From Skin and Bones to Adopted: The Success Story of Chloe

The story of Chloe is definitely nothing short of a success. Roughly one year to the date after coming to PAWS in dire need of medical attention, Chloe joined her forever family this past weekend as a truly happy and healthy dog!

Chloe's first day at PAWS

Chloe arrived at PAWS last January extremely thin and suffering from parasites, food allergies and a horrible yeast infection that resulted in hair loss. She was surrendered because of her medical condition and her owner’s inability to afford proper veterinary care.

Thanks to best wishes and donations from the community and loving care from PAWS volunteers, Chloe bounced back to her old self rather quickly.

Chloe, one week after coming to PAWS

In one week, she regained so much energy that all she wanted to do was run, play, jump and howl anytime visitors entered the room. She quickly turned into a lap dog and proved that she knew sit and paw.

In her first three weeks at PAWS, Chloe gained eight pounds and her beautiful hair started growing back. Her skin infection was nearly gone by March and she spent the rest of 2011 happily enjoying life in a foster home with her foster dog sibling.

Chloe’s wish for a forever home finally came true  earlier this month when a wonderful family walked into PAWS and decided she would be their next furry family member.

A healthy Chloe showing off her sweet smile in May

Chloe’s adoption was finalized on January 14, much to the delight of her foster mom and all the volunteers who gave her so much love and care during her 363 days at PAWS.

PAWS wishes Chloe and her new family nothing but the best as Chloe begins her “Happily Ever After” chapter in life. PAWS also wants to thank our volunteers and donors who made Chloe’s story a success!

The same week that Chloe found her forever home, two new dogs (Clementine and Precious) with significant medical issues came into the care of PAWS. Just like Chloe, we are certain Clementine and Precious will recover and be on the hunt for forever families in no time!

 

“It’s Time to Get These Animals Adopted!”

While PAWS strives to find any animal that walks through our doors a home, there are a few cats and dogs that have been at PAWS so long that our volunteers are saying, “It’s time to get these animals adopted!”

Harry, Kit and Leo on the cat side and Bailey on the dog side have each been in the care of PAWS for more than a year or even two. All are wonderful animals and definitely a deserving of a home, but have yet to find that perfect family.

PAWS wants nothing more than to complete that missing link before 2012 comes to a close.

How can you resist that sweet face?

Harry—Resident of PAWS for 626 days

This loving, handsome and friendly guy with a small notch in one ear is the king of the PAWS cattery! Harry makes a good bed companion and when it is time to work, he thinks his fascination with computers will make him a great office assistant!

Harry also loves belly rubs and toys, especially shoestrings. He likes to scratch, but knows that’s what scratching posts are for.

Harry lived exclusively outside before coming to PAWS, and now can get stressed when around too many cats. He would do best as the only cat in a home, but may be okay with a female feline companion.

Bailey—PAWS resident for 572 days

Deemed all-around awesome and sweet dog by PAWS volunteers, Bailey is a 6-year-old Lab/Spaniel mix who loves to climb and snuggle onto laps. He is proud of his good manners and the fact that he can be left in a home alone, despite not being crate trained!

Check out that smile on Bailey's face!

Bailey is searching for a home without younger children since he can be scared of them, but older children are okay. Bailey has also requested that he not share his future family with any other furry siblings.

Bailey is so eager to find a new home that he will willingly participate in free dog training classes once adopted. He has already got a jump on this training through the PAWS Pet Partner Program!

Kit and Leo—A Duo at PAWS for 1,011 days

Kit and Leo have come a long way since being rescued from a feral cat colony and spending their first months at PAWS extremely shy and frightened.

Kit has definitely come out of her shell, making a breakthrough while in a foster home two holidays ago. She now looks forward to visitors at PAWS! Leo is still hesitant about greeting strangers, but tends to follow Kit’s lead. PAWS volunteers have also found that food is the key to Leo’s heart.

Handsome Leo is on the left with beautiful Kit on the right.

What neither is shy about is attacking the red laser dot that has become a playtime favorite!

Kit and Leo offer each other so much comfort and support that PAWS promised them they will not be adopted separately and wants to remind any family concerned about adopting two cats at once of the Lloyd Alexander quote, “Two cats can live as cheaply as one, and their owner has twice as much fun!”

The ideal home for Kit and Leo would be one that is quiet with an adopter who is cat savvy and patient.

Please help make 2012 the best year for Kit and Leo, as well as Harry and Bailey, by sharing their stories with anyone who is thinking of welcoming a new furry family member into their home.

Better yet, hopefully your home has a spot for one of these wonderful animals!

 

Introducing the PAWS Pet Partners Program

Some dogs that come to PAWS need just a little help to get them ready to live life in a new forever home—enter PAWS newly established Pet Partners Program.

