Feel Good with a Vote for PAWS

 

Like a campaigning politician, PAWS needs your vote!  For the past year, we have been privileged to be a Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union Feel Good Checking™ partner. For every Feel Good Checking account opened, SMCU donates $20 to one of their seven non-profit community partners.  Since PAWS was elected as one of the non-profit partners in the Feel Good Checking program, we have received an incredible $3,860 from SMCU!

In order to remain a partner in the program, we need YOU to vote for us!  For just one week, November 1 to November 7, you will be able to vote for your favorite finalist. 

Only seven out of 21 finalists will be selected for the program—please help make PAWS one of them by voting now!

You can feel good knowing that your vote not only counts, but will help save the lives of more than 6,000 cats, dogs and wildlife in the year ahead. 

Please vote for PAWS!

 

 

Halloween is in the Air in the Latest Campus Update

Spiders, vultures and owls appear on the PAWS campus just in time for Halloween. Click below to access the latest edition of the Campus Update.

Download Campus Update 10/25/12

Halloween Safety Tips for Your Pet

 

It's that time of year—brightly colored leaves litter the ground, spooky decorations and jack-o-lanterns are prominently displayed on front porches, and children adorn costumes for trick-or-treating. Halloween is here, and for us humans it is a fun (and sugar-filled) holiday. But what about our pets?

All Hallows Eve can be more of a trick than a treat for our four-legged friends, so here are a few tips to keep your pets safe, healthy and happy this Halloween:

1. Keep the candy bowl away from your pets. Sugar is never good for animals, but chocolate can be toxic to your pet. Make sure you keep the trick-or-treat candy where your pooch can't sneak a treat!

2. Leave your pet at home. Give trick-or-treating with your pet a miss—even the calmest dogs may be unnerved or frightened by all the noises and scary masks.

3. Be safe with decorations. Hanging objects, and especially loose wires, can be hazardous when pets are present. Keep decorations up high, and keep electric cords out of your pets' reach (and mouth).

4. Careful with the costumes. Your dog may look adorable dressed up as four-legged Superman, but pet costumes can easily cause your pet to feel hot, constricted, and stressed. Instead of a costume, try making your pet festive with a Halloween-themed bandana or collar.

5. Keep your pets indoors. Make sure to bring your dogs and cats inside, especially on Halloween night. The crazy sights and sounds can frighten your animals into running away. Experts also suggest keeping all but the most easygoing, social pets in a back room away from the front door during trick-or-treating hours. The heavy traffic and strangers at the door can be stressful and scary for your pet.

For more holiday hazards, visit PAWS.org

Happy Halloween from all of us at PAWS!

 

 

National Pit Bull Awareness Day

 

Tanya Mustard had her hands full. With three young children, a dog, and a cat, she couldn't imagine squeezing one more body into their already-crowded home. But then she met Prince Charming, a one-year-old brown and white Pit Bull Terrier, and she knew she had to make room for one more.

Prince Charming, now named Deniro (pictured at right with his human sister Violet), is sweet, mellow, gentle and affectionate—exactly the kind of dog that the founders of National Pit Bull Awareness Day hope will change the negative perceptions and stereotypes about pit bulls and their responsible owners.

American Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes embody the best qualities of our favorite canine friends—lovable, loyal, eager to learn, friendly and great with families. Unfortunately, they are often overlooked by potential adopters because of misconceptions about the breed.

National Pit Bull Awareness Day, which takes place on Saturday, October 27, was established as a day to educate and foster positive discussions about Pit Bulls and Pit Bull ownership amongst each other and within our communities.

The ultimate goal of NPBAD is to promote the truth about this misunderstood breed, a truth that families like the Mustards already know: you'll never find a more friendly, loving, loyal, devoted dog than a Pit Bull.

Adopt a Love-a-Bull dog from PAWS!

 

 

Purr Cocktail Lounge Party for PAWS

 

Love drinking delicious cocktails and helping animals? You can do both tonight, Thursday, October 18, at the Purr Cocktail Lounge 7 Year Anniversary Celebration! Deck yourself in your finest cocktail attire and come sip on ABSOLUT CHERRYKRAN inspired cocktails. A percentage of the proceeds from this event will be donated to help the animals at PAWS. Hope to see you there! 

 

Purr Cocktail Lounge 7 Year Anniversary Party
Thursday, October 18
Doors open at 7 P.M.

 

Double the Love: Benefits of Bonded Pairs

 

Like any good couple, Biggun and Goldie balance each other out. Biggun, a large, black Great Dane, is a laid-back gentle giant, while Goldie, a petite, smiling Golden Retriever, is energetic and loves to run after tennis balls. These two canines are a bonded pair as close as any married couple.

