Pours For PAWS

 

What could be better than walking for charity to save the lives of injured, orphaned and abandoned animals?  How about finishing that walk with a thirst-quenching beer or a bubbly mimosa!

Get ready to work up a thirst at PAWSwalk on Saturday, September 8, at King County's Marymoor Park in Redmond. Then join us post-walk in the Pours for PAWS Beer and Mimosa Garden for a refreshing drink!  

Pours for PAWS, sponsored by The Baltic Room, will be serving delicious local brews from 12 Noon to 4 p.m. (and mimosas, too, if bubbles are more your style). 

Confirmed breweries include Pike Brewing Company, Fish Brewing Company, Scuttlebutt Brewing Company, and Mac & Jack's Brewery!

Your four-legged friends are welcome too!  Located just next to registration, the Pours for PAWS Beer and Mimosa Garden will be the perfect way to celebrate a successful PAWSwalk and toast to saving animals' lives.

Bottoms up!

Register for PAWSwalk today!

 

Waived Adoption Fees for Felines like Frenchy!

 

Have you ever met a cat with his or her own cheerleading team? Allow us to introduce Frenchy, the most popular cat you've ever met!  This sweet 10-year-old tabby recently reached her one year anniversary at PAWS, and our caring, creative staff members have rallied together to find Frenchy the perfect forever family to adopt and take her home.

To get the word out about Frenchy and what a terrific pet she would make, PAWS staffers have started an "Adopt Frenchy" campaign complete with posters and custom-designed t-shirts like the one Kara is wearing in this photo!

Clearly a staff and volunteer favorite, Frenchy would make the perfect lap-warmer and companion for a low-key, patient family. She likes to explore and would love to have a window to bird-watch and relax as she enjoys her naps and quiet time.

And catnip? Yes please! She's sure to make you smile as she rolls around in it and rubs it all over her face!

Senior cats like Frenchy offer the perfect mix of companionship and independence. And best of all, we're waiving the adoption fees for any cat seven years and older through August 31! You can bring home the perfect furry companion without paying a dime. Love is pricessless, and so is adoption—come in today for our Senior Cat Adoption Special! 

Adopt a senior cat today!

 

Find Love, Adopt a Senior!

 

For those of us with busy lives and hectic schedules, adopting a cat or dog may seem like a desireable but unrealistic dream.  "I want a companion, but how will I find the time?" you may ask yourself. Enter the senior cat!  These laid-back, self-sufficient felines are the perfect match for those who may not have the time or energy to commit to a young, excitable kitten or an active dog.

Lucky for you, PAWS has many wonderful senior felines available for adoption, and now through August 31 we're waiving the adoption fees for any cat seven years and older!

Like Gomer for example! Gomer is a sweet and gentle soul. This 14-year-old gentleman absolutely loves attention from people and might even drool a little as you pet him. He is a total lap cat and thoroughly enjoys being brushed, even on his stomach!

Senior cats like Gomer offer the perfect mix of companionship and independence. With so much to give and never asking for more than love and a warm bed in return, senior cats are the perfect companion for every person and lifestyle.  Love is priceless, and so is adoption. Come meet your new companion at PAWS in Lynnwood or Cat City in Seattle!

Adopt a senior cat today!

 

Muddy Tracks and Many Moths in the Latest Campus Update

There's been a mid-summer lull in wildlife breeding activity on PAWS Campus, but there's still plenty to see in the latest edition of the Campus Update. Click below to download!

Download Campus Update 081812 (RS)

Meet Our PAWSwalk Protectors!

 

PAWSwalk is right around the corner! You won't want to miss this fun, family- and canine-friendly event at King County’s Marymoor Park in Redmond on Saturday, September 8.

Great activities for the whole family are a part of PAWSwalk, including animal-friendly shopping for the grownups, PAWS Kid Zone for the young ones, and doggie games and an agility course for your four-legged friends! Not to mention the beautiful walk through the park, too. Get ready to Bark in the Park and register now!

And of course we would not be able to put on such a fun event without the support of our generous sponsors! It's with great appreciation that we thank and acknowledge our PAWSwalk Protector-level sponsors:

 

• Alternative Talk 1150 AM KKNW
• VCA Animal Hospitals
• Canine Behavior Center

 

Thanks to generous support from VCA Animal Hospitals, Canine Behavior Center and Alternative Talk 1150 AM KKNW, PAWS will continue working to help injured, orphaned and abandoned cats, dogs and wildlife, and ensure a better tomorrow for the animals in our community.

PAWSwalk is a fun, family-friendly event that will give 1,200 supporters the opportunity to take a beautiful 4.1-mile walk through Marymoor Park with their dogs, and enjoy a morning of entertaining activities, contests, shopping, and giveaways at sponsor booths, all while helping save animals’ lives.  Sponsorship opportunities for PAWSwalk are still available; please contact Whitney Allen for more information.

Register now for PAWSwalk 2012!

 

Duct Tape Fixes Everything

 

I've seen duct tape used to fix just about everything you can imagine, but I never thought I would add "Great Blue Heron leg" to the list. Now, to be clear, the heron's leg was not fixed solely by duct tape. The splint that stabilized the fractured bone in his lower leg also included a plastic tube, gauze padding and, at one point, a rubber band. But duct tape was used to cover it all and keep it clean and dry. In the photo below you can see the heron wearing his splint a few weeks after admission.

Part of what makes working with injured wildlife so challenging is that there are no ready-made, species-specific commercial products to meet many of our treatment and husbandry needs. There is no "Herons-R-Us" that we can call to order a splint for a fractured right tarsometatarsus. Instead, we must improvise. And in the more than thirty years that we have been working with wildlife, we have gotten very good at it.

