What a PAWSOME Young Lady!

PAWSOME is an adjective given to any young member of our community who does something awesome for PAWS, and that definitely describes 11-year-old Beth S. from Huntington County.

Beth presenting her check to PAWS

Beth created and sold “backpack buddies” to fellow students in her school. She created snake, lizard and dragon fly designs and sold them for $1, $1.25 and $1.50 respectively.

The “backpack buddies” were such a hit that Beth had to enlist the help of her teacher and several classmates to complete the roughly 300 orders.

After all the orders were complete and some additional donations accepted, Beth came to PAWS recently with a check for $425!

Beth used this money to become a Guardian Angel for PAWS’ dogs Lee and Flip and PAWS’ cats Emmie and Bee Bee.

Beth’s “Backpack Buddies”

That means that Beth has already paid the adoption fee for these four wonderful animals as a gift to their future forever families.

Beth and her parents are themselves forever families to a PAWS’ alum—Maggie, who was adopted in December as Beth’s Christmas present.

PAWS cannot thank you enough Beth—you are truly a PAWSOME young lady that we are happy and extremely fortunate to have in our community!

 

The Amazing Life-Altering Week for Elvis

Life-altering is the only way Elvis can describe this past week—he went from being stricken with infections when he came to PAWS to finding his forever home (and touching the hearts of PAWS’ volunteers) in seven short days!

Elvis on his adoption day with his new mom!

Elvis, a six-year-old Bullmastiff, came to PAWS on Sunday, February 10 after being picked up by our Dog Intake Coordinator.

He smelled so badly from infections in his ears and on his skin that those taking care of him that day had to wear masks to keep from getting sick. They worked through the smell; and in about an hour, Elvis was looking and smelling better.

However, Elvis still needed veterinary attention. Elvis went to the vet first thing Monday morning and had his ears deep-cleaned and cutaneous carcinomas–a type of skin cancer—removed (any donations to cover the cost of this pricey surgery would be greatly appreciated).

Elvis never complained when blood was drawn, his sores and terribly infected ears cleaned and his badly matted fur (from pus) shaved. He remained quite the happy dog and that temperament won the hearts of everyone he met.

Elvis also won the heart of a Guardian Angel, who paid his adoption fee, and his forever mom—all in one week!

Elvis is just one of the many success stories of the thousands of animals that have walked through the doors of PAWS over the past 30 years, and would not have been possible without the tremendous work and dedication of our volunteers and supporters!

Elvis on his first day at PAWS with our Director of Operations, Dog Intake Coordinator, a PAWS Medical Coordinator, then on his adoption day with a PAWS Medical Coordinator, Elvis’ Guardian Angel (and PAWS volunteer), his adopter, Dog Intake Coordinator, Director of Operations

 

Become a Valentine to a PAWS’ Cat or Dog!

Charlie hopes that his smile is the key to your heart and you will become his valentine!

Love is in the air this week with Valentine’s Day on Thursday and PAWS is on a mission to make sure the holiday doesn’t pass without every single one of our cats and dogs having a valentine!

You don’t need to adopt a cat or dog from PAWS to become their valentine, though that would be a great gift! You can still show how much you love one (or more) of our wonderful canines or fabulous felines by sponsoring them this month for only $25, a tax exempt donation that helps support food, shelter and medical costs for our animals.

To sponsor a cat or dog, simply click on the link that is below their individual picture on the PAWS’ website.

Currently, there are about 20 dogs and 25 cats without a valentine this week. PAWS hopes that you will help lower that number, and know that you will be thanked with a much-deserved woof and purr salute!

 

Petfinder’s Luckiest Pet Contest!

Do you think your PAWS’ alum is the luckiest pet? If so, enter Petfinder’s Luckiest Pet Contest for a chance for you to win a $500 gift card to Petco and a $5,000 donation for Centre County PAWS!

Treasure hopes to get adopted before February 20th so she has a chance to become Petfinder’s luckiest pet!

Petfinder is celebrating lucky 2013 by sharing the stories of the luckiest adopted pets, then helping adoptable pets find homes. Pet parents can upload a photo or video of their pet and describe why he/she is the luckiest, giving color to their life before and after adoption.

The deadline to enter the contest is 11:59am ET (just before noon) on February 20, 2013. Entrants will select a Petfinder member (PAWS would definitely appreciate it if you selected us!) when submitting their story.

The voting period to determine the luckiest pet will start on February 21 and visitors can vote once a day for animals throughout the contest with the voting period ending March 18, 2013.

The luckiest pet with the most votes will win a $500 gift card to Petco and a $5,000 donation in their name to the designated organization (hopefully PAWS!)

Good luck to everyone who submits an entry; we know all of our alums are extremely lucky dogs and cats!

