Angel Tales » Fall/Winter 2008

Volunteer Spotlight: Patty Smith

apulley — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:28:57 +0000

Patty Smith didn’t let her building’s “No Dogs Allowed” policy stop her from spending time with her four-legged friends. Although her two senior Birman cats, Ulee and Holly, remain the loves of her life, Patty couldn’t stop wishing for a dog of her own.

Her wish was granted when PAWS Chicago opened the doors to its new Adoption and Humane Center last September. The cageless, No Kill shelter depends on volunteers and Smith seized the opportunity to use her sunny disposition to help homeless animals. Little did she know when she walked through the doors of the Adoption Center over a year ago that the time and love she dedicated to PAWS Chicago would be returned three-fold by the animals she helped and the people she met.

“I’d hoped that being at PAWS on a regular basis would help this fixation (with having her own dog). Well, it works!”

Smith, who has lived in the Chicagoland area for over 44 years, began her volunteer work at the Adoption Center as a dog walker. But her can-do attitude and charisma made her a prime candidate to be a greeter. She now also serves as an adoption counselor on weekends, and lends her time and expertise at PAWS Chicago’s off-site adoption events. The one area of service Smith has not yet explored? The organization’s rescue missions. “I missed out on the rescue trip to Iowa because I had out-of-town guests, but would do it if it came up again,” says Smith.

Smith is an active volunteer and her list of rewards for the work seems a mile long. Perhaps her favorite thing about working at the Adoption Center is seeing the sheer happiness on the faces of families who’ve adopted an animal. She also lists the positive attitudes and quality of people she meets through her volunteer work and loves the chance to spread the word about PAWS Chicago’s No Kill mission.

She admits still feeling the sting of not being able to rescue a dog herself, but adds that her time around the animals at the shelter helps. She’s excited about getting the Spay/Neuter Ordinance passed, and the huge number of animals it will affect. And Smith understands that all non-profit organizations, including PAWS Chicago must operate on a tight budget, but adds, “I see (PAWS Chicago) from all views and it’s very expensive (to run). But it’s so amazing what they can do with so few paid employees who work so hard.”

In between the hours she dedicates to her volunteer work at PAWS Chicago, Smith enjoys boating during the summer, needlepoint and spending time with her children and grandchildre

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Volunteer Spotlight: Melissa Ziberna

Oscar Mendez — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:03:45 +0000

After spending years in corporate America Melissa Ziberna found out that her true calling was helping animals.

Ziberna, a Senior Director of Risk Management at Bally Total Fitness always wanted to give back, but the job, family commitments and lack of time prevented her from diving in. Finally, in January, Ziberna decided, “it was now or never, bit the bullet, and went part-time at my job so I could pursue this next phase in my life.”

Ten months later, Ziberna is happier than she’s ever been, volunteering four days a week at PAWS Chicago. Rescuing animals is nothing new to Ziberna, whose two beloved cats; Jeremiah and Sammy NO are both rescues.

“It is difficult not to take this personally, and to see the dear little creature back again in search of a family. But as Robin likes to remind me, it is just not the right home for them, PAWS will take care of them and they will all eventually make that perfect match.”

Ziberna started at PAWS Chicago in Kitty City (where all the cats in the Adoption and Humane Center reside) cleaning up, helping potential adopters and greeting newcomers. She quickly moved on to Dog Town, where she cared for, socialized and walked the dogs. But she wanted more responsibility. She began working on new volunteer orientations, eventually finding her niche as an adoption counselor.

Ziberna explains that this was the first time she ever felt that she was really making a difference in animals’ lives. “Truly, the first time I completed my first adoption on my own, I felt a part of the process, a part of the whole,” says Ziberna. “I am still going strong being an adoption counselor, and am about to lend a hand to the head of the adoption program”. Today, the adoption events are her favorite part of working at PAWS Chicago.

The animals themselves top the lists of both her favorite things and the hardest parts of volunteering. Ziberna describes three of her favorites – a dog, Missy, who reminded her of her long-deceased, and beloved German shepherd; a blind cat named Sheridan; and the fat-and-sassy cat, Shakespeare. The drawbacks of volunteering, she insists, are few and far between, but Ziberna says the hardest part of her work is “…when an adoption does not work out and the animal is returned.”

Her eyes tear up as she describes the most difficult area of adoption counseling.

“It is difficult not to take this personally, and to see the dear little creature back again in search of a family. But as Robin likes to remind me, it is just not the right home for them, PAWS will take care of them and they will all eventually make that perfect match.”

When Melissa isn’t dedicating herself to PAWS Chicago, she loves spending time with her husband and working out at the gym. Ziberna also loves spending time with the people at PAWS Chicago, who she describes as exceedingly talented, and who’ve made a conscious decision to follow their passion to help animals.

