All order must be placed by TUES. MAY 7th to ensure delivery in time for mother’s day.

-Personalized Frame

With Mother’s Day right around the corner PAWS would like to do something special for all of our “dog moms”! This year we are running a fundraiser with customizable hand-crafted 4×6 picture frames. Each frame is custom-made to order with your choice of phrase at the bottom and breed-specific charms if your “dog mom” is fond of a particular breed of dog. Each frame is $25 inclusive of shipping!

Click to Purchase Frame

-Photography Session

In honor of Mother’s Day, Jenn Frankavitz Photography will also be donating 25% of all gift certificate orders to PAWS between now May 13th! Jenn Frankavitz is a professional photographer based out of Beverly, MA who specializes in portraits (both dog and human!), weddings, fine art and event photography. For more information on Jenn’s services please visit www.jennfrankavitz.com

Click to Purchase Photography Gift Certificate

-Doggie Daycare/ Grooming/ Training

Want to make your pup behave fantastically for Mom? Our friends at John Gagnon’s Pet Resort have also donated four gift certificates to our Mother’s Day fundraiser in the amount of $50 each! John Gagnon’s Pet Resort is a fantastic doggie daycare/grooming/training facility in Colchester, CT. For more information on John Gagnon’s Pet Resort please visit www.4dogman.com

Purchase Pet Resort Gift Certificate

This video details the journey to date of these special dogs and invites our supporters to share in a few of their stories.

These pups are still in need of your help if they are to get the loving homes they deserve. The veterinary expenses from this case cost double what we originally estimated as many of these abused and neglected dogs had multiple medical problems. Some of them are still waiting for funding to get the medical attention they need. Please consider making a donation on their behalf.

Donate

Most dogs in the group are anxiously awaiting foster homes in New England and would love nothing more than a quiet and safe spot in your home. By fostering, you can forever change the life of a dog in need. To learn more, please click here.

We will continue to update our supporters as this group of survivors continue to thrive and make their way into adoptive homes.

Thank you for your support!
The Pups and Volunteers at PAWS New England

PAWS New England never gives up on our dogs. Many of you will remember the story of Annie who was lost for six weeks. Or the story of Nicky who was lost for 47 days. Or the story of Bentley who survived 7 months in the cold Rhode Island winter before he was caught just a few weeks ago himself. It almost took one year to get all of these dogs home, but PAWS refuses to give up until we know our dogs are safe!

In total PAWS has spent $4,562.35 to return these dogs to their home. We have used the money to make posters, to buy humane traps, to buy trail cameras, to send out Pet Harbor post cards, to make Find Toto phone calls, and most importantly to hire the amazing Steve Hagey with USA Detect a Pet. If you believe in our mission and our commitment to take care of our dogs regardless of the cost, I’m hoping you will consider making a small donation towards PAWS New England. We can only continue our great work with your help….

Donate

A huge thank you to everyone involved in these rescues. All of us at PAWS will sleep better at night knowing these amazing creatures are home and safe..

Many, many thanks,

The Pups and Volunteers at PAWS New England

PAWS volunteers immediately launched into action. We organized massive volunteer searches with up to 30 people and placed over 2,000 posters and fliers in the area Lilly was lost. We then arranged for three humane traps to be monitored by motion detected cameras and checked by incredible volunteers three times a days. We sent out 1,000 postcards to the neighbors through Pet Harbor, and three rounds of automated telephone messages through FindToto. Every animal control unit, veterinary clinic, police station, fire department, highway department, school, and church were notified. Thousands of emails went out to Yahoo message groups and local rescue groups. A “Help Us Find Lilly” blog and facebook page were created.

When all of that didn’t work, we flew her best dog friend, Cheyenne, from Vermont to DC with a volunteer Pilot through PilotsnPAWs to aid in the search. Thousand of dollars were spent and an entire community was looking for a black mutt that had once been dumped on the side of the road and shot at by an uncaring owner.

During the first month, we received multiple phone calls reporting sightings. But as time went on- fewer and fewer calls came in. Our last reliable sighting was September 9th, 2011. After that, things went dead for seven long, painful months. We kept trying different ideas to continue to reach out to the public, but none of our efforts yielded anything.