Finding adoptive homes for bonded pairs can be a challenge, and the length of time spent in the shelter is generally longer for bonded pairs than for single pets.

But adopting a bonded pair doesn't have to be double the work! There are many benefits to adopting a pair of animals who are already the best of friends.

"Bonded pairs provide each other with a companionship that is different from the cuddling, playtime, and love that they get from their adoptive humans" says PAWS Cat City Supervisor Steph Renaud.

Here are a few of the benefits of adopting a bonded pair:

• They keep each other company. If you work long hours, you don't have to feel guilty about being away from your pet, or worry about your pet being lonely. They'll entertain one another!
• No introduction period. With bonded pairs, you won’t need to go through the process of ‘introducing’ new animals to one another, which can take weeks, or even months.
• They're already best friends. With bonded pairs, you don't run the risk of your pets disliking one another, or your resident animal acting out with the addition of a new family member.
• Alleviate anxiety and bad behavior. Many destructive behaviors are due to boredom or separation anxiety. A built-in playmate naturally provides the stimulation and security needed to reduce the potential for bad behaviors to develop.
• Improve your pet's life. Studies show that animals bonded to one another live longer and healthier lives!

And most importantly of all, when you adopt a bonded pair of animals you're giving two best friends a loving forever home together!

Adopt a pet (or two) from PAWS!

 

 

National Pet Obesity Awareness Day

 

Waistlines are getting bigger in the United States, but it's not just humans who are packing on the pounds. Our pets are getting bigger too. According to a 2011 survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, a staggering 55% of cats in our country are overweight.

A roly poly kitty might be cute, but those extra pounds can present a number of challenges for everyday living, as well as increased risk of health problems such as osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems, kidney disease, and shortened life expectancy.

In honor of National Pet Obesity Awareness Day— October 10, 2012—here are a few tips to help keep your animal companions trim and healthy.

• Exercise is key. Take your dog for a long walk around your neighborhood or to the off-leash dog park for some play time. Cats can also be leash-trained so that they may enjoy the outdoors on supervised walks.
• Encourage playtime. Throwing the Frisbee for your dog, or encouraging your cat to pounce, leap, and run laps around the house, will keep your pet entertained and healthy.
• Toys for treats. Work-to-eat toys give cats and dogs puzzles to solve in order to earn a reward, keeping their brains and their bodies exercised.
• Offer alternatives. Instead of offering high-calorie treats, try other options like baby carrots, pieces of rice cakes, or breaking up treats into smaller pieces.
• No table scraps. Human food is just that—for humans, not animals. Not only can they be high in calories, but they can cause indigestion or other health issues for your pet.

Keep your pet happy and healthy with tips from PAWS

 

Wags & Whiskers Pet Adoption Event

 

Are you ready for some family-friendly adoption fun? On Sunday, October 14, Northpointe Animal Hospital celebrates its one year anniversary with a Wags and Whiskers Pet Adoption Event and block party! Eight local shelters, including PAWS, will be present with dogs and cats available for adoption. All adopted animals are spayed/neutered and receive a complimentary office visit courtesy of Northpointe Animal Hospital.

There will be free food, raffles, prizes and more! A Halloween costume contest with prizes for the best dog and cat costumes, Halloween-themed arts and crafts for the kids, kettle corn and cotton candy. Adopting a new pet has never been more fun!

 

PAWS Participates in Statewide Open House

 

On Saturday, October 13, PAWS will be participating in the Pawsitive Alliance Statewide Animal Shelter Open House, to highlight the wonderful work being done at shelters and rescue organizations all across Washington.

The Open House event is a fun opportunity to bring attention to hundreds of adoptable animals, to save lives, and to give families the opportunity to welcome a new family member into their home.

During the open house, we will have tasty treats on hand for light snacking, and we'll be offering fee-waived adoptions for senior animals at both our Lynnwood and Cat City locations! 

If you've been thinking about adopting, the PAWS Open House is a perfect opportunity for you to meet the many cats, dogs, kittens and puppies we have available for adoption.

Join us on Saturday, October 13 for the PAWS Open House!

 

 

Three in the Tree

 

As I reported in the September 14 installment of the PAWS Blog, the Raccoons that grew up here at PAWS over the summer are now returning to their wild homes. I released another group on September 26 at a King County Natural Area along the Green River. Three of the Raccoons were especially adventurous, and after fording a small stream they proceeded to climb up into the branches of a large fir tree. They were extremely animated at first, touching, sniffing and exploring all that the tree had to offer. Then they noticed that humans were still standing on the other side of the stream, watching them. I took the following photo after they made this realization.

I can't help but anthropomorphize a little bit and imagine that those expressions are saying, "What are you still doing here?" Imagined or not, we acquiesced to that sentiment and left the young Raccoons to continue exploring the tree in our absence.