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PAWS Profile: Deborah Chapman

Oscar Mendez — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:57:15 +0000

From an early age, Deborah felt the importance of people and animals in her life. Her father’s job with Exxon meant her family moved from city to city, including Boston, New York, Texas and Maryland. Growing up, she’d always wanted a dog, but her family’s frequent relocating made it difficult. But her cats were always close. Deborah and her sister always had one or two cats that made the moves with her family. In fact, Deborah’s cat Rajah was a regular visitor at the office when Deborah joined PAWS Chicago.

In 2003, Deborah felt the need to combine her love for animals with her desire to do more philanthropic work. She joined the PAWS Chicago Development Board and quickly combined her experience in advertising, journalism and retail with her people skills to recruit the help of her Michigan Ave. contacts to secure sponsorships.

As Deborah continued to volunteer on the Development Board, her interest in a PAWS Chicago goal of creating a state-of-the-art, cageless, No Kill Adoption Center deepened. During her time working for Chicago magazine, she came across an article contrasting PAWS Chicago’s No Kill mission with other traditional shelters’ objectives. Her commitment to saving the lives of animals was solidified.

Landing a full-time job at PAWS Chicago, Deborah dove into the Capital Campaign to raise money for the Adoption and Humane Center. “My greatest reward that brought tears to my eyes was seeing the pets coming in to the new Adoption Center for the first time. We have inspired many other rescue groups and shelters throughout the country.”

Having helped to make PAWS Chicago Adoption and Humane Center a reality, the self-described “people and pet” person fulfilled another dream–adopting her first dog–a stray terrier.

“Rania” was a handful in the beginning, needing training, but Deborah ignored her doubts and rose to the task, entering Rania in K-9 University, where “Rania and I both had training…It made a world of difference. Now Rania goes everywhere with me: the office…dentist…even the hair salon.”

Asked about her favorite part of working at PAWS Chicago, Deborah describes what gives her the most pleasure. “Recruiting and cultivating new members and helping them find their ‘niche’ on our Development Board. Each member brings a special talent to our organization.” And where will she be in 20 years? “I’ll still be loving pets and wanting to help save them. I’m sure I’ll be a PAWS Chicago volunteer and loving every minute of my time at the Adoption Center.”

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Rescue Work in Egypt

Oscar Mendez — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:36:33 +0000

Unlike in America, Cairo’s animal welfare issues are forced into the public eye at every turn. Images of dogs and cats living and dying on the streets in huge numbers, and malnourished horses and donkeys pulling excessively heavy carts confront tourists and residents every day. Despite a long history of attention to animal welfare in Islamic law, modern Egypt has failed to care properly for its animal citizens. The Egyptian government’s idea of animal population control consists of poisoning and shooting homeless dogs and cats.

United by a sense of outrage about the situation, and a passion to make a difference, a group of Egyptians formed The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA).

Headquartered in Cairo, ESMA currently provides a home to 179 dogs and 123 cats, and focuses on emergency rescue cases, rehabilitation, and adoption. ESMA Vice President Mona Khalil, who runs the day-to-day operations at the shelter (in addition to her full time job as a broadcast journalist) says that, “education is the key to the future of animal welfare in Egypt. Ignorance produces this cruelty that we see on a daily basis; ignorance about the many ways in which even a poor society can do much better for its animals.”

The Egyptian government’s idea of animal population control consists of poisoning and shooting the dogs and cats on the street.

ESMA teaches proper animal care and compassion. “We have made huge progress within the semi-rural community in which our shelter is located,” Khalil explains, “because we provide the only source of care people have for their animals.” ESMA provides animals in need with free spaying and neutering, as well as free medical care.

With animal welfare a new field in Egypt, ESMA faces challenges that range from a lack of veterinarian medical supplies to difficulty finding employees to work at the shelter. Graduates of veterinary school have never worked with cats and dogs, since vet schools focus mainly on animals for consumption.

ESMA has begun offering vet students internships that provide them with hands-on experience with companion animals, generating interest in this new field of vet care. “Vet students can face ridicule from their families and peers for wanting to work with dogs and cats,” Khalil explains, “We have to help them understand that their work is essential and honorable.” ESMA hopes to be able to send its vets for short training courses in the U.S. in the future.

Misunderstandings of religion also challenge ESMA in its work.

Under some interpretations of Islam, dogs are considered ritually impure, and handlers are required to wash the part of the body or clothing that has been in contact with the dog before prayer. Unfortunately, many Egyptians take this purity issue and its accompanying rules to the extreme, harming dogs on the street despite its reprehensibility in Islamic law.

ESMA has helped to produce a primer on Islamic law and animal welfare, which will be widely distributed this fall. ESMA has undertaken a capital campaign to raise the funds to buy land to construct its permanent shelter and medical center. Currently it operates on rented land, and so is limited to the existing infrastructure. Visit esmaegypt.org to find out more information about how you can help.

