PAWS Magazine

Issue 54, Spring 2003

PAWS Notes

PAWS Annual General Meeting

On December 17th, 2002, more than 120 PAWS volunteers, staff, and supporters gathered in Seattle for the Annual General Meeting (AGM). It was an evening of laughter and inspiration, as the highlights of the year 2002 were recalled.

The evening got underway with a short, powerful video featuring some of the nearly 10,000 animals that received care at PAWS during 2002. The officers of the Board for 2003 were also announced. The officers are Avery Danzig Kohn, President; Steve Weaver, Vice President; Irene Laible, Treasurer; and Mary Ekman, Secretary. Bob Stagman, PAWS retiring president, was recognized for his incredible service to PAWS and his six-year tenure on the Board.

Perhaps the most special part of the evening's agenda was the presentation of the Volunteer of the Year awards. PAWS is very fortunate to have so many incredible, dedicated, and accomplished volunteers.

Starting this year, PAWS' AGM will be held in the summer. Please mark your calendar for Tuesday evening, June 24th for another evening of food, laughter, tears, and inspiration. We hope to see you there!

Two dedicated guys swimming for PAWS

On Sunday, April 27, two amazing PAWS supporters, Bob Donovan and Paul Zimmerman, will swim the 3.5-mile-wide Vashon Island/Fauntleroy Channel of Puget Sound to raise money for PAWS. Their goal this year is to raise $10,000.

Four years ago, these dedicated animal lovers and distance swimmers wanted to do something different to raise funds for the animals at PAWS. They decided to raise pledges by swimming across Lake Washington (accompanied by a few friends in little boats).

In March 2001, the two men took on the cold water and tricky tide of the Whidbey Island/Mukilteo Channel of Puget Sound. A small flotilla of cabin cruisers, sailboats, and kayaks guided their swim, and the Washington state ferries blew their horns in support of the men's efforts.

Last year, Donovan and Zimmerman launched south of Lincoln Park and came ashore at Vashon Island. (To view a video of their swim across the Sound, visit www.paws.org/help/donate/paddle.html).

This year, on April 27, the men will reverse their course, swimming in the early morning hours with the tide from Vashon Island to Lincoln Park (next to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal). They expect to complete the swim in four hours. If you'd like to wish them well or help them reach their goal, you can contact Bob Donovan at Kenmore Camera at 425-485-7447.

Thank you, Bob and Paul and all your supporters, for helping to make a difference in the lives of animals.

Not the same old grind!

Providing food for more than 150 species of wildlife is a daily challenge at the PAWS Wildlife Center. Many of the animals we care for are babies or juveniles who require specially prepared food at different stages of their development. One long-time volunteer and PAWS supporter, Cauline Osenbach, recently donated money to purchase a new high-quality food grinder for corn, dog chow, and other products that form part of our wildlife diets. Our old grinder only allowed us to grind one cupful at a time; the new grinder—a heavy-duty, custom-built model—will do this important job in a fraction of the time and produce evenly ground dry food. Plus, it will free up volunteer time for more hands-on wildlife work. We would like to give a special thanks to Cauline and her husband Alex for this and other donations to PAWS Wildlife Center over the years.

Spring means kittens…

With the arrival of spring comes the first litters of kittens needing temporary foster care. Last year, the PAWS Foster Care Program handled 1,330 animals, and 924 of them were kittens! Many of these kittens have no mother and need intensive care and bottle-feeding several times a day, while others just need love, care, and socialization with adults and children. Foster homes are desperately needed this spring and summer to help us care for these babies while they mature into young, adoptable kittens.

Details about becoming a foster parent are available on the PAWS web site, including what you can expect while fostering. If you would like to open your home to a few kittens in need this spring or summer, please contact Foster Care Coordinator Liz Longworth at lizl@paws.org or 425-787-2500, ext. 822. Thank you!

Positive changes for the shelter in 2003

The PAWS Companion Animal Shelter is pleased to announce new hours of service effective January 27, 2003, and the return to microchipping all adopted animals. Across the US, only 15% of stray animals brought to shelters are ever reunited with their families because most of these animals cannot be identified. Microchipping represents a permanent form of identification that cannot be tampered with or lost.

"The adoption fees were slightly increased in January to offset the costs of automatically microchipping all of the animals, but the response from our customers to this renewed and life-saving service has been very positive," reported Ann Watkins, PAWS Shelter Manager. "We are also offering national registration for $10, [which provides] a $5 savings for our customers (if they were to register the chip themselves), and this registration provides 24/7 coverage for their new companion," explains Watkins.

