Our Team

We have a number of individuals that have made our rescue what it is today. This includes our board members, foster parents, volunteers and so many more.

Shannon Ceccoli

Board – President/Director – Foster Parent

Shannon Ceccoli is the director of Northeast PA Pet Fund & Rescue. She is also the owner of Shannon’s Pet Grooming in Scranton. Shannon has been an animal lover ever since kindergarten when she got to bring home the class guinea pig for the summer. She then moved on to stealing the loose neighborhood dogs and her mother would have to figure out who they belonged to.

Shannon is a school certified groomer and has a business degree. She attends multiple animal sheltering conferences annually and utilizes best policies and procedures regarding the dogs and cats that come through the rescue. Shannon resides in Scranton with various dogs, cats (occassionally a pig) and the never ending possums that pop out at her in the evening on the deck and occasionally the front porch.

Isabella Ceccoli

Assistant to the Director

Bella started volunteering for the rescue in August 2013 at its inception. She is our Director’s niece — did anyone see this going any other way? Seeing her Aunt compassion for animals made Bella want to strive to help as many dogs and cats as she could. She adopted her cat Naomi in December of 2014. Then she adopted another cat Grace in Jan of 2015. Bella is instrumental to the rescue. We could not be more grateful to have her with us.

Elaine Carroll

Board – Treasurer – Foster Parent

Elaine joined our rescue in 2015. She started off by adopting a brother and sister that were displaced when their owners moved into an assisted living facility. She decided he wanted to give back to the rescue community by becoming a foster mom. She has since not only fostered many dogs for us but she preferably takes in our senior dogs. In 2018 Elaine became our board treasurer.

Karen Vasicak

Board – Secretary – Foster Parent

Karen has been with the rescue since its inception. She has always been a “dog person“ and had several dogs in her family as she grew up. After she moved into her own home with her daughter, she adopted two dogs and then realized the need to rescue a dog so she adopted her first rescue dog. Her family just took off from there when she was online “just browsing” adoptable dogs one day and came across two senior Chihuahuas who need a home, but she was afraid she wouldn’t be enough for them as she was away from home several hours working and then had activities with her daughter. After two weeks of soul searching and crying every time she thought of those two sweet seniors who needed her, she drove to New Jersey with her other dogs and brought them home. Karen never looked back from that point and currently has 15 dogs in her home (7 Chihuahua, 7 Chihuahua Mixes and 1 Chinese Crested), the majority of which are seniors (and she has been loved by several others that have passed away). And she needs each of them, just as much as they need her. It is well-known that when a senior Chihuahua enters Karen’s home even for foster, he or she will NEVER leave. Karen does foster for the Rescue, but her successful fosters have all been young dogs. Karen would love to have a senior sanctuary and allow all of the discarded displaced seniors a place to live out the remainder of their lives surrounded by love.

Denise Grigas

Puppy Foster Coordinator

Denise has been a dedicated foster since 2015 and is proficient in caring for puppies. She is known for posing puppies in costumes and making them irresistible to potential adopters. Her patience with animals is limitless and it is not uncommon for her home to have at least 15-20 puppies in it at any given time. Denise works nights as a respiratory therapist and resides in Mountaintop with her husband, three children and five dogs.

Jan & Alicia Pulings

Foster Parents

Jan & Alicia Pulings started volunteering with the rescue in 2014 after adopting their amazing pup, Marco. Adopting Marco into their family has brought them immeasurable happiness. Knowing that it wouldn’t have been possible if Marco’s foster parents didn’t step up to offer him a temporary home, they decided to help others by opening their home to foster dogs in need. There are now three dogs and one cat in the Pulings’ home but there is always room to welcome a foster. Jan is quite gifted at training and preparing fosters for adoption. Dogs adore him! You will find Alicia working at the adoption events with available dogs and doing whatever the rescue needs. Anyone who is interested in becoming a foster should ask Jan & Alicia how it has changed their lives.