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Have your Pet Featured in the 2010 Desktop Calendar!

Oscar Mendez — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:01:33 +0000

The deadline is fast approaching to make your pet a star in the inaugural PAWS Chicago Weekly 2010 Desktop Calendar. Memorialize the life of a cherished pet who has passed or celebrate the love of your life. It is the perfect way to commemorate the pet in your life who gives so much. Pair it with your favorite quotation to personalize your page.

These calendars will be sold for $45 to help raise funds for PAWS Chicago’s life-saving work. As part of the calendar, your pet’s photo will be seen in many popular “pet places” including the PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center, pet boutiques, veterinary clinics and many other locations in and around Chicago. It will make the ideal house-warming, birthday or holiday gift.

The three calendar options are:

Monthly Tabs ($2,000) – Choose your favorite month and have your pet placed on a tab divider. Includes three copies of the calendar.
Weekly Page ($600) – Photo will be placed across from the week of your choice based on availability. Includes two copies of the calendar.
Standard ($300) – Photo will be placed across from another pet page. Includes one copy of the calendar.

Don’t miss out! Order your page today.

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Purchase a Holiday Tribute Card and Help a Homeless Animal

Maddie’s Fund Awards Grant to Purdue and PAWS Chicago

Oscar Mendez — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:00:52 +0000

In September of 2008, the first three years of Purdue’s Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program was funded in the amount of $1.1 million. Should the Program meet expectations, another $1.2 million will be given in 2011, bringing the total grant to $2.3 million. This is one of the largest Shelter Medicine Programs funded by Maddie’s since its inception.

As a result of this program, Purdue will be able to dramatically expand its shelter medicine educational program and PAWS Chicago will benefit from significantly increased medical and behavioral resources at the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, the Admissions & Recovery Center and the Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center. Purdue veterinary students, veterinary technology students and graduate students will support the PAWS Chicago team in all aspects of the organization’s medical and behavioral operations.

This involves working on the full spectrum of activities at the fast-paced, high-volume environment of the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, including the initial exam, surgical prep, spay/neuter surgery and recovery. The students will also be a valuable resource to PAWS Chicago’s adoption program, assisting with the initial health assessments and exams, vaccinations, micro-chipping, diagnostic testing, and the daily care of the many sick and injured animals that are part of the adoption program.

Research initiatives will focus on minimizing the spread of disease in a shelter environment; how to prevent and/or shorten the recovery times for common shelter illnesses through innovations in technology, medical protocols and disease prevention; and the prevention of the deterioration of behavior that is sometimes seen in a shelter environment.

There are three principal objectives of the Purdue University program:

to educate and train future leaders in the field of Shelter Medicine,
to conduct research in the areas of Shelter Medicine and Pet Homelessness, and
to develop leadership in public education, dissemination of information and continuing education in Shelter Medicine.

When asked why they chose PAWS Chicago as a partner to collaborate with on this grant, Annette Litster, Director of the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Purdue responded: “PAWS Chicago is a wonderful example of what can be done when dedicated and smart people work together to achieve something that they are passionate about.

The facilities at both the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic and the Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center are state-of-the-art and they set a new benchmark for what can be achieved for pets in a shelter environment. These factors make PAWS an ideal learning environment for our students and I feel there is a real meeting of minds between PAWS and Purdue regarding the importance of our work and the areas we need to pursue to help improve the lives of shelter pets all over the USA.”

Maddie’s Fund is a family foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft Founder David Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a No Kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home.

To achieve this goal, Maddie’s Fund is investing its resources in building community collaborations where animal welfare organizations come together to develop successful models of lifesaving; in veterinary colleges to help shelter medicine become part of the veterinary curriculum; in private practice veterinarians to encourage greater participation in the animal welfare cause; and in the implementation of national strategies to collect and report shelter statistics. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.

Purdue University is one of the top Veterinary Schools in the country, and is one of only two educational programs in North America that integrates the education of the veterinarian health care teams by training both veterinary technicians and veterinarians and incorporates animal behavior. This comprehensive team approach is ideally suited to advancing shelter medicine in this relatively new field. PAWS Chicago is looking forward to working with and proud to be partnering with Maddie’s Fund and Purdue University in shaping, positively influencing and setting a new standard for the future of Shelter Medicine.

Laurie Peek, DVM, Maddie’s Fund Veterinary Program Director is excited to see the results from this new partnership. “The wealth of new knowledge that will result from the collaboration of Purdue University and PAWS Chicago is incredibly exciting. We are glad to be able to bring these outstanding organizations together to advance shelter medicine for the benefit of homeless pets throughout the nation.”