 

“Share the Love” Photo Contest Winners!

For the past two weeks, PAWS’ Facebook fans have been submitting entries to our photo contest, showing everyone how they “Share the Love” with their pets during the holiday season. We were treated to two dozen adorable pictures, and are here to announce the winners of the contest!

Our first winner was selected by a random drawing and is Hodya M. and her cat Minka! Hodya wins a PAWS’ shirt with a gift on its way to Minka.

Our second winner was determined by which picture received the most votes and is Laurie S. and her cat DJ! A total of 64 people voted on this adorable picture of DJ. Laurie and DJ won a prize pack from PAWS that includes a PAWS’ shirt, a handmade “Share the Love” ornament and a variety of gifts for DJ!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our contest, either by uploading photos or voting. “Share the Love” is not only about helping the cats and dogs at PAWS find their forever families, but also about celebrating the joy animals bring to our lives.

Here is a collection of the other cute pictures submitted to the contest:

This is Star, PAWS 2010 Alum, with her first Christmas with me. I was working at the Nittany Mall at the time and had the photo taken there.

Baxter (formerly known as Buddy), PAWS 2012 Alum, loves Santa.

A friendly family rivalry!

Harley showing his Christmas spirit. Adopted September 9, 2012 from Centre County PAWS

Fizzgig, 2012 PAWS Alum (was Shadow), “helping” me decorate the bannisters with ribbon!

Tyson (rottie mix, PAWS alum 2012) and Doug (golden retriever) share the love on a beautiful winter day at the Nature Inn near Howard.

O’Malley trying to look cute in front of the tree so he doesn’t get into trouble for chewing on it.

Daisy (PAWS Alumna 2010) and Shadow (PAWS Alumna 2009) wish everyone a wonderful holiday season! They are both very thankful for all that PAWS has done!

Max found a new place to lay down… directly under the Christmas tree. He’s our Christmas present all thanks to PAWS!

Boomer & Hank wish everyone at PAWS a very Merry Christmas!

Maxx loves toys that sing, dance, squeak, whatever. He figured out how to make the Hallmark Penguin Family move after one hit with his paw. He loved it, lol

Someone loves Swedish fish!

This is Johnny. He was one of five kittens that a feral momma had in my neighborhood the summer of 2002. I found homes for the others, but Johnny was the runt and sickly so I kept him. Look at him now! Happy, healthy and very handsome!

Ozzie and Maddie snuggling under the Christmas tree.

Dexter and Slick wish all their volunteer friends a very Merry Christmas! They are so grateful to Centre County PAWS for bringing them together.

Maggie was adopted from the Clearfield County SPCA 2 1/2 years ago, when she was 10 weeks old. She is a Golden Retriever – Chow mix (to the best of our knowledge). Maggie is truly a member of our family pack. She has boundless energy, but is also quite the lady, and will not take anything that does not belong to her. Maggie loves to be a part of every celebration.

Tanner is ready for winter in his new hat!

Lamb is relaxing on her favorite couch, glad to have found her forever home.

Nutmeg and Saffron holding hands. Both are PAWS alumni, and Saffron is blind. Nutmeg can often be found mothering one of my special needs cats or foster cats.

My fiance and our two pups, studying together! Ramsey was a farm rescue and Annie was adopted at PAWS. They are both two years old and Jack Russell mixes, and they are our world 🙂 Thanks to PAWS and all the staff and foster families who help pets find loving families and gives happy endings to pups like my Annie!

Bosco, my 11 year old Lab, and Rita Marie, a rescue kitten, snugglin’ up by the fire.

Sasha, Tippy, & Oscar (Shih Tzus) would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! Sasha (left) is 6 years old, Oscar (right) is 3 years old, and Tippy (middle) is my blind little man who just recently turned 10!

 

“Share the Love” with PAWS at the Festival of Trees

PAWS is getting in the Christmas spirit by participating in the 18th Annual Festival of Trees!

The Festival of Trees is a community event that ushers in the holiday season. The festival has turned the Central PA Institute of Science Technology (Harrison Rd., Pleasant Gap) into a Winter Wonderland with dozens of decorated trees and vendors.

Thanks to the fantastic artist skills of the students at Park Forest Middle School, PAWS won first place the past two years and we are hoping for a three-peat since the students (those in Ms. Molly Gazda’s art class) did another great job! Look below for a sneak peak of our tree–how can we not win!

The theme for our tree this year is “Share the Love,” which is what PAWS and Stocker Subaru hopes everyone will do this holiday season to celebrate the joy animals bring to our lives and to help those cats and dogs still patiently waiting to find their special forever families.

