PAWS Celebrates First Anniversary of Old City Adoption Center

PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 15, 2009) – There are 2,000 stories to tell. 2,000 faces and names, 2,000 lifetimes that might never have been. On Saturday, January 17, the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will celebrate one year of lifesaving at its Old City adoption center, during which more than 2,000 homeless pets were adopted or placed into foster care.

One dog, Bull, now romps on 30 acres in Allentown and rubbed elbows with Harry Kalas and the Phillies announcers before he was adopted. Another, Ralphie, has become an Old City celebrity: he lives in a loft, visits his old friends at PAWS often, and is a regular at local sidewalk cafes. Horace the cat spent more than six months at PAWS before his adopter met him and fell in love. He now lives like a king in Jersey. There are 1,997 other stories to tell. . .

The storefront boutique-style adoption center, located on the corner of 2nd & Arch Streets, houses homeless, abandoned, and unwanted cats and dogs that have been rescued from the City’s animal control shelter. It is open seven days a week and provides a relaxed setting for potential adopters to meet their new best friend. All animals up for adoption are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, and waiting for the right adopter to give them the home they deserve.

“PAWS is extremely proud to reflect on the thousands of pets who were once in a shelter, their lives in danger, who were brought to our adoption center and are now enjoying the safety of loving homes,” says Dana Spain, PAWS’ president. “We are deeply grateful to Old City residents and businesses for their incredible support during our first year, and we look forward to setting a new lifesaving record in the year to come.”

PAWS will kick off a nine-day celebration on Saturday, January 17. Each day, PAWS will welcome special guests who will provide free advice, information, and services to the pet-loving public. A tentative schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, January 17, 2-6 p.m.: OPEN HOUSE: Join us for refreshments and meet (from 2-5 p.m.), Pinups for Pit Bulls calendar model Karina Ingrid, who’ll share myth-shattering information about pit bulls.
• Sunday, January 18, 2-4 p.m.: Dog trainer and behavior consultant Carol A. Siegrist, CPDT, will offer advice on making your dog the best behaved on the block!
• Monday, January 19, 4-6 p.m.: A cat behavior specialist will help visitors understand/improve their favorite felines’ quirks and tendencies.
• Tuesday, January 20, 2-6 p.m.: Pet-sitters/dog-walkers will be on hand to discuss how pet owners can have peace of mind while they are away from home.
• Wednesday, January 21, 4-6 p.m.: “Ask the Vet:” get advice and information on pet health issues from a local veterinarian.
• Thursday, January 22, 4-6 p.m.: Grooming basics: bring your pet and receive free basic grooming services (nail clipping, ear cleaning, etc.)
• Friday, January 23, 4-6 p.m.: Paw Reading / “Pawtographs” from Little Mama, PAWS 2009 Calendar Model (Ms. September) and long-time adoption center resident, now enjoying the home she deserves.
• Saturday, January 24, 4-6 p.m.: Dog trainer and behavior consultant Leigh Siegfried, CPDT, will help you turn your dog into a model canine companion.
• Sunday, January 25, 2-4 p.m.: Reiki demonstration: See and learn how this healing touch therapy can calm and soothe your pet.

About PAWS: PAWS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to saving Philadelphia’s homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals. From 2005 through 2008, PAWS was the lifesaving force behind the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association (PACCA), the City’s animal control shelter, which took in approximately 30,000 orphaned animals each year and operated the highest volume shelter in the region. In just three years, PAWS raised PACCA’s “save rate” from 11% to 60%. In 2009, PAWS became an independent, rescue organization dedicated to saving the most vulnerable animals in the City’s animal control shelter. Supporting PAWS helps fund lifesaving initiatives including adoption and foster care programs, spay and neuter surgeries, low-cost vaccinations, and other efforts, all of which help reduce and will ultimately eliminate the unnecessary killing of Philadelphia’s animals, making Philadelphia a no-kill city in which every healthy and treatable pet is guaranteed a home.

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