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Anixter Volunteers Help Socialize PAWS Chicago Animals

Oscar Mendez — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:28:55 +0000

With smiling faces, a special group of volunteers report to PAWS Chicago’s Adoption and Humane Center every other Thursday at 9 a.m. sharp. They jump right in and eagerly help with administrative projects while anxiously awaiting the next step. For their time, they get to play with the Center’s resident felines in Kitty City, helping to socialize them so they can become adoptable pets. Socializing animals is a crucial step in the sheltering process, providing positive human exposure to animals who need to gain confidence and trust.

To watch the group of volunteers assembling humane education bags for the PAWS Chicago Community Outreach Program, adoption folders and volunteer packets, one would be hard-pressed to guess what makes them unique. But each of these volunteers is a recipient of services from Chicago’s Anixter Center, and each of these individuals is living with a significant physical, or mental disability—and many have more than one disability.

Through the resources Anixter provides, each of these individuals is given the tools necessary to live life to the fullest. PAWS Chicago’s partnership with Anixter gives them yet another opportunity—to develop their individual skills while working with the animals they love. The group spends the first part of the day working on PAWS Chicago’s special projects.

Once they are finished, the cats and kittens of PAWS Chicago are in for a treat! The group is allowed to spend the rest of their time with cats in Kitty City, brushing them, playing with them and giving them lots of cuddles! It’s often tough to tell who is having more fun as the always enthusiastic group works with the animals by offering a gentle hand and a kind voice to an animal in need of love.

To learn more about Anixter Center’s mission visit their website.

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PAWS Chicago Marathon Team Goes the Distance

Oscar Mendez — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:31:04 +0000

Nearly 200 runners dedicated their summer training to the PAWS Chicago Marathon Team, raising over $130,000 for homeless animals.

Team members agreed to collect $600 each, in return for a host of “perks” including motivational CDs, a Pawsta dinner, running shirts, seminars, fun runs with shelter dogs, a training log, and complimentary membership with the Chicago Area Runners’ Association. In addition, team members got V.I.P treatment among the race’s 45,000 runners in the PAWS Chicago charity tent, where they enjoyed food, free massages, private bathrooms and their own gear check. Most importantly, runners ran knowing that the money they raised and the effort they put in would help to save lives and find homes for Chicago’s homeless pets.

As if running the 26.2 miles on the unusually warm October day wasn’t enough, many team members raised well over the required minimum. Congratulations to the PAWS Chicago Marathon Team for their hard work and commitment, and to PAWS making this year’s team effort such a success.

A special thanks to PAWS Chicago’s top fundraisers: Steven Davis, Matt and Anna Bluhm, Rachel Ittner, Allyson Behm and Emily Streit.

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Angels with Tails 2008 Recap

Oscar Mendez — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:40:49 +0000

View the latest Angels with Tails Adoption Event information here

Power shoppers received a special welcome when they entered the upscale retail stores on Michigan Avenue in June. Over 350 furry faces filled the fronts of 56 stores surrounding the Magnificent Mile as PAWS Chicago hosted its Eleventh Annual Angels with Tails event.

By day’s end it became evident that bringing homeless animals out of shelters and face-to-face with the public opens hearts. Over 140 dogs and cats, from dozens of local rescue groups and shelters cuddled, wagged and purred their way into new and loving homes as PAWS Chicago volunteers counseled prospective adopters, answered questions, and passed out information about the No Kill movement and the plight of homeless pets.

On May 30, 1997, PAWS Chicago held its first Angels with Tails, breaking the silence surrounding the animal overpopulation by taking the No Kill message to the streets and the boutiques along Michigan Avenue and Oak Street. Every year since then, Angels with Tails continues to grow and gain more support, brightening the future for animals in need. First time participants this year included Nine West, Preggers, David Yurman, George Greene, Lester Lampert, Me & Ro and Prada.

PAWS continued the momentum with an August Angels with Tails event on Armitage Avenue in Lincoln Park. Fifty-five retail stores and 27 rescue groups and shelters teamed up for the event, including newcomer South Suburban Humane Society, who brought ten dogs to the event, nine of which were adopted!

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Run for Their Lives Run Recap and Results

Oscar Mendez — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:37:36 +0000

See a few more photos on Flickr: Tipping Point Photos.

On September 28th, over 4,000 participants and their four-legged friends ran, walked or just took in the fun, making the Eighth Annual PAWS Chicago Run for Their Lives its biggest to date, and raising over $400,000 for homeless animals.

A colorful array of pets and their people strolled along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront in a 4K walk, while humans only took their mark for an 8K race beginning at Montrose Harbor.

Highlights of the event included Lisa Dent of US99.5 as the event MC, a dog agility course created by K9 University, an animal communicator, pet and owner massages, “doggie yoga” hosted by Lakeshore Athletic Club, and breed testing conducted by Canine Heritage.

Results

Overall 8K Run results
Results by Age
Women Awards List
Men Awards List

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