Highlights of other changes at the Shelter are:

• The PAWS Shelter is now closed for adoptions on Mondays to give the animals a much-needed "rest." Prior to this change, PAWS was the only shelter in the area open for adoptions seven days a week. On Thursdays and Fridays, the shelter now opens at noon (rather than 11 a.m.) and evening hours are extended until 7 p.m. (see chart with new hours below).
• On Mondays, the Lynnwood shelter staff are available between 12-6 p.m. to assist the public bringing in strays or looking for a lost companion animal.
• The PAWS Cat City adoption center in Seattle is closed for all business on Mondays.

These new hours provide time for special animal care, building maintenance, and staff training.

Lynnwood Shelter new hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Wednesday: 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
Thursday - Friday: 12 a.m.–7 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

PAWS Cat City new hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Friday: 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Keeping your companion animal safe from fleas and parasites

It's that time of year once again when flea and parasite control is an important issue. PAWS urges animal guardians to put safety first when using flea-control products and offers some simple steps to help keep your companion animal flea-free this spring and summer.

• Read all instructions on the label before using any product on your cat, dog, or rabbit.
• Never use insecticide on very young, pregnant, debilitated, or elderly animals without consulting your veterinarian first.
• Only use sprays, shampoos, or mousse designed for companion animals, and be especially careful using it near their eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
• Use a flea comb, especially on kittens and puppies, to help detect fleas and flea dirt. These small animals can become flea-anemic very quickly, and this anemia can lead to death.
• Never use flea-control products on your cats that contain permethrin, unless the products are specifically labeled for use on domestic felines.
• Do not use flea collars as they can cause allergic reactions and only help keep fleas away from one part of the body.
• Observe your pet closely after using flea-control products; report any unusual behavior to your veterinarian.
• Products like Advantage, Revolution, or Program have an insect growth regulator that helps break the life cycle of fleas if used regularly.
• Just because a product is labeled “all natural” does not mean it is completely safe. Many such products—including those with citrus extracts like d-limonese and linalool—can be harmful when used inappropriately.

Thanks to the ASPCA's National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) for some of this information.

Hundreds of animals went “Home for the Holidays”

The second annual “Home for the Holidays” adoption campaign was a great success! The promotion is held during the holiday season (November 19th-January 6th), and resulted in more than 500 cats and dogs able to enjoy the comforts of a new home instead of spending the holidays in the shelter.

More families bring companion animals into their homes during the holiday season than at any other time of the year. PAWS staff helped people to see the importance of adopting an orphaned animal rather than buying one from a pet store or getting one that may have come from a puppy mill. In all, PAWS helped 528 cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and domestic birds to be “Home for the Holidays,” and we look forward to helping many more animals to find a permanent, loving family in 2003.

Send your car to the dogs!

Do you have a car, truck, van, SUV, RV, boat, or motorcycle that's in very good working condition that you no longer need and don't want to deal with the hassle of selling? Why not donate it to PAWS? We'll sell the vehicle, and the proceeds will benefit the homeless, abandoned, injured, and orphaned animals we care for every day. You'll receive the gratitude of everyone at PAWS, and your donation is tax deductible.

Donating your vehicle is easy. If it's located in the Seattle, Bellevue, or Everett areas, please call the PAWS Vehicle Donation Hotline at 425-787-2500 ext. 879, to arrange a time to meet you and look over your vehicle. If we feel we can take it, we'll give you a receipt noting the vehicle's type, year, and VIN. You just need to have the title and keys ready. It's that easy!

Unlike some vehicle donation programs for which the charity contracts with a service provider, at PAWS we do all the work ourselves with the help of volunteers. This includes screening vehicles, picking them up, and working with our consigners, which maximizes our proceeds for the animals.

We want to grow our program and volunteers are needed. If you know or love cars, have a valid driver's license, are an insured driver, and have a flexible schedule, we could use your help! If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Denise at 425.787.2500 ext. 270 or denise@paws.org.

Humane conflict resolution

The arrival of spring means the arrival of courtship and mating season for many species of birds and mammals in Western Washington. Because of the unseasonably warm weather here this past winter, it is likely that many animals have gotten off to an earlier start than usual. The need for a sheltered place in which to give birth and raise their young often brings wild animals into conflict with humans. Whether there is a squirrel nesting in your attic or a raccoon inspecting the nice dark space under your deck, the PAWS Wildlife Department can provide you with information to help you humanely resolve human/wildlife conflicts and prevent them from recurring. You can find fact sheets for some of the more commonly encountered animals on the PAWS website at www.paws.org/wildlife/resources/. You can also call the PAWS Wildlife Center at 425-787-2500, ext. 817, to speak directly with a wildlife department staff member.