Help PAWS claim first place once again by voting for our tree (tree #19 and located in the back row) with your cash donation.

You can stop by the Festival of Trees this Thursday and Friday (the 6th and 7th) from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children (just please remember to bring a little extra cash to vote for the PAWS tree!)

Since the Festival of Trees is being held in conjunction with the Bellefonte Victorian Christmas, a free shuttle for the Festival of Trees will be available at the Bellefonte High School and on the Diamond.

 

Adorable Pictures of Santa with PAWS’ Dogs!

When Santa was at PAWS last Sunday, we were able to snap these adorable pictures of him with several of our dogs who you know have only one item on their Christmas list–a new forever family!

Honey is a very sweet 5-year-old spayed Beagle/Hound mix who was rescued from being abandoned. Read more about her here.

Nadia is an adorable 1-year-old spayed Rottweiler mix who weighs 50 pounds. She came to PAWS from the Central PA Humane Society, but was originally found as a stray. To read more about her, please visit this website.

Maggie is an energetic 2-year-old spayed Shepherd/Lab mix. She came to PAWS from the Huntingdon County Humane Society; however, was originally found as a stray. Visit here to read more about this girl to loves to play!

Buzz is an energetic 6-year-old French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix. He is a very friendly boy who is good with older children and some dogs. Read more about Buzz at this website.

Lincoln is a 1.5-year-old neutered German Shepherd, who has an application pending!

Thanks to BowerShots Photography for taking these great pictures!

 

“Share the Love” with PAWS, Stocker Subaru

Centre County PAWS and Stocker Subaru invite you to “Share the Love” with us this holiday season to celebrate the joy animals bring to our lives and to help those cats and dogs still patiently waiting to find their special forever families.

This year’s Subaru Share the Love event is not a one-day affair, but instead features numerous activities through December that captures the spirit of giving and family-togetherness—both hallmarks of the holiday season.

This year’s Share the Love event activities:

–Adoption Event at Stocker Subaru: If you cannot make it to PAWS to meet the wonderful cats and dogs available for adoption, stop by Stocker Subaru (701 Benner Pike, State College) on December 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Not only will PAWS’ adoptable animals be in attendance, there will also be raffles, holiday items for sale and great food! Going along with the “Share the Love” theme, potential adopters will be happy to know that the popular “Five Dollar Felines” promotion continues through the end of the year and the adoption fees for several of our cats and dogs have already been paid for by their generous Guardian Angels!

–Stuff the Subaru: Thanks to Stocker Subaru, there are two vehicles (one at PAWS; the other at Stocker) waiting to be stuffed with canned dog and cat food, peanut butter, Ziploc bags (all sizes), paper towels and hand sanitizer–all items PAWS will use through the year. The generous people who stuffed last year’s Subarus provided PAWS with a year’s worth of peanut butter!

This Subaru at PAWS is ready to get stuffed!

–Facebook Contest: To show others how much joy animals bring to your life, PAWS invites you to submit photos of how you “Share the Love” during the holidays with your pets. Upload your photo to our Facebook page by December 14 and you will be entered into a random drawing for a PAWS shirt and a gift for your pet.

–Coloring Contest: Kids are welcome to show off their artistic skills by coloring a “Share the Love” themed page. They can bring their artwork to PAWS by December 15 to be entered into a random drawing for a prize!

–Holiday Foster Families: Even if it is just for the holidays, foster homes are greatly needed so none of the PAWS’ animals have to spend the holidays alone. You do not need professional experience to become a PAWS’ foster parent. All it takes is a loving heart, basic knowledge about the type of animal you will foster, good observation skills and a desire to help companion animals. PAWS will provide you with all the supplies, such as food and litter, needed to foster one of our cats or dogs. To learn more about this program that gets our animals home for the holidays, please click here.

–Decorate PAWS’ Christmas Tree: Show your holiday spirit by helping PAWS decorate our tree. Ornaments, handmade by our talented volunteers, can be purchased at PAWS and placed on our tree with all the proceeds benefiting the cats and dogs at PAWS.

Missy Boo thanks you in advance for “sharing the love” this holiday season!

–“Share the Love” on Display at this Year’s Festival of Trees: PAWS is making sure that the “Share the Love” theme will be on full display at this year’s 18th Annual Festival of Trees. The PAWS’ tree, thanks to the artistic skills of local students, received the most votes (counted by cash donations) the past two years, and PAWS is hoping for a three-peat this year. Helping PAWS once again claim that top spot is easy–simply head to the Central PA Institute of Science & Technology in Pleasant Gap, home of this year’s Festival of Trees, from December 6-9 and vote with your cash donation; PAWS thanks you in advance!