Cooper is working on walking nicely on a leash through the PAWS Pet Partner Program.

The Pet Partners Program pairs those dogs with PAWS volunteers who work with them on walking well on a leash (using Gentle Leader collars) and learning commands. The dogs are also taught not to get overly excited about things that usually get them worked up. Cars have been an issue for Copper, while other dogs walking past have caused problems for Treasure and Murphy.

PAWS is happy to report that the dogs enrolled in the program are making great strides. Murphy walks like a dream with his Pet Partner and is working on commands such as “sit,” “stay,” “leave it,” and “paw.” Another eager participant, Harley Girl, is also learning similar commands.

Bailey is smiling since he now has a Pet Partner!

These dogs continue to work hard and now can’t wait for PAWS to reopen to the public on January 7th so they can show off what they are learning to future family members!

If you can’t open your home to a PAWS dog at this time but want to help this program, donations of Gentle Leader collars and treats like Pup-peroni sticks would be greatly appreciated.

This program would not be possible without the amazing efforts of the volunteers involved. PAWS thanks them for taking time out of their lives to help our dogs become the best pets for other families.

A special thank you also goes out to Pet Behavior Change for their help with this program.

 

Sneak Peak at the PAWS Festival of Trees Entry

PAWS is getting in the Christmas spirit by participating in the 17th Annual Festival of Trees!

The Festival of Trees is a community event that ushers in the holiday season. The Penn State Agricultural Arena is turned into a Winter Wonderland with over 100 decorated trees, vendors and is visited by thousands of people.

Thanks to the fantastic artist skills of the students at Park Forest Middle School, we won first place last year and are confident we will win again since the students have done an another amazing job creating awesome ornaments and a topper for our tree (look below for a sneak peak).

Help PAWS claim first place once again by voting for our tree (tree #30) with your cash donation. Prizes for the top three most voted on trees are $100, $75 and $50 with the remaining monetary donations benefiting the Centre County United Way 40 Partner Agencies!

You can stop by the Festival of Trees through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. or Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children.

 

Need Christmas Gift Ideas? PAWS can Help!

It’s Thanksgiving Week and that means that the busy holiday shopping season is about to get under way. Is there someone who seems to have everything, is hard to please or just has you stumped on what to give on your Christmas shopping list? If you answered yes, look to PAWS for possible answers.

If somone has a soft spot for beagles, consider sponsoring Tank in their honor!

Sponsor a PAWS Cat or Dog in Their Honor: Is that certain someone a cat or dog lover, but can’t welcome a new furry family member in their home at this time? Then sponsoring a PAWS cat or dog in their honor for a month may be a perfect option. Your tax-exempt donation of $25 will help provide food, shelter and medical costs for that special animal. To become a sponsor, just click the link under that cat’s or dog’s individual picture. The only hard part will be choosing among all the sweet PAWS cats and dogs!

Donate to PAWS in Their Honor: Monetary donations to PAWS are not limited to animal sponsorships. Any donations, no matter how small or large, are greatly appreciated and will go a long way to help the animals and basic operations at PAWS. Such donations can be made in honor of someone. It may also be touching to someone on your Christmas list if you donate to PAWS in the memory of someone that person just lost or a beloved pet.

PAWS Midge recently got in the Christmas spirit by getting her picture taken with Santa. Your pet can do the same on Nov. 27th at PAWS.

Purchase PAWS Merchandise: PAWS has a variety of clothing and other items on sale for the animal-lover on your Christmas list. With it getting cold outside, many people would love to get another nice and warm sweatshirt to wear—complete with “Centre County PAWS” on the front. You can check out our selection at PAWS (1401 Trout Rd., State College) during our open business hours.

Purchase a PAWS Wishlist Item in Their Honor: Instead of donating money in someone’s name, you could also donate a specific item in their honor. PAWS has created a list of everyday needs and recently created an Amazon Wishlist for the holidays.

Give a PAWS Membership: Anyone can become a member of PAWS for only $25 a year with an entire family membership costing only $35. All membership donations go directly to helping the animals in our care, because our entire organization is made up of volunteers. Other benefits of becoming a PAWS member range from discounts to local businesses, ten percent off PAWS merchandise and a subscription to the PAWS newsletter.

PAWS hopes this list is helpful as you begin your holiday shopping and we thank you for considering the above items—all of which will help the wonderful cats and dogs waiting to find their forever homes at PAWS!

 

“Adopt a Senior Pet Month” in Full Swing

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.

PAWS Tobie is a senior, but that smile proves he is still a very happy dog!

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 are 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.

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!