That all changed on March 7th, 2012. A lovely woman named Sylvia called and said, ““I think I may have been feeding your dog for the last six months.” Sylvia’s description of Lilly was impeccable- down to the speckled white spots on her feet. She said she had noticed a timid black dog who started coming to her property late September and eating the food she put out for the birds and squirrels. She said the dog would never allow her to approach, but had become quite comfortable lounging in her yard for hours on end. She had named the dog “Lucky” and noticed a sign at the grocery store with “Lucky’s picture on it, but the sign called the dog Lilly.”

We frantically ran to the property to put up cameras as Sylvia said that Lilly arrived every day between 7am-9am. The following morning, when this picture of Lilly appeared on my cell phone, I burst into tears. I had dreamed of the moment I would receive a new picture of Lilly- alive and safe. Shaking all over, I made phone calls to the volunteers who had spent well over 300 hours searching for her. Volunteers who had never even met Lilly and never even knew me prior to Lilly going missing. I called her previous foster Mom in Missouri who could not speak and sobbed with excitement. Watch the video footage of Sylvia feeding Lilly.

Not willing to risk anything going wrong, we have hired Steve Hagey who owns “Detect a Pet USA” and has been trapping elusive animals for the last 10 years. Steve uses an elaborate “enclosure system” over the course of 2-4 days using 7ft high wiring camouflaged in the environment the dog came to on a day to day basis. He would place a piece of fencing and then judge the dog’s comfort level with the use surveillance and photos. As long as the dog was comfortable- he would continue to put up the enclosure piece by piece. When it was finally complete, he would monitor the enclosure from afar and use a remote control to close the small gate that led into the enclosure- effectively capturing the lost dog.

He began the project on Tuesday Lilly was not at all phased. By Wednesday, Steve sent a message saying that he believed Lilly would be captured late Thursday night or early Friday morning. The next 48 hours were some of the longest days of all of our lives. We agonized that something would go wrong. But Steve remained steadfast and quietly went about his job. On Thursday afternoon, Steve sent another message letting us know that the enclosure was complete and he was now on the property to monitor the trap until Lilly was captured. None of us slept that night and when Steve called me at 03:36am to say, “”Kelly, we have her. She’s safe!” I could hardly think straight.

So many things go through your head at once.. You think you must still be dreaming. You think that it is too good to be true. You think that maybe another dog must be caught… And then you find yourself operating in automatic pilot, “Oh my god Steve- thank you. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

The drive to Beltsville to get Lilly was a blur. 9 months of agony, the side stories, all the people that have helped you get to this moment- flash in a completely illogical sequence.

My heart was beating so hard when I arrived to Sylvia’s house. Lilly was in a humane trap wide-eyed, but calmer than I would have ever imagined her to be. Sylvia was speaking to her in the most gentle and soothing voice. We carried her trap to the garage where she was transferred into a crate and placed in the car.

And then, at 430 in the morning, five people who had never known each other prior to Lilly’s adventure cried, laughed, and uttered the phrase, “I don’t believe it” at least seven hundred times. Lilly looked on cautiously, and, when she got tired of the chatter- laid her head down in the crate and drifted off to sleep.

I’m sure many more details will come to mind as the days go on, but all that matters right now is that it is raining and Lilly is inside where she is nice and warm.

We invite you to follow Lilly as she transitions to a life back inside on her blog. Here you will find her first pancake breakfast, her reunion with Cheyenne, and photos of her sleeping comfortably on every dog bed in the house.

There are so many people to thank for this rescue but we would like to send an extra special thank you to Suzanne Arnold, Yvonne Curry, and Dana Amato for the hundreds of hours they put in looking for Lilly. Elly Rivera from Pork Chop’s Way for fostering and then adopting Cheyenne. Ted Ladd with the Beltsville News for his three stories about Lilly and WTOP for their radio spot about her. Thank you to the many people who came out looking, helped put up signs, scoured local pounds, called in sightings, and sent us encouraging emails. And of course, this rescue would never have been possible without the amazing Sylvia Walker who kept Lilly alive for the last seven months and the phenomenal Steve Hagey with Detect-a-Pet USA who is the man responsible for getting her home. We are overwhelmed by the level of community support and will forever be grateful to all of you…

I need a foster home! Click here to learn more...

