Spring means Kitten Season, so PAWS is prepped and ready for the kittens to start arriving in droves. This is a stretch of time that has grown noticeably longer every year - starting earlier and ending later. This year, PAWS and shelters around the country will once again be managing a stream of tiny, hungry kittens while also in the midst of a “Dog Season” that shows no signs of slowing.
Last year, we wrote about how PAWS had seen a large increase in the number of dogs abandoned by their owners. A surprising number of the dogs abandoned were purebreds or even found wearing new collars. Several of the dogs who made their way to PAWS were pregnant, making their intake and safe placement even more challenging and essential.
It’s been nearly 12 months since this season of unprecedented surrender requests, abandoned dogs, and generally stressful scrambling to help as many dogs as possible began. Just when we think we’re keeping up, another dog is dumped, another email comes in from someone with multiple dogs facing eviction, and we get a call about a dog with behavioral challenges beyond their owner’s ability to handle.
PAWS is proud to be a safe haven for animals who would not have a chance at many other shelters. These dogs and cats take longer to be adopted and are waiting for a specific person to come along and give them the space, consideration, and/or training they need. Our mission to help these animals means we juggle, every single day, providing staff and volunteers with the training and support to care for our animals, including those with special behavioral or medical needs; giving those animals superb medical care, adequate exercise, and sufficient mental enrichment; working with adopters and fosters to find the right fit for their home; and responding to this overwhelming and ever-growing flood of animals without a safe spot to land.
Through all this, we are also in the background figuring out how to fund our good work, day after day. At PAWS we aim to look on the bright side of animal rescue and focus on our wins. Our marketing philosophy strays away from the downtrodden faces behind cage bars and sad music. The reality is, though, we are having a hard time, and we need you.
We are looking to our community for additional support. If you are in a position to foster or adopt, especially if you do not have children or other pets in your home, we really need you. If you are an animal lover who likes to shop, we are in need of supplies from our Amazon and Chewy Wishlists. If you are moved by the work we are doing, we urge you to make a one-time financial gift or enroll in our PAWS Monthly Giving Program.