the previous owner had left a two-year-old yellow lab there for four and a half months. The dog broke the toilet seat trying to get water and destroyed the woodwork and fought for his life. No one in the building called for help and the dog died of starvation and his body was decomposing; they could smell it out in the halls.

From that day forward, Gorka was determined to bring these people to justice, visiting the local DA’s office, the courthouse and police. No one would help, stating that it was a “communication problem.” She then started a petition, “Justice for Phantom,” getting more than 3,000 signatures and more than 900,000 supporters to try to create a pet abandonment bill.

 “I went to Senator Jamie Eldridge and he was wonderful in trying to help me and Kara Holmquist of the MSPCA,” said Gorka. “They all supported me in this battle and finally got a chance to go and talk in the State House. They loved my story and thanked me and praised me for keeping this up for 2.5 years with great determination. They all approved and now it will go to the next step.

“I won’t give up until this bill is passed. I find dead animals frequently in homes where they have been abandoned. I want this to stop and for people to be held accountable.”

James Knott, Sr.

The MSPCA has announced a $2,000 reward leading to an animal cruelty conviction in the case of a cat shot with a shotgun in Northbridge in April. The reward is the largest in the organization's history.

The stray cat, an orange tabby, was estimated to be no more than 5 years old when it was found on April 18 on property belonging to James Knott, Sr. The cat suffered for up to two days with a mangled, infected, and extremely pain hind leg before being rescued.

Knott rushed the cat to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton where veterinarians had to amputate the cat's left hind leg because it was too damaged to be saved.

Renamed "Tiger" by Knott, the cat is now recovering at Knott's home. Knott plans to keep the cat if an owner is not positively identified.

The amount of the reward reflects the severity of the case and the degree to which this cat suffered after it was shot. Animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts that carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. Anyone with information is asked to contact the MSPCA at 800-628-5808.

Celebrating 15 years, Pet Rock Fest is the largest event of its kind in the Northeast, an annual festival that promotes kindness to animals and responsible pet ownership. Pet Rock Fest, held in September each year, is a family festival that features guest speakers, vegetarian food, live music, games, events, a raffle, vendors, and hundreds of area animal welfare organizations. Pet Rock is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible.

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If you’d like more information, visit www.petrockfest.com.