Insider Report - July 2016

Insider Report

- July 2016 -

Board Report

by Sharon Sherman, Chairman of the Board

This month, I would like to introduce you to Skye, a beautiful Staffordshire Terrier Blue Nose, who has a velvety coat, lovely liquid eyes and is as sweet as they come. While PAWS usually doesn't work with what are known as the "bully breeds," this dog stole the hearts of staff and volunteers alike so we all made the commitment to caring for this wonderful animal and finding her a home.

Skye

Skye has been with us for almost year, longer than we ever would want to keep any dog at the Coronado Animal Care Facility (ACF), but just long enough for Skye to become ready to find her forever home. Skye was found dumped at the Silver Strand State Beach and brought to the ACF, which as you know, is operated by PAWS. All of us who welcomed her wondered about the possible scenarios of her previous life. Was she a throwaway from a puppy mill? Her tits were large and her breasts pendulous. That is one of the dirty little secrets of unscrupulous dog breeders. Once they have "finished" breeding their bitches, the litters becoming too small to be profitable, they very often just abandon them. Skye couldn't tell us if that was her story.

Then there was the unusual abdominal scar on her belly, very misplaced for a spay scar, not at all the work of a skilled veterinarian and still quite infected. Here is another dirty little secret: large dogs are often used to smuggle drugs across our border. Could that have been the fate that had befallen Skye? Again, she couldn't tell us. Or, did someone simply not do the research necessary to understand the challenge of a large breed dog, give up and just find a dump spot? That happens more than anyone would like to admit. We will never know Skye's true story, but we could tell immediately that she was just looking for love and attention.

Why couldn't PAWS place Skye up for adoption as soon as we had given her vaccines and made sure she was fundamentally healthy? She had NO manners. And, for an 92 pound big grey ball of love, that can be a problem. She wanted to lean against us, sit on our feet, climb into our laps, jump up and kiss our faces, and get into our chairs to be near us. She had no problem going into her kennel when it was time for bed; but let her out and she wanted to be one of the gang, she was more like a bull in a china shop.

Knowing we needed help with our Skye, we contacted one of the best dog trainers, especially of the bully breeds, in San Diego County, Randy Davis of Better By The Pound. He agreed to take her on as a student so Karen Dwinell and I took Skye to her first lesson, but it was as much a lesson for us as for her. She rode with us to Randy's home in Rancho Santa Fe like an angel, exited the car very politely... and then only wanted to interact with her PAWS friends. Over and over she would come to one of us, circle us, lean against us and unmistakably say, "These are MINE."

Randy would have none of that, teaching Skye, and most importantly Karen and me, that these signs of "ownership" on the part of any animal are counterproductive to good training and behavior. So each time Skye sat on our feet, Randy had us walk away; when she leaned on us, Randy had us push her away; when she jumped up, Randy had us knee her in the chest. And oh how the look in her eyes hurt us, thinking at first we were rejecting her; but Randy patiently, and repeatedly, reminded us that we needed to be in charge, not the dog.

Skye's next several lessons with Randy went well and what a fast learner she was. The ownership behavior lessened; she took well to the leash and soon we were walking her around the back exercise yards at the ACF. When her manners faltered and she was corrected, she would look back with an expression that clearly said, "I am so sorry, I forgot." She was doing so well with her new manners, she even spent a weekend in the desert, taking some sack time after a good hike.

Skye asleep during trip to the desert

Several months passed and the ACF staff, following Randy's lesson plan, exercised Skye and worked with her several times a day, but only at the ACF and in its yards. She never will be able to thank Margaret Lawson, Katie Badowski, Raquel Johnston, Carrie Coppernoll and Jose Gonzalez, our dedicated ACF staff, enough for the love, effort, time and patience they showered on her. But you can see why she continued to capture their hearts.

To continue reinforcing what Skye had learned so far, we asked another excellent dog trainer, Fernando Steffey of Canine Education, to come to the ACF. He also helped us introduce Skye to some of our strongest dog walking volunteers (this is 92 pounds of dog!) to work with her in the ACF yards. Her group of friends and admirers increased with each shake of her paw. When we felt she was ready for the next level up of training, we sought out Elise Penn from Passion for Pitties. Elise's challenge? Taking Skye out of the ACF exercise yards and into the real world.

