Robert Rozak is a man on a mission. And that mighty good mission is literally going to the dogs, cats and occasionally other wildlife.

Rozak and his husband, Jay Martinez, are owners of Mighty Pawz, a private doggy day care and boarding facility at 937 Stefko Blvd.

The humane society division of Mighty Pawz – called Special Operations – focuses on animal rescues locally and far beyond the borders of Bethlehem. And it’s why Mighty Pawz was recently recognized by Astound Business Solutions as a grand prize winner in its nationwide Community Impact Awards, which recognize exceptional small businesses and nonprofits across the United States for their community contributions. As part of the award, Mighty Pawz is receiving one year of free Internet service.

“We’re grateful to be honored by our community. It’s great they support and help us,” Rozak said, noting someone from the community nominated them for the award.

“We are not so much proud as we are honored to be entrusted by so many customers and animals,” Rozak said. “This high level of trust has enabled Mighty Pawz to continue and expand our mission from when we first opened, to where we’re now striving to provide the highest-possible quality care to animals and their owners within our local community and beyond.”

“We developed the Community Impact Awards to recognize small businesses and nonprofit organizations across the country who have demonstrated their exceptional commitment to community service,” said Astound Business Solutions Chief Business Officer Patrick Knorr. “Entities like Mighty Pawz deserve to be applauded for the inspiring local impacts they make every day.”

Mighty Pawz Special Operations is led by Rozak, chief of operations, and comprised of volunteers who train in animal behavior and medical emergencies, as well as fire department training for rescue. It currently works with the American Red Cross, County of Lehigh and Northampton County animal rescue teams.

“We’re structured like a fire department,” Rozak said, noting his title is “chief” and not “director.”

Rozak is in charge of emergency services with the Borough of Macungie, where he is a longtime council member and candidate for mayor. His experience includes years as a firefighter in Catasauqua and North Catasauqua as well as the former Macungie Fire Department, which was eventually shut down when the borough contracted with Lower Macungie.

Special Operations jumped into action the morning of Sept. 6, when a five-month-old female kitten was trapped in the sewer between storm drains at the Whitehall Mall.

Amber Fuschetto and Kayla Galloway were going to the nearby Thirsty Turtle Tavern the previous evening when they saw the kitten running and followed it, then spotted it going into the storm drain. They contacted the Whitehall Fire Department, which was on the scene for four hours. They stayed with the fire department until 2 a.m.

With the kitten still running through the sewer, Fuschetto said they found Mighty Pawz Special Operations through a Google search and called them the next morning. Rozak and his dedicated volunteers arrived at 9:30 a.m., and were subsequently on site until the kitten was rescued later in the afternoon.

Special Operations leaped into action by setting traps at each storm drain. At one point, Elena Frye, who has been a volunteer for two months, was feeding the kitten by hand but the fast moving feline turned around and ran. Frye spent so much time peering into the sewer hoping to spy the kitten that the others nicknamed her Ed Norton, who famously worked in the sewer in “The Honeymooners.”

“We confined the kitten in the sewer system to one area then requested Whitehall Fire Department Station 38, who were nearby at an event, to assist with putting some water into the sewer to push the kitten into the trap,” Rozak said.

The kitten was then seen by Rush Veterinary Urgent Care, Allentown, and subsequently adopted by Fuschetto.

“These people have amazing credibility,” Fuschetto said as she kept a watchful eye for the kitten along with Special Operations. “You can tell they genuinely care. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

“I do it for the love of animals,” Frye said of her volunteering with Special Operations. “I love animals so much, that’s how I ended up with so many of my own,” Frye said, noting she’s had animals in her life for 40 years.

Other volunteers included Barry “Chewy” James, who has been a Special Operations volunteer for a year and two months, and has decades of experience in emergency medical services and fire service.

“I volunteer because I’m retired,” said James, who has four cats and a dog. He has Parkinson’s disease, and said the constant movement that comes with volunteering helps.

Jake Rodenbach, captain of Special Operations, was also on hand. Special Operations benefits from the help of several humane society officers, including humane society police officers Sgt. David Saltzer and Officer Kristine Glant, both of whom are sworn in as officers for both Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Misty Evan and her fiancé Kemmerer Meitzler, both of whom serve with the Whitehall and Fountain Hill Fire Departments, were on the scene as well, with Evan joining Frye in trying to coax the kitty out with cat food.

The tail – or tale – of Mighty Pawz began when Rozak and Martinez, who married in 2019, opened the business, which celebrated its five year anniversary Sept. 13. Special Operations started in December 2024 and became an official humane society Feb. 22, 2025. Martinez, who is operations manager for both the private and humane society kennels, had worked there when the site was previously home to Buddy’s Pet Resort.

It comes as no surprise that Rozak and Martinez have three dogs of their own: Nala, a 10-year-old pitbull; Rosie, a six-year-old greyhound/coonhound mix; and Penelope, a two-year-old pug/maltese mix.

“The day care funds the humane society directly,” Rozak said. “We need community support as much as they need us.”

Mighty Pawz also provides free transportation for the elderly to veterinary appointments.

Rozak emphasized Special Operations is 100 percent volunteer. “Every dollar we get goes directly to the animals or equipment that saves the animals.”

Rozak said they get about 70 calls a day for things including rescues, strays and medical transports. They provide comprehensive veterinary care, including for clients who can’t afford it.

Special Operations often assists the state police, such as in Monroe County, where there are no after-hours shelters. They will provide medical transport all the way to Schuylkill County.

Examples of their work include providing temporary housing to two dogs and a cat after a fire on 12th Street in Allentown.

Sometimes Special Operations comes to the aid of wildlife too, such as a fox that was hit by a car. Volunteers took it to Cricket Wildlife Rehabilitation, Alburtis, and it’s on all fours now.

The organization is a critical response partner with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals national team and may deploy up to 14 days at any given time to places as far away as California.

Their work extends far beyond the Lehigh Valley, such as helping with a large animal cruelty case in North Carolina, where Special Operations volunteers aided the animals with such things as medical care and sheltering. They were also in North Carolina to provide temporary shelter and 7,000 pounds of dog food after Hurricane Helene.

Five members went to help during the California wildfires and helped with an influx of animals this summer in New York City.

“Our reach is a lot – what’ we’re doing has never been done before,” Rozak said.

Special Operations definitely has wheels to keep its mission rolling, with a fleet consisting of a firetruck, two police cars, two ambulances and a pickup truck.

“We are 100 percent volunteer and need the community’s assistance to continue to function via donations,” Rozak said of Mighty Pawz Special Operations.

From an animal health standpoint, Rozak believes Mighty Pawz is the first business of its kind in Pennsylvania and to his knowledge, the entire United States.

In addition, since September 2020, the local outreach of Mighty Pawz has impacted members of the Bethlehem area community via food donations, and back-to-school giveaways for the Boys and Girls Club Bethlehem.

“I’ve dedicated my life to public service,” Rozak said.

It seems he’s certainly succeeding in that mission, with some doggone good help from his friends.

For more information visit www.mightypawz.info. Contact Mighty Pawz Special Operations emergency hot line 1-888-542-6522 and nonemergency 484-937-3720.