Pet Animal Welfare Society - Blog the Change for Animals #BtC4A

Today is Blog the Change for Animals day, a day when Bloggers are encouraged to spread the word about helping animals and to inspire others to do the same. Today I’ve chosen to write about Pet Animal Welfare Society of Norwalk, CT, also known as PAWS. 

Apricat. Yes, her name is Aprica-CAT. 

I’ve become quite smitten with many of the cats who are featured on the Animal Shelter Volunteer Life blog, which is run by my blogging friends Kevin Hattori and his wife, Tracey Peden-Hattori. When I asked Kevin if I could have a tour of PAWS, he was more than happy to oblige. My friend Jenna joined me, and the entire staff welcomed us with open arms. (In 2014 PAWS took a friendly stray that Jenna had been taking care of. Mia has since been adopted.)

Life at PAWS

PAWS is currently home to about 90 cats and kittens in-house with another 30 or so in foster. The shelter rescues and re-homes more than 500 cats and dogs every year. That number is quite impressive! Five hundred souls who either faced euthanasia at local pounds, were abandoned and roamed the streets, or were relinquished by their owners who are no longer able to care for them. Adoption coordinators Ellen Emerson (for cats) and Lisa Barnett (for dogs) and their team of volunteer adoption counselors work very hard to find the right pet for every home and the right home for every pet.

The Adoption Board for June!

I love the building! When you first arrive, there is a lovely sitting area with benches surrounded by memorial bricks. 

The entryway is decorated with beautiful portraits of PAWS alumni. Portraits also adorn the walls throughout the shelter.

PAWS has five open rooms where the cats live in a cage-free environment that are catified for their comfort and pleasure. Volunteer Maggie Swanson  and her husband, Rick, are the creative talent behind this project. This room...

...was featured in Jackson Galaxy’s book Catify to Satisfy.

The other rooms are lovely as well. Lola and Lexy would love to have a room like one of these in our apartment! 

There are also four rooms in which the cats are in cages for part of the day because of medical or behavioral issues, needing special diets, still being acclimated to the shelter environment, etc. Kevin and Tracey started a rotation schedule for the cats to have more time out of their cages. 

Cleo

Kevin explained to me that “Tracey and I came up with the idea to ensure that each and every cat in the cage rooms gets the same opportunity for some "out" time, to stretch, explore, play, relax, or whatever else it chooses to do. Prior to implementing these rotation schedules, we found that some cats (usually, the ones who were more social/friendly) were getting more time out than others. Whoever gets to the shelter first starts the schedule that lists each cat and the specific times its cage will be open. For instance, if the first volunteer gets there, and there are 8 hours until closing, a room with 6 cats would have a schedule where each cat is out for an hour and 20 minutes. After it has been out for its allotted time, a cat is placed back in its cage, and the next cat listed gets its turn. If there are cats in those rooms who get along, they can be out together, meaning less switches in the rotation, and more out time for all between switches. The schedule is written on the dry erase boards found in each room."

Gabe, who has a special relationship with Tracey.

Gabe's cage that was donated to PAWS

Zatz

Zatz can often be found watching Bird TV on the computer.

I captured this beautiful photo of Zatz and I thought three photos of her could never be enough!

I’m always impressed with a shelter when its rooms are clean, there are no odors, and the cats look very well cared for. PAWS did not disappoint! This shelter is impressive on the surface, and underneath there is an abundance of love and respect for each cat. There are ample cuddles, chin scratches, and play time for all. And it all comes from the heart.

Acari

Onsite Medical Care

A veterinarian is on site on Tuesdays to carry out combo tests, administer rabies & distemper shots, and perform neutering of male cats. She is currently limited in what she can do, as PAWS does not yet have the oxygen supply hooked up for use in the medical room. The shelter has agreements with local veterinarians for additional services.

Thomas - one of my favorites! He would never sit still long enough for another photo.

Ward

PAWS isn't only for cats

Lisa Barnett gave us a tour of the kennels. At the time of our visit there were nine dogs in house.

Chip

Gilbert

Hennessey

Jonah

The kennels are large with plenty of space for the dogs.

The dogs have plenty of room! I was so happy to see this. 

As with the cat areas, the kennels were very clean and the dogs are very well cared for and very much loved. 

There is also a courtyard where they can have outside time unleashed.

We weren’t able to go out there because this little cutie was enjoying her time running around.

When we entered a room called “Anna’s Dog Park”, I was blown away!