–Donations Always Greatly Appreciated: PAWS is committed to finding forever homes for cats and dogs, educating the public on responsible pet ownership, providing spay/neuter assistance and ending pet overpopulation–all of which would not be possible without generous donations from the community. You can monetarily “Share the Love” to PAWS from the comfort of your home and donating in the honor of a friend or family member makes a great holiday gift. Please know that every dollar counts and is greatly appreciated!

 

Senior Pets: A Great Age-Bracket to Adopt

November has been deemed “Adopt a Senior Pet Month” to raise awareness about a great group of animals who still have several years of loving to give, but are often unfairly overlooked due to their age.

A senior cat is aged eight years or older, while a dog becomes a senior at age seven for a large dog and age nine for a small dog. However, in the eyes of PAWS volunteers, the term “senior” is just a technical name. They know that the loving and fun nature of a cat or dog doesn’t diminish with age.

Simone is one of PAWS’ senior cats, but she proves how young at heart she really is when she gets to play with wand toys and laser dots!

In fact, the ASPCA and Petfinder list ten top reasons why senior cats and dogs are a great age-bracket to adopt.

Toward the top of both lists is “What you see is what you get.” There is no guessing as to whether a senior cat or dog will be a good fit for your family. PAWS knows the preferences of our senior cats and dogs since their personalities have already developed and their backgrounds shed light on what situations have or haven’t worked in the past.

Senior cats and dogs also typically settle into new homes rather quickly with little work on your end. It is hard to find an older cat that doesn’t know how to use a litter box or a dog that has not been house-trained. But if you do, a senior cat or dog is likely to pick up these good habits faster than younger kittens and puppies.

April knows she looks good for her age!

Most importantly, senior pets still have plenty of loving to give to their new families and there are several PAWS dogs and cats who are out to prove that!

April is the older of two 13-year-old cats at PAWS (followed by Wellington) and was surrendered to PAWS when her owner moved and couldn’t take April along. This front-declawed, orange and white lady is beautiful, playful and has a purr you can hear in the next room.

She would fit in perfectly with a family who already has other cats and older kids. April has never been around dogs.

April easily qualifies as a PAWS’ Five Dollar Feline, meaning you can welcome her or any of our other cats aged one year and older into your home for only $5 through the end of the year.

Snoppy, handsome as always!

Snoppy, a Jack Russell Terrier mix, is the oldest on the PAWS dog side; though, he will tell you that he is 11-years-young (not old!). Snoppy is initially shy around strangers, but is sure to come out of his shell once he meets and spends time with a special family. Snoppy won’t even mind if that family includes kids and other dogs.

Following Snoppy on the list of senior dogs at PAWS are 10-year-olds Oscar, Missy Boo and Bluma.

So please consider welcoming one of these older, yet still wonderful pets into your home. If adopting is not in your immediate future, you can also help out the senior cats or dogs at PAWS by sponsoring them for a month or becoming their Guardian Angel. PAWS and our cats and dogs thank you in advance!

 

“Fixed & Fabulous” Donation Drive Continues!

Centre County PAWS is seeking out the community’s help to keep its popular and effective Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) successful, and that is why our “Fixed & Fabulous” Donation Drive is under way!

In four short years, one unspayed cat (and her kittens) can give birth to over 10,000 cats. That means just 15 unspayed cats (and their kittens) could supply the entire population of Centre County (153,990 people in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau) with one cat in four years. While it would be cute to see all of those kittens, the reality is that too many of the kittens born in Centre County and across the United States will live a life without a warm and caring home.

PAWS created SNAP to help reduce the pet overpopulation and has already assisted in the spaying or neutering of 750 cats and dogs so far this year.

PAWS is able to help so many animals by holding several low-cost spay/neuter clinics throughout the year. While these clinics were previously limited to low-income Centre County families, the income restrictions have since been lifted and the clinics are now open to all residents of Pennsylvania.

In addition, PAWS offers vouchers to those in need of financial assistance in getting their pets spayed or neutered. The vouchers are available to Centre County residents, students and those who work full-time in Centre County.

PAWS, of course, takes in hundreds of cats and dogs throughout the year and ensures that each animal is spayed or neutered before they are adopted.

To ensure the future success of SNAP, PAWS is holding a donation drive in hopes of raising $10,000. Donations to this great cause can be made by visiting http://www.centrecountypaws.org/donating/spayneuter.cfm.

Every dollar donated will be truly appreciated and there is an option available for those who wish to give an amount that has a specific purpose ($40 will assist with the neutering of one dog; $75 will assist with the spaying of one cat). Any donation to SNAP will be worth twice as much during this donation drive thanks to Stone Valley Pet Lodge matching all donations up to $5,000.

PAWS sincerely thanks everyone who has or is planning to donate!