Latest news with #PAWS
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
PAWS Chicago puts pet rescue ‘mission front and center' at Gold Coast adoption event
Paula Fasseas always loved animals but never thought she would dedicate her life to saving cats and dogs. 'I always thought I'd like to be a vet, but I really didn't like blood so much. And it was funny, because back then, as a kid, growing up, you liked animals, the vet was the only path,' Fasseas said. But that all changed when her daughter was volunteering at a local animal shelter about 28 years ago. She said her daughter would tell her about the high number of animals being euthanized at shelters. Fasseas knew she wanted to save these animals — and that started with getting the word out. 'I thought, 'If people knew, they'd come and adopt these animals. How can I get them down here?'' Fasseas said. She started to think about streets like Michigan Avenue and Oak Street, which were lively and attracted people with their designer stores. Fasseas decided to host her first adoption event along some of those streets and the next day, she was inundated with calls from people asking how they could help. Now, 28 years later, Fasseas is still hosting the adoption event along some of the most fashionable streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood. She has also since started PAWS Chicago, one of the largest comprehensive no-kill animal welfare organizations in the country. Forty retailers along Oak Street, Rush Street, Delaware Place and Michigan Avenue lent their storefronts and windows Sunday to PAWS for the annual Angels With Tails event. Inside and outside, people perusing the luxury shopping streets could find everything from playful kittens to former greyhound racing dogs. 'The idea is to bring homeless pets into the community, into areas where people are just walking around, where they'll encounter them and hopefully fall in love and adopt. It's a way to bring the mission front and center,' said Susanna Wickham, CEO of PAWS Chicago. This year's event also comes as Chicago Animal Care and Control is receiving more animals than it can take care of. In a Facebook post, the agency said that in the first 20 days of May, it has received an average of 56 animals a day. That number is a slight jump from April, when the agency saw about 54 animals a day. 'During COVID, they had very few animals given up at Animal Control, and a lot of people in demand for animals, wanting animals,' Fasseas said. But in the aftermath of the pandemic, more people are giving up their animals. That trend is consistent with a nationwide crisis in animal shelters. Since the pandemic, many shelters are seeing a surge in the number of animals they are receiving. In 2023, 6.5 million animals entered shelters across the nation, a slight increase from 2021, according to Shelter Animals Count's national database. That number slightly decreased in 2024, with 5.8 million animals entering shelters. Despite the decrease, many shelters still say that they are at capacity and struggling to meet the needs of their communities. 'The thing that is the most alarming is just the amount of abandoned and stray pets, and also the amount of pets that are relinquished by their owners,' Wickham said. 'These numbers have been surging for the last couple of years, but they continue to be on an upward trajectory, and it's just largely tied to the economy.' More specifically, Fasseas explained that a combination of skyrocketing veterinary costs, people moving to new areas and general life transitions following the pandemic contributed to the surge in animals. 'There are a lot of people that can barely feed their families,' Fasseas said, let alone provide their pet with medical care. At the Sunday adoption event, dogs patiently sat outside stores like Dolce & Gabbana and Lafayette 148 as people stopped to play with them. Many people were looking for their next feline friend. 'Before I would just walk, play with the puppies — but this year was my time to shine,' Kristen Crabtree, a Gold Coast resident, said. She had spent hours online looking at the cats that were going to be at the event and found herself thinking about two kittens — Hobbes and Fuzz. Luckily, she arrived early and now says she has two new 'best friends to play with.' Yuri Torres, a Jefferson Park resident, had been looking for an orange cat. 'I love orange-flavored things, like oranges or mangoes, and so I always just associate tangerines and oranges with happiness,' Torres said. When she saw an orange and white kitten inside the Marc Jacobs store named Cherub, she instantly fell in love. 'I feel a connection to him,' Torres said. By the end of the day, she'd added a new member to her family.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Chatham-Kent man barred from owning animals after convicted of PAWS violation
A Chatham-Kent man has been barred from owning, having custody of, or caring for animals for two years following a court finding him guilty of caring for an animal under the (Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act. The PAWS act is used to enforce animal welfare and safety. On May 7, a court found him guilty of failing to comply with an order to follow a veterinarian's recommendations for the care of an animal. As of April 2025, Ontario's Animal Welfare Services have issued more than 15,000 distress orders, laid over 1,800 charges for offences under PAWS, and removed 11,800 animals from situations of distress.