Elise first started with some basic commands such as "place," which Skye learned to mean "jump up on your outside bed and stay until I release you." Then there was "kennel", which sent Skye into her outdoor doghouse to rest and remain until released. She learned to wait at gates and doors, not entering or exiting until signaled. Then came her first walk on the City sidewalks. All of us at the ACF were tearful as we watched our girl "leave the nest" for the first time. We watched her and Elise until they were out of sight and heard later that she still had a few quirks like a prey instinct that led her to wanting to follow birds into the bay. Overall though, Elise told us she was very much a lady on the leash, happy to see people, and wagged her tail the entire time she was on her walks.

Several more months of this training took place. When Elise thought Skye was ready, several volunteer dog walkers were invited to become part of her "out of the ACF" walking team. Now you can see Skye with a variety of men and women on her daily constitutionals. She even attended an adoption event to see how she would adapt to crowds and she did better than we had hoped.

After this year of work, mostly on Skye's part, it is now time for her to look for, and find, her forever home. She needs room because of her size. She is not an "indoor condo" dog and a postage stamp size yard would not be ideal. She needs plenty of exercise, as she is young and very energetic. She needs someone (or a couple, or a family) that will love her while keeping firm boundaries so as not to undo all the hard work of the last year. She gets along with passive male dogs, but alpha males or any female dogs would not be appropriate playmates. And, if there are children in her new family, they need to be mature and responsible enough to understand Skye's breed, strength, personality and needs.

Might you have the forever home Skye is looking for? Is there room in your life for a new best friend? If she is already tugging at your heartstrings, give Karen a call at 619-437-0220. Skye's caregivers, trainers, walkers, and fans have become quite a family, we are looking for the best home possible for our sweet Skye!

Please check out Skye's bio on our website!

Skye with her pal, Russell

Many thanks for generous donations from the Duncan family and Girl Scout Troop #4349:

Connor, Emma, Colin and Tara Duncan with Karen Dwinell

Connor, Emma, Colin and Tara Duncan raised $700 for PAWS by selling their toys, books and clothing at a yard sale!

Girl Scout Troop #4349 with Karen Dwinell

Girl Scout Troop #4349 donated $810 to PAWS, money they raised by selling Girl Scout cookies!

A Letter to PAWS

by David Turner

Cate

Dear Sharon and PAWS of Coronado Animal Companion Caregivers,

You and PAWS are amazing!

I apologize I didn't respond sooner to your original e-mail about Cate's wonderful adoption story. After reading your message, I was so overjoyed with the good news, I had to step away from my office for a few minutes to compose myself. I made a mental note to write you back when I had some quiet time, so that I could better express my appreciation and admiration to you and anyone who played a role in the Turner cat adoption process.

I was so pleased to see the additional progress photos of Cate in her new surroundings at PAWS. Through the pictures, I had the privilege to witness Cate's transformation from frightened feline to the calm, content, comfortable (and even confident!) Cate of the later photos. I'm so grateful to anyone and everyone who took a little extra time to speak softly with Cate, reassure her she was safe and send her positive vibes to let her know that her future would be bright.

As a full time caretaker of all Mom's cats for many months, I understand that our reassuring words of love and praise, and our affectionate touches, often appear to go unnoticed and unappreciated by the world -- even as we "scoop the poop" day after day.

That said, please share this message with the PAWS team who offered gentle and unconditional love with Cate, April and Bold and helped them find their loving forever homes. In addition, I want to provide special thanks to those who helped care for and assess Mom's less healthy kitties (who were not appropriate candidates for adoption). Just knowing that Pudge was comforted and not alone when her time had come consoled me greatly.

I admire, respect and value all the contributors at PAWS of Coronado who bring their good hearts to work every day. My faith in humanity is refreshed when I hear of good deeds performed by compassionate and dedicated animal caregivers who donate time and provide a voice for our non-verbal, furry friends.

Helping our animal companions enjoy a healthy and happy life, free from cruelty and suffering is one of the highest qualities of humanity, and it takes a very strong yet gentle personality to express that love through the compassionate action carried out at PAWS of Coronado every day.

Thank you ALL, so much, for helping me through a very difficult time. Please know that your work heals hearts, touches lives and makes the world a better place.

Please let all the Turner cat's new families know how much I appreciate their love and support.

With gratitude and warmest regards,

David Turner (and my own adopted cat, Belle)

Congratulations to Coronado's New Canine Mayor & City Council!

PAWS of Coronado would also like to thank the owners of Canine Mayor Bailey, Vice Mayor Gracie and all the Council members for their hard work. Due to their time, effort and generosity, over $18,000 was donated to PAWS by family, friends and members of the community.