Our duct-taped heron is a prime example of our success. He was brought to PAWS on June 23 after being found on the ground below his nest on the main campus of the University of Washington. A young bird, he had likely just attempted, and failed at, his first flight. His broken leg was the result. After three weeks in care at PAWS, including a few different renditions of the improvised splint, the heron's leg had healed. He spent another month at the center practicing his flight skills to ensure that he would not experience a repeat of his first, unfortunate flight.

On August 14, we released the heron at the University of Washington's Arboretum. The photos below showing his departure are a testament to the work of the staff, volunteers and supporters of the PAWS Wildlife Center. They are also further evidence that duct tape really can fix everything.

 

An Event Worth Skipping

 

The circus is no fun for the animals!  That’s why PAWS and the Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies are encouraging you to skip going to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Ringling Bros. is scheduled to perform in Kent, Tacoma and Everett in late August and early September.

The use of animals as circus performers is an outdated—and inhumane—concept. Behind the scenes trainers often use whips, bullhooks, electric prods and other painful tools and methods to force animals to perform tricks. When not performing, animals are kept in small, cramped cages for days at a time with little monitoring.

Exotic animals that have special husbandry needs are often kept in violation. Elephants that travel with circuses spend hours in transit and in chains. Circuses train animals through such coercive means as beating, whipping, prodding and shocking. Elephants are subject to abusive handling methods from devices known as bullhooks that can puncture and tear sensitive skin.

Ringling’s use of bullhooks, prods, and shackles are in violation of Federal Law. Shockingly, laws and regulations offer circus animals minimal protection, and they are rarely enforced. In March 2012 Ringling Brothers settled a USDA action that resulted in a fine of $270,000 for mishandling animals. This is the largest civil imposed penalty ever issued to a circus by USDA.

Circuses with performing animals send the wrong message especially to children, since wild animals are living beings and are not meant to be exploited for entertainment purposes. Animals do not naturally ride bicycles, walk on their hind legs, balance on balls, or jump through flaming hoops.

There are many wonderful circuses that do not use and/or abuse animals, such as Cirque du Soleil, and they are just as exciting and entertaining, if not more so, than those that do. The public is strongly urged to seek entertainment venues that don’t use animal performers and to support the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act!

 

Foster Families Desperately Needed

 

You might think that one can never have too many kittens, but here at PAWS we are at maximum kitten capacity and in desperate need of foster families to help us care for them all! 

Right now, we have our hands full finding temporary homes for more than 100 kittens.  These kittens are coming from all over the state, primarily from shelters that have run out of space and options.

“We have a large network of foster care volunteers, so typically we’re able to help close the gap between the smaller shelters and ourselves,” says Rebecca Oertel, PAWS Foster Care Coordinator.

But this year the numbers are getting large, even for PAWS.

“We have a high number of kittens needing permanent homes this year,” says Kay Joubert, Director of Companion Animal Services at PAWS.  “We’re responding as best we can to make sure these vulnerable animals are taken care of.” 

Foster families just need to provide a warm home, food and lots of love. PAWS will provide all medical care, and any medicines your foster may need during their stay.  Last year, the PAWS Foster Care Program saved the lives of nearly 1,300 cats and dogs. This year, that number is likely to be lot higher.

To help with this foster emergency, please call the PAWS Foster Care Program at 425.787.2500 x822.

Save a life by becoming a foster parent today!

 

Meet Our PAWSwalk Defenders!

 

PAWSwalk 2012 is only weeks away, and we can barely contain our excitement!  PAWSwalk is moving to a new home at King County's Marymoor Park in Redmond. On September 8, come with your friends, family and co-workers (and of course your favorite canines) for a fun-filled day of saving animals’ lives. Get ready to Bark in the Park and register now!

And of course we would not be able to put on such a fun event without the support of our generous sponsors!  It's with great appreciation that we thank and acknowledge our PAWSwalk Defender-level sponsors:

• Click 98.9
• Whole Foods Market

Both Whole Foods Market and Click 98.9 have been incredibly supportive of PAWS and our mission to care for injured, orphaned and abandoned cats, dogs and wildlife.

Their generous support allows us to continue working to save animals' lives, and ensure a better tomorrow for the animals in our community.

PAWSwalk is a fun, family-friendly event that will give 1,200 supporters the opportunity to take a beautiful 4.1-mile walk through Marymoor Park with their dogs, and enjoy a morning of entertaining activities, contests, shopping, and giveaways at sponsor booths, all while helping save animals’ lives.  Sponsorship opportunities for PAWSwalk are still available; please contact Whitney Allen for more information.

Register now for PAWSwalk 2012!

 

A Seal Pup Returns to Tokeland

 

Back in June, we introduced you to an orphaned Harbor Seal pup from Tokeland, WA here on the PAWS Blog. I'm happy to report that, after spending a little over eight weeks in our care, the seal is once again swimming free in the Pacific Ocean. I took him on his 160+ mile return trip on August 1, and he re-entered the wild on a small, quiet stretch of beach just a few hundred yards from where he was found. A small group of well-wishers watched the release. Among them was Dora, who had discovered the orphaned pup on the beach when he was a starving newborn.

Although he had grown into a rotund, 55-pound, independent juvenile, the seal was still a bit timid when his carrier door was opened. After sniffing in all directions, he undulated forward to test the water.

The seal made one full circle around his release carrier, arriving back at the door. He paused and then went back inside.

The seal exited and re-entered the carrier several more times. On each foray he travelled a little bit farther, sometimes in the water and sometimes on the beach.

Eventually the call of the ocean was too strong to resist. When I last saw him he was about 100 yards from shore, diving, resurfacing and clearly enjoying his newfound freedom.