PAWS program offers peace of mind

At PAWS, we are often asked what can be done to provide for companion animals after the death or disability of their human companions. Lifetime Care, a unique program PAWS has offered for years, provides peace of mind for many. Through our Lifetime Care program, we will provide for your animals as you wish. There is no fee for the service, though you are invited to make a gift to PAWS from your estate toward the care of your companion animals and others helped by PAWS. If you'd like to learn more, please call Joanna Glickler at 425.787.2500 ext. 807 to request a brochure.

PAWS Wildlife staff train for oil spill disasters

In October 2002 and January 2003, the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), located in California, provided two three-day Advanced Oiled Wildlife Rescue Training classes under the aegis of the Washington State Wildlife Rescue Coalition and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The PAWS Wildlife Department staff, eight PAWS senior wildlife volunteers, and several other wildlife rehabilitators in Washington state received this training, which included hazardous material handling, facility set up, search and rescue, transport, washing oiled birds, and legal issues surrounding oil spill documentation—in short, all aspects of care from rescue to release. If an oil spill were to occur near the coast of Washington, the PAWS Wildlife Center staff and volunteers will be better prepared to assist.

Spay Day 2003—a great success!

"Cats, kittens, and more cats!" was the theme of this year's Spay Day event, which took place on February 25. At the second-annual, tri-county event, veterinarians from Snohomish, Island, and Skagit counties teamed up with four shelter partners – PAWS, The Noah Center, WAIF, and the Humane Society of Skagit Valley – to reduce companion animal overpopulation in the community by offering low-cost spay and neuter surgeries.

Participating veterinary clinics provided the same high-quality service but at a price far below the typical cost of the procedure. The shelter partners encourage animal lovers to patronize these private clinics as a way to thank them for their support. A list of clinics and the total number of surgeries performed on Spay Day can be found at www.paws.org.

Adopt-a-Thon 2003

“One incredible weekend, thousands of locations, millions of loveable pets” is this year's motto for the annual “Adopt-a-Thon,” scheduled for May 3 and 4. PAWS will once again participate in this international adoption event that has helped 100,000 companion animals find new homes since 1995. Last year, 24 happy cats and dogs were adopted from PAWS, and we are hoping that even more will be adopted this year. So as you get ready for summer, you boating enthusiasts need to remember that we have dogs who love water, and we have “sporting dogs” for joggers and hikers. For those fans of sunbathing or just lazin' around, there is no better companion than a cat who can show you the finer techniques of catching rays indoors while listening to a Mariner's game on the radio!

PAWS Board of Directors seeks candidates

We seek interested candidates that possess a strong background in one of the following areas: media/public relations, non-profit management, human resources, and/or fundraising. Board nominees must possess a sincere interest in and commitment to animal welfare, and be willing to commit to at least 6 hours/month for meetings and other Board responsibilities. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest to: Board Candidate, PAWS, PO Box 1037, Lynnwood, WA 98046, or email swoerdehoff@msn.com

Bark in the Park 2003

On Saturday, September 6, Sand Point Magnuson Park will once again come alive with the joyful barking and frolicking of dogs enjoying the festival that is just for them—Bark in the Park. It will be a day full of activities for dogs and their human companions and will include PAWSwalk, the benefit doggie walkathon that supports all the animals at PAWS.

Watch your mailbox for more information about event vendors, contests, and activities, and how you can help PAWS by having all your friends sponsor your participation in PAWSwalk! For more information about the event, visit our web site at www.barkinthepark.com. If you would like to be placed on our PAWSwalk mailing list for vendor and sponsor information, contact Kat Crowley-York at katc@paws.org or 425.787.2500, ext. 262.

Calendar of Events

April
Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month

April 27-May 5
Volunteer Appreciation Week

May 3-4
International Adopt-a-thon
See article this page.

June
Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month
Check www.paws.org for special adoption promotions during the month.

June 20th
Take Your Dog to Work Day

June 24
PAWS Annual General Meeting

Sept 6
Bark in the Park featuring PAWSwalk
Seattle's Magnuson ParkSat., Sept. 6, 9am–3pm

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