After being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Anna was approached by the Make A-Wish-Foundation. Her selfless wish was to make a difference for shelter animals. The result was an indoor/outdoor dog-like park for the rescued puppies and dogs to have a comfortable place to meet their potential adopters. Blue Buffalo partnered with Make-A-Wish to make Anna’s wish a reality.

About PAWS

PAWS is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1962 by Westport, Connecticut resident Betty Long to rescue homeless dogs and place them in permanent homes. The organization’s rescue efforts were expanded to include cats in the early 1980s.

Swizzle

That Cat

For 37 years, PAWS rented space for the animals in its care from local boarding kennels & veterinary hospitals. The needs of the community increased over time, and the organization realized that in order to expand its services and capabilities, it would need a place of its own. In 1999, PAWS undertook the task of building their shelter, and the organization moved into its current home in 2001. As a result, they have greatly increased the number of pets they are able to help.

Rudy

Taylor

PAWS has a handful of paid staff and a large team of dedicated volunteers who help with everything from fundraising to kennel work, walking dogs, socializing cats, and much, much more. Every person at PAWS is a valued and vital member of a team that helps accomplish the miracles that happen every day. Kevin and Tracey have been volunteering for 20 and 14 years, respectively, and spend every Saturday and Sunday afternoon there. Now that's impressive!

Patch

Prissy

Special Programs

PAWs has several special programs that help both the animals in the shelter and the community. Two are PAWS Pension Plan for Senior Cats and Dogs and Pets for Patriots. The Paws Pension Plan was established to greatly increase the chances for senior animals (cats who are 12+ years old, and dogs who are older, to be determined by breed and size) to find their forever families. Under the auspices of this program, all adoption fees are waived; PAWS covers an annual exam, annual vaccinations as recommended by its vet, and one senior blood-work panel every year for the life of the pet. Since the inception of the program, 20 senior cats have been adopted!

Patch

Charolette

PAWS partners with Pets For Patriots, an organization that helps military veterans adopt a new best friend while helping shelter animals find a home. Dogs and cats at risk of death or perpetual homelessness, veterans who need a new pet friend - each saved through adoption, both renewed by love. Pets for Patriots works with the animal welfare community by helping to educate the military community and the public about the plight of animals surrendered to shelters, promoting companion pet adoption. Pets for Patriots helps to reduce the costs of pet parenthood in order to prevent veterans from returning their new best friends to the shelter due to short-term financial hardship. You can read more about this program here. Click here for info on other PAWS programs.

Merritt

Mindy and Buny

How you can help

There are several ways you can assist PAWS. If you live in the area you can volunteer or you can be a foster parent. As a non-profit organization, PAWS is dependent upon the generosity of its private supporters. The organization does not receive funding from any city, state or federal agency. Medical care and boarding-related expenses for the pets are PAWS’ biggest expenses. Donations can be mailed to PAWS at: 504 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. PAWS also accepts online donations through Network for Good, a secure donation portal. (Please note: Minimum online donation amount is $10.00).

David

May

Their Amazon Wishlist can be viewed here and you can also support them by shopping at Amazon Smile and choosing PAWS as your charity.

My favorite way to show support is to sponsor a pet! Your one-time donation of $25 per cat or $50 per dog will help defray the costs of food, housing, and medical care for the animals waiting for adoption. In return for your donation, you will get:

•        A picture of the pet you are sponsoring
•       Their history of how they arrived at PAWS
•       Notification when your pet has been adopted
•       Best of all: A great feeling inside!

Daphne

Daisy

I sponsored Figaro, who has been adopted. 

Photo Courtesy of Kevin Hattori. 

I’m definitely going to sponsor another cat, but after meeting them all it’s hard to choose just one!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into a well-established organization that does wonderful things for animals in need. I want to extend a special thank you to Kevin and Tracey for spending the afternoon with us and giving us the grand tour.

It was so great to finally meet Kevin in person!

If there was ever a shelter that makes a change in animals' lives, it's definitely PAWS. Their staff and volunteers give their hearts to these pets and it's evident they are well cared for. If for some reason a dog or cat is never adopted, they can live out their lives at the shelter surrounded by love. You can keep up to date with the pets at PAWS by visiting the blogs run by their volunteers: Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, Shelter Cats, and Scratch My Belly. 

I can’t wait to visit again! I've got great news to end this post with... since my visit Jonah, May, Daisy, Ward, Swizzle, and That Cat have been adopted! 

Do you know someone who has made a difference in the lives of animals?
Dawn

We're joining the Blog the Change 4 Animals Blog Hop! Check out the other pawesome posts in this hop.