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As animal advocate,
By MICHAEL KRUSE Montante is 53 and lives in Hudson, moving here from upstate New York 30 years ago, and has worked practically ever since as a technical specialist for the Pasco County Development Review Department. He has two dogs whose pictures he keeps in his black Velcro wallet. They sleep in the bed with him and his wife. But he didn't go to prom. He didn't go to homecoming. He didn't go to his wife's sister's wedding because he likes to mingle and dance about as much as he likes to speak in public. Always was that way. Then he joined the board of the Humane Society of the Nature Coast in Brooksville in 2003. Then he became president in 2004. And the organization that was close to closing three years ago was named by the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce as the local community service organization of the year in 2004 and then again in 2005. And Montante was going to the semiannual newcomers receptions at Weeki Wachee and to the Easter pet parade at Silverthorn Country Club and to the Pet Expo and all sorts of adopt-a-thons and talking about the dogs and the cats from the shelter to people who were possible donors or owners. He was mingling at the annual Fur Ball. He was putting on a Santa Claus suit and sitting in front of Belk and Wal-Mart and the Ranch Hand's Feed Depot in Brooksville to get his photo taken with cats and birds and even once a boa to raise money for the Humane Society and the animals back at the place at Wiscon and Mobley roads. He always bonded with the animals and now the animals were helping him bond more with people. He called it coming out of his shell. Joanne Schoch is the executive director of the Humane Society of the Nature Coast and she says a hero is someone who makes something better by stretching and doing things that are hard and uncomfortable. That it doesn't have to only be about the things that are big and grand. She wrote that in a letter nominating Montante as the Humane Volunteer of the Year. The ceremony was late last month in Tallahassee at the Governor's Mansion. There were 500 people in a courtyard outside. Gov. Jeb Bush called out Paul Montante's name. He looked surprised and then looked at the ground and then went and shook the hand of the governor. He said what an honor it was to be able to work with the animals and accepted the award on behalf of all volunteers everywhere. He said last week that his knees were shaking when he said what he said with all those people watching. Michael Kruse can be reached at
mkruse@sptimes.com
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P.O. Box 10328
7200 Mobley Road
Brooksville, FL 34603
(352) 796-2711
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at Mobley and Wiscon
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