A Cat Adoption Story

by Corinne Mitchell

Holly

Leo

A husband and wife came into the Coronado Animal Care Facility (ACF) to meet the cats available for adoption. They did not bring their daughter and son because they wanted to see if there was a cat that would be a good match for their family before they let the kids meet the cat. They fell for Holly and submitted an application to adopt her. The application looked good so Bob, Head of the Cat Adoption Team, and the dad agreed that the next step was to have the kids meet Holly and vice versa.

The next day the dad and the kids came to the ACF and the kids liked Holly - particularly the daughter - and Holly had fun playing with them. And then something wonderful happened: Leo went right up to the little boy and allorubbed him. Being an inquisitive little boy, the son was walking all around the cat community rooms, saying hello to the cats, trying out all of the cat toys and examining every cat tree and cubby. And Leo followed him every step of the way!

The little boy would reach out and pet Leo as he went about his explorations and Leo loved it. If anyone remembers, when Leo first came to us he was very outgoing and happy. He has retreated somewhat over the past couple of months, but he was back to his old self with those kids around - I swear he was smiling! Leo didn't even mind when the little boy picked him up and carried him around.

Dad was perplexed - he too liked Leo and loved that his son and Leo seemed to have formed an instant bond. He texted his wife and they agreed to come back to the ACF so she could meet Leo.

In the meantime, Holly's adoption was completed and she went home with them. The little girl was holding tight to Holly's favorite toy as they walked out the door. Dad said that Holly slept on his shoulder all night.

When the entire family walked into the cat community room the following morning, Leo ran up to the little boy and dad just shrugged his shoulders, "What can we do?" And so Leo was adopted and went home to live with his feline friend Holly, his new little human BFF and a most wonderful family! And it turns out they live right next door to our CAT volunteer, Joanna Mohr.

10 Reasons to Adopt a Shelter Cat

by PAWS Staff Writer

Thousands of times a day, an unwanted cat or dog is euthanized somewhere in the United States thanks to pet overpopulation and limited shelter capacity. No one likes to think about that reality, but you can do your part to help stop this loss of life by adopting a shelter cat (or dog!). If you are thinking of adding a cat to your life (and really, why stop with one?), here are ten compelling reasons to consider a shelter cat over rather than from a breeder or a pet store.

10. Shelter cats come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Kittens, teenagers, adult felines or mature companions, shelters have them all, and you can ﬁnd a new pet which will be perfect for you.

9. Shelter cats are ready to go! They come spayed or neutered, microchipped, inoculated, dewormed, treated for ﬂeas and usually litter box trained; all for a very reasonable adoption fee.

8. Shelter staff can help you pick the perfect companion. Adopting an

animal is a big commitment, and not all cats are the same. If you come in with your family, the shelter staff can get to know you, introduce you to some prospects, and help with the matchmaking process.

7. Turns out you can teach an old cat new tricks. Shelter cats of all ages love play, and many enjoy engaging with their human companions in a variety of games, new and old.

6. You can set an example. The vast majority of unwanted animals are happy, healthy and well-adjusted, they just need loving homes to get comfortable and let their personalities shine through. By adopting a shelter cat, you can encourage other people to do the same.

5. Adult cats are low maintenance. If you want a cat in your life but you don't have a lot of time for teaching a kitten how to use the litterbox, stay away from the toilet paper roll, and stop wreaking havoc on your shoes, an adult cat is deﬁnitely for you.

4. You will feel better. Companion animals offer a number of mental health beneﬁts. Having a pet of any species can make people feel happier and more balanced, and the routine of caring for and interacting with a pet like a cat can improve mood and reduce the sense of isolation.

3. Shelter cats have varied personalities. Cats are incredibly diverse, personality-wise. They can be shy and outgoing, playful or more reserved. If you haven't had the pleasure of having a cat in your life yet, a shelter cat might totally change the way you view these delightful animals.

2. You will be ﬁghting against animal cruelty. By turning away from

animals offered for sale and choosing to adopt, you will be working against exploitative breeders that view cats (and dogs) as cash drawers, rather than sentient, living beings.

1. You will save a life. Even if your local shelter is no-kill, adopting shelter cats reduces the strain on shelters and frees up space for more homeless animals. No-kill shelters often rescue from facilities that euthanize, so by adopting from them, you are opening up another slot for a kitty who'd otherwise be on death row.

So these are 10 reasons to adopt a cat from a shelter; there are many, many more. But be careful when you and your family ﬁrst visit your local shelter. It is hard to leave without a new friend!