Meet JoJo. The 4-year-old Pit Bull mix has spent the last two months here at the Staten Island Animal Care Center.
"Any attention that they get in the shelter they love," said Ken Collins, our Staten Islander of the Week.
Volunteer Ken Collins is making sure JoJo gets all the love she needs while she waits for a family to call her own.
"JoJo has those eyes that kind of talk to you and she just looks at you and she says, 'lets go for a walk,'" said Collins. "She just loves being with you and I just hate putting her back in her kennel."
Collins signed up to volunteer with Animal Care Centers of New York City, or ACC, back in 2010.
Since then, he's spent about 10 hours a week spending quality time with dogs like JoJo who call the Charleston shelter their temporary home.
"I knew once I retired from the city I wanted to help out any animals any way I can," said Collins.
Collins spends most of his time socializing with the dogs and taking them for walks in the yard.
ACC leaders say Collins' efforts play a key role in getting the animals into a permanent home.
"It's very, very important because then they will show better to adopters if a dog is walked several times a day and has fresh air and companionship," said Faith Kiely, a volunteer coordinator for ACC. "They're going to show so much better in the shelter."
Collins also focuses his efforts on community outreach.
He writes biographies of each adoptable pet for ACC's website.
Collins also produces videos capturing the unique personality of each dog.
He says it's all to increase their odds of making it to a home, sooner rather than later.
"There's no better feeling than seeing one of these dogs being in here for a couple of weeks and then finally go home," said Collins.
And so, for making sure every dog in need has a shot at love and companionship, Ken Collins is Our Staten Islander of the Week.