GMA Network
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Andrea Torres, Thea Tolentino, Arra San Agustin bond with rescued animals at PAWS
Andrea Torres, Thea Tolentino, and Arra San Agustin recently volunteered for the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) where they visited and bonded with rescued animals. On Instagram, the Sparkle stars shared about what they learned from the meaningful activity. They also posted snaps of themselves interacting with PAWS' cats, dogs, and resident turtle, learning about the shelter's facilities, and preparing the animals' meals. According to Andrea, PAWS currently has 163 cats and 70 dogs under its care. In its facility, there are playgrounds for the animals to explore, as well as quarantine zones and designated spaces for animals who need extra care, such those with medical issues. She also encouraged her followers to volunteer and consider adopting rescues if they can. "It feels so good to help out. You'll also learn a lot about responsible pet ownership, and what to do if you ever come across an abandoned dog or cat. These animals deserve all the love in the world," she said. Thea, for her part, shared that some of the animals under PAWS' care have "trauma from bad experiences with humans." "Sa totoo lang, we can co-exist with these babies. People just need to learn how to respect and care for them. Kung ayaw niyo sa kanila, wag niyo na lang saktan please," she wrote. Arra also called their visit to PAWS the "most heartwarming experience," noting that each animal there has their own story. "Every single dog and cat there has a story, and all they want is a little love and a forever home. I'm so grateful for the chance to hang out with them," she said. —CDC, GMA Integrated News
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Baby saved from 'horrific' squalor in home with rotting goat carcass and animals
An eight-month-old baby has been saved from shocking conditions, after police officers uncovered a scene regarded as one of the most disturbing they'd ever encountered At a property search by horrified police officers, a goat carcass rotted in the bathtub, while over 40 animals roamed the house. Meanwhile, right in the middle of the chaos, an eight-month-old baby lived amongst them. That's what authorities found inside a South Carolina home, now being described as one of the most disturbing scenes ever witnessed by officers. Kayla Renard and Nicholas Foley were arrested after police were alerted by the Department of Social Services, which had growing concerns for the child's well-being. 'During our investigation, we uncovered severe, unsafe and unsanitary conditions that put the infant at risk,' authorities said. The child was removed and placed with a relative after police conducted a criminal history check. Inside the home, the smell was 'overwhelming', and the floors were covered in animal waste. In a Facebook post, Honea Path Police revealed, 'Officers found the residence infested with numerous animals, including raccoons, rabbits, dogs, cats, chickens, and deceased animals. Animal faeces and waste are throughout the residence.' Police said they had seen nothing like this. 'In my 30-plus years of service, I have never encountered such a horrific situation involving unsanitary conditions and such a large number of animals,' they added. 41 live animals were found at the property, including 25 dogs, three cats, five raccoons, six chickens, and two rabbits. The distressing scene led officers to contact Dr. Kim Sanders from PAWS for help. According to PAWS, the animals were in a devastating state, and were found to be 'severely dehydrated, covered in faeces, and the majority of them were extremely emaciated.' Six dead animals were also discovered, including a baby goat in a Tupperware bin found in the kitchen. Describing the atmosphere inside the home, Kim recalled: 'The ammonia burned our eyes.' She added: 'The home was unfit for any living creature, let alone an eight-month-old baby girl.' While the animals are now in safe hands and receiving medical care, Kim admitted that the emotional trauma they endured will take longer to heal. 'All of the animals are undergoing medical care and are expected to recover at this time. The emotional trauma they sustained will be a bigger challenge to overcome,' she said. The arrested couple have since been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, ill treatment of animals, and violations of city ordinances. But what shocked officers even more was how the pair reacted. According to Chief Christopher Miller, there was no remorse. 'Sitting there, calm and really no emotion. No facial expressions,' he said. 'You would think that they'd be a little upset that someone was taking their eight-month-old baby, that the police were there and discovered the horrific conditions of this house.' 'You would think that they would have to know that they were in trouble,' he added. Kayla and Nicholas were both handed $10,000 surety bonds - Nicholas has since posted bail.
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘It was a little scary': Rags to Riches Cat Rescue seeking guidance to bring operations into compliance
The Rags to Riches Cat Rescue is located on a three-acre property along Colonel Talbot Road in Norfolk County, just south of Tillsonburg. It started as a registered charity about two years ago, and last June, shelter founder and CEO Tammy DaPalma, co-opted her husband's garage to house a growing number of cats. 'Cats that we're picking up that have unfortunately had trauma done to them, whether they be shot or claws pulled out or ears cut off, things like that. We're here to make a difference.' DaPalma told CTV News that many of the cats that land at her doorstep have been abandoned on rural roads, often a mom and her litter. DaPalma said cat rescues routinely get slammed in the spring with a higher number of drop-offs, 'We're doing what we can to save the cats out in the countryside.' Rags to Riches Cat Rescue Rags to Riches Cat Rescue on May 20, 2025. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) About three weeks ago, responding to a complaint, members of the Provincial Animal Welfare Service (PAWS) arrived at the Rags to Riches property. DaPalma says she wasn't told the nature of the complaint or who filed it but within a week there was a follow-up visit. 'So, we had five provincial vehicles here in the driveway. It was a little scary. There was three vet techs, the veterinarian and the original two officers. They went through and they inspected all of the animals. There were a couple that they wanted quickly rushed to the vet.' DaPalma insists those cats had recently been seen by a veterinarian but complied with the request. The PAWS team then sent follow-up letters with concerns for what they called rampant feline respiratory infections. 'Their main concern being that they are in a 30-by-30 building is that there's no quarantine space. So essentially what we would need is a much larger building to continue doing what we do for our operations. And we would need two separate quarantine spaces,' DaPalma said. Rags to Riches Cat Rescue Rags to Riches Cat Rescue on May 20, 2025. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) DaPalma estimates the shelter had about 200 cats and kittens when PAWS inspectors first visited the property, and volunteers have been working to move cats to other rescues and shelters since that time. She said she hasn't been able to get answers regarding what kind of timeline the shelter has to reach compliance, or exactly what that might look like, but has been told the cats may be removed by the province. 'Essentially, when I asked the question, 'What would happen to these cats if you came in and chose whoever you wanted and you couldn't find space for them with other rescues?' And there was dead silence on the other end of the phone,' she said. Asked what her biggest fear was, she replied, 'I could only assume that would mean euthanasia.' The Provincial Animal Welfare Service Act says euthanasia can be ordered if an animal is suffering, if its owner or custodian cannot be found promptly or if the veterinarian believes euthanasia is the most humane course of action. CTV requested comment from PAWS officials but, as of the posting of this article, hadn't received a response. DaPalma says there's been no indication if or when there will be a return visit by PAWS.
