“You can pet him. He’s friendly,” Jerry Kroll said about the large dog named Abe who he was sitting with outside the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in a rocking chair.

Jerry Kroll, 86, has been volunteering about 16 hours per week at the SPCA for 14 years now. His daughter, Lisa Kroll, is the Operations Manager, knew her dad loved animals and suggested he come into work with her.

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“Initially, when I first started, I would intentionally take the dog who had been in the shelter the longest or was the oldest and sit out front,” he said. “This worked really well. People coming in would see the dog and pet it and see how it responded to them.”

The dogs Jerry picked to sit out front with him started to be adopted at a faster rate and the SPCA started a program called “Jerry Dog.” People would see the dog sitting with Jerry when they visited, then they could get more details about the dog back in the kennel marked “Jerry Dog,” and then pet the dog on their way out.

When I asked Jerry how many "Jerry Dogs" had been adopted, he said he didn’t know precisely, but guessed around 200.

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“This is the best job in the world,” Jerry said. “I get to be with a nice dog and talk to all these nice people. I absolutely recommend it.”

In 2018, the SPCA on Petfinder Lane took in 1,000 dogs and about 700 puppies. Most of them came from high-intake shelters in Wake and surrounding counties.  The animals stay in their adoption program until they are adopted. On average, the SPCA has 20 adult dogs and, when they are available, puppies, too on any given day.

Interested in helping find them a home? Visit here to see volunteer opportunities.