Eleven-year-old Prince is the older of the two senior cats at PAWS (followed by 8-year-old Flame). Prince came to PAWS after having an incident with an active dog in his former home, but he got along well with the other easy-going dog and cat in the family.

Prince now purrs instantly when anyone visits him at PAWS and is sure to continue showing that love when a special family finally takes him home to his new castle.

Otis, a 12-year-old beagle mix, is the oldest on the PAWS dog side, but promises to be a great addition to any family. He is very calm, house-trained and good with children, cats and other dogs. The only reason Otis is at PAWS is because of his special request when it comes to living arrangements. Otis was living in an apartment, but has separation anxiety and gets extremely stressed in a crate.

Rounding out the list of other PAWS senior dogs are Cherry, Tobie and Bruno.

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 PAWS senior cats or dogs by sponsoring them for a month. Simply click the link under their individual photo for more information and PAWS thanks you in advance!

 

Stubby Update!

After being lost for several months, Stubby has been enjoying his time back at home!

Someone's happy!

Stubby and his new friend Max

What a handsome guy!

Max making sure Stubby doesn't escape again!

Thanks again to everyone who helped Stubby get reunited back with his family!!

 

PAWS Bingo Night Just Around the Corner!

Centre County PAWS is calling all Bingo-lovers to an evening of fun with the opportunity to win cash prizes, while helping out a worthy cause.

Join PAWS at the State College Elks Lodge and Country Club (100 Elks Club Rd., Boalsburg) for two Early Bird games, 20 Bingo games and five Special Bingo games on Friday, November 18.

Doors open at 5 p.m. with Early Bird games beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by regular Bingo at 7 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased online or at the PAWS Shelter Center (1401 Trout Rd., State College) during open hours. Tickets will be $25 at the door. Note that tickets purchased online will not be mailed; they will be honored when you arrive at the Elks Club.

All proceeds benefit the PAWS Spay/Neuter Assistance Program, which has helped spay or neuter more than 300 dogs and cats throughout Centre County in the past year.

 

Solomon Needs a Home ASAP!

Solomon is a 10-year-old Boxer who has a euthanasia appointment scheduled for Thursday at another shelter due to a divorce situation. Solomon is not a PAWS dog, but PAWS is working with several other people and groups to spread the word in hopes that you or someone you know may be that perfect person to help Solomon.

Unfortunately, PAWS is not able to do more for Solomon. He had an assessment with PAWS Monday and it was clear that Solomon is a good dog around people he knows, but he cannot easily interact with strangers. That latter fact is the reason PAWS cannot take him in. He would not be able to safely live in a PAWS kennel, where lots of volunteers come in daily to walk or care for the dogs, or be shown on Sundays with other PAWS foster dogs, where dozens of people may approach one dog.

If a foster or rescue group comes forward and agrees to help out with Solomon, PAWS is willing to work with them to help Solomon overcome his issues with strangers.

Contact Arlene at 717-348-6069 if you or someone you know can help out Solomon. Please note that since Solomon is not a PAWS dog, we cannot comment further with certainty information on his health or temperament.

PAWS does know that Solomon just needs a caring and able person who can give him a permanent home where he can live out the rest of his days!

 

Several Lost Cats/Dogs

PAWS recently received several reports of lost cats and dogs. Please read over the following descriptions, so we can hopefully get these pets reunited with their families!

Found Cat

This young male cat has been hanging around a home on Oakwood Avenue in State College since August 31st. He is smoky gray with yellow eyes, wears a red collar with a bell and is a real sweetie. He loves to be held and pet. If you have any information, please contact Andrea at 814-404-2987.

Lost Cat

This 5-year-old female tabby cat has been missing since the start of the month from the Southgate Dr./Blue Course Dr. neighborhood of State College. She is petite in size (weighs about 7 lbs) and is not wearing a collar. If you have any information, please contact jrc309@gmail.com or 717-437-4022.

Lost Dog

Chloe, an 11-year-old Golden Retriever dog dug under her family’s fence in Aaronsburg (Penns Valley) and escaped a few days ago. She is a medium gold color and has problems with her ears/skin allergies. She is wearing a collar with her dog license. If you have any information, please contact 814-571-3592.

Lost Cat

A female black/brown tabby cat recently went missing from the Autoport area. She is 5 to 6 years old and is wearing a blue collar and a flea collar. If you have any information, please contact David at 814-321-1853.

Lost Puppy

A 4-week-old puppy recently went missing. The only information we have is that the puppy is a yellow/red lab male and the person to contact is Chris at 334-657-6570. When we get more details, we will update this blog.

Found Cat

An orange cat, described as very friendly, was sighted in the Port Matilda area. If you have any information, please contact Christopher B. on the PAWS’ Facebook wall.