PAWS Staff and Volunteers

What are your hopes for the coming millennium: Tracy Worthington, shelter supervisor: "I would like to see all of the animal shelters in the world closed because there was no more companion animal overpopulation."

Laurie Johnson, wildlife staff: "I'd like to see equality between the animal world and the people world. This 'dominion' that we have over animals is an outdated idea."

Diane Venberg, advocacy department: "I hope people will exercise their consumer choice and realize that individuals can make a difference for animals."

Sarah Baker, shelter staff: "I would hope that people would begin to see animals as thinking beings, and I also hope that people would stop seeing animals as creatures put on this earth for human use. I would like to see animal oppression in all forms ended."

Irene Choy, shelter volunteer: "Wouldn't it be great if zoo's Species Survival Plans started working so they would stop taking animals out of the wild?"

Jen Szucs, wildlife supervisor: "I would hope there would be less habitat destruction and more habitat renewal so that wild animal populations would have the room to increase. People tend to anthropomorphize wild animals and I'd hope people would begin to see animals as part of the ecosystem."

Stephanie Jones, advocacy department: "I would hope there would be mandated humane education in all schools, for the protection, welfare, and rights of all animals, and for a peaceful coexistence with humans. I would hope that school cafeterias would serve vegan and veggie meals as well."

Ron Carlson, wildlife volunteer: "I would hope that we could stop encroaching on wild animal lands. We should keep development to a minimum."

Stephanie Hillman, wildlife advocate: "I would hope that we would have an entirely different level of understanding with our attitudes towards animals; a more appropriate level of appreciation."

Jamie Moran, shelter staff: "I would hope in a thousand years that our companion animals will have burst their bonds of serfdom! We currently oblige so many of our companions to our bidding, and I'd like to see this change."

Debbie Sheridan, wildlife volunteer: "I just hope that animals will still be here! I hope that people begin looking at their own personal choices instead of looking for others to solve their problems."

Richard Huffman, communications director: "I'd like a small child in the year 3000 to look up at her mother, tug on her hem, and plaintively ask: "Did people really eat animals back then? Did they really put them on public display? How could that have ever been possible?"