Fredericktown’s Caspole walks 1,000 shelter dogs in 2025

The spirit of volunteerism is the soul of a community, which gives people from all walks of life a stake in their society. Doing something, even something so simple as becoming a volunteer dog walker at the Knox County Dog Shelter, can have a significant impact. Just ask Amanda Shufelberger, who arrived in Knox County six years ago. She brought her volunteer spirit to this area, and found some kindred souls.

“We have some people that have been walking dogs here for 10, 15, or 20 years,” said Shufelberger. “I actually run my own animal sanctuary called, Shady Owl Ranch in Knox County. So, I live for volunteerism and so, as soon as I moved here six years ago, that's one of the first things I did was to go to the dog shelter and sign up to be a dog walker.”

Shufelberger, now the volunteer coordinator for Dogs of Knox, a local dog walking volunteer organization, was living in Northern California with her husband, but they left after the wildfires in 2019.

“We didn't lose our house, but our neighbors did,” said Shufelberger. “My husband is from Mount Vernon so that's how we got here.” 

Like volunteer coordinators everywhere, Shufelberger finds getting and keeping a full staff of volunteers isn’t always easy. 

“It's hard to keep active volunteers at the dog shelter, because we're walking dogs in the heat, in the rain, and in the freezing cold so it's really hard to keep consistent volunteers. Those are the ones that shine out for the dogs — rain or shine.”

Shufelberger and Dogs of Knox held a special dinner at Pizza Cottage to honor their volunteer dog walkers and to award Fredericktown’s Bill Caspole, who taught auto mechanics in Columbus City schools for 30 years, as their MVP Dog Walker of 2025. 

Caspole, now retired and in his 70s, started a year ago, arriving with the lofty goal of walking 1,000 dogs in a year. He walked dog number 1,000 on Dec. 9 and immediately set his 2026 goal of another 1,000 dogs.

Caspole may well be the poster child for the old saying, when God closes one door, he opens another.

“My cardiologist told me he was going to give me a pacemaker, if I didn't (start exercising),” explained Caspole. “So, we talked about volunteering at the hospital. My wife has been terminally ill for five years. Then we talked about the dog shelter and I thought, ‘I'll walk a dog or two.’ Then, my dog passed away, not long after my wife.”

Poor health and being overweight, compounded by two tragedies. Caspole needed a lifeline and it came in the form of a leash.

“So I started at the shelter, and I never realized how much I would like it,” he said. 

The benefits have been life-changing and perhaps life-saving.

“I started setting goals for myself,” Caspole said. “I did one day a week and now I do three or four. I walked one or two dogs, starting out. Now, I can walk 14 at a time.” 

The physical benefits have been dramatic.

“I don't need the cholesterol meds anymore, said Caspole. “My blood pressure medications went from 40 mg down to two. I've lost about 60 pounds. The cardiologist, I met last month, couldn't believe the change and that was just a physical health.” 

The mental health part of it was just as dramatic. 

“I moved here from Columbus and didn't really know anybody,” Caspole recalled. “Now, I have friends. I love it. I'm really happy here.”

He loves Knox County so much. He settled in Fredericktown and now he has three dogs.

“The first one I adopted was dog number 50,” said Caspole. “On the day after Thanksgiving (2025), I adopted the oldest dog in the shelter (named Saltine). He was there (in the shelter) 122 days. I probably walked him 50 times, and so, Saltine is my new best friend.”

The impact on the life of Caspole is undeniable. His fortunes have changed profoundly. 

“My girlfriend has moved in with me,” said Caspole. “I connected with her. I hadn’t seen her since we walked across the stage in high school in 1971, I asked her out in March and we haven’t stopped since. I have a new life.”

Caspole’s story is inspiring to all who work with him.

“He's there multiple times a week,” said Shufelberger. “He's a bright shining star and that's why we're making him our MVP volunteer of 2025. He's been keeping track of the dogs. His goal was to reach the 1,000 mark at the end of the year. He was working three times a week at least. All he asked was, ‘If I hit 1,000, will you guys bring treats to the shelter?,’ but another volunteer came up with an idea and said, ‘Let's throw a party for him.”

Haley Staten, an elementary school teacher in Mount Vernon, also adopted three dogs from the shelter while volunteering. That has given her toddler daughter, Naomi Staten a trio of four-footed friends to play with. 

“I started in 2015, walking dogs,” said Staten. “My friend decided that, since we were off in the summer, we had nothing else going on, and we loved dogs, that we would go in and start volunteering.”

Soon, Staten introduced her mother, Shari Baugher to Dogs of Knox. Now, Baugher walks more than her daughter. 

“I didn’t know that I would like it,” said Baugher. “I thought it would be too sad. Then, I saw how well the dogs were treated at the shelter, and I saw how the people were running it. I saw how the dogs were taken care of, and that made me want to be a part of it.”

Baugher soon discovered the benefits of dog walking.

“It has helped me get lots of exercise,” said Baugher. “It has made me feel like I’m contributing to the community. It makes me happy for the dogs, when I see them get adopted. You get attached to them. My daughter got attached to three of them and took them home.”

If you are looking to volunteer as a dog walker at the Knox County Dog Shelter for Dogs of Knox, simply go to the Dog Shelter at 285 Columbus Road, Mount Vernon, or call (740) 393-6713.

“They can go in through the Dog Shelter, fill out an application and then, I will call them for a short orientation of about 30 to 45 minutes,” said Shufelberger. "We'll give them a tour of the building and show them the dogs. We are always looking for volunteers.”