Earlier this evening, PAWS received an urgent call for help from Tipton County Animal Control. 25 dogs have been left behind at an abandoned house with limited food and water. The dogs were originally brought to the property of a person with the best of intentions, who got in over their head and has recently lost their home. These dogs, were once “rescued” and find themselves facing likely euthanasia if we don’t act fast. Even worse, Tipton County Animal Control will be forced to euthanize many dogs currently at their facility to make room for this large group. The shelter has 35 runs and only 2 of those cages are available.

To prevent lives from being lost, we are asking for your help. Volunteers in Tennessee are frantically doing everything they can to make room for the 25 dogs. However, these families already have one, two, even three foster dogs in their care. We need New England volunteers to take in foster dogs from our Tennessee volunteers to make room for this new group. And we need people to act quickly.

I need a foster home! Click here for more info..

To learn which dogs are in need of foster, please visit our petfinder link here. Any dog that does not have “I’m local” listed next to their name, is a dog in need of foster care in New England. You will quickly see that we have large numbers of puppies, small dogs, pure breds, and amazing family dogs in need of foster. We know that there is a dog on our website that would be an excellent fit for your home. If you interested in learning more about our foster program, please click here.

Additionally, we have our largest adoption event of the year coming up on March 31st at John Gagnon’s Pet Resort from 11am-3pm. Right now is the best time of the year to take in a foster as they will get exposure to potential adoptive families during the up-coming event!

Please, consider helping us by opening up your home to a dog in need. And if you can’t help- please pass this email along to friends, family, and colleagues. Networking saves lives!

We will continue to update our supporters about this situation as it unfolds. PAWS volunteers will be working around the clock to do everything in our power for these animals. We are endlessly grateful for your unwavering support!

Directions on Google Maps
RSVP on Facebook (optional)

Get excited for our biggest adoption event of the year! Sponsored by John Gagnon’s Pet Resort, dogs of all shapes and sizes come in hopes of finding their forever family. Please help us by forwarding this email to friends and family who may be interested in adopting a dog or by sharing this message using the links below!

If you would like to bring home an adoptive dog on the day of the event, please fill out an adoption application here and make sure you have an approved application on file before you arrive!

We need volunteers to foster dogs in anticipation of the adoption day. We have many puppies, small dogs, and purebred dogs that would LOVE the opportunity to attend. If you would consider opening up your home to one of these pups, please email our foster coordinator Deb Klinch at dlc2@gmail.com.

PAWS invites our supporters to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with an unconventional approach; bring home a foster dog in need. There is no more beautiful expression of love than holding a trembling dog close and telling them they have nothing to fear. Or receiving a kiss from a needy pup that thinks there is no greater thing on earth than being close to you.

Right now at PAWS, there 44 dogs in need of a foster home.  23 have been waiting for more than six months and 7 of them have been waiting over a year!  There are 11 black labs, 5 dogs with trauma backgrounds that need quiet and calm environments to heal, and 4 puppies waiting to pack their bags.

We are positive we can find a foster dog that will work in your home!

Watch the video created by foster coordinated Deb Klinch and make a commitment to foster by sending her an email at Paws.Debra@gmail.com. There is no reason to be lonely on Valentine’s Day. Any one of these dogs would love the chance to love you!

If you can’t foster, consider making a Valentine’s Day donation by clicking here.

Thank you for your support!
The Pups and Volunteers at PAWS

Winnie Before...

PAWS is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded $1,500 from the Gus Hawthorne Foundation to fund the “Second Chance” grant. The Gus Hawthorne Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 Oregon Corporation that was established in 2010. This amazing organization provides financial support to non-profit organizations that rescue and care for domestic animals and wildlife. PAWS New England is honored to partner with this phenomenal agency.

The awarded money will go towards future missions like these:

• Winnie’s Will to Survive
• A New Life for Six Aussies
• Puppy Mill Rescue Project
• Walden’s Wish
• Sukha’s Story

From the pups and volunteers at PAWS- “Thank you Gus Hawthorne!”

What is the “Second Chance Grant?”

Winnie After!

In 2011, PAWS New England successfully rescued and placed 57 dogs that were victims of severe abuse and neglect. Many rescues are reluctant to take in dogs with emotional and physical scars of abuse because these animals tend to require significant financial and time commitments. PAWS believes that these survivors are at the very essence of the commitment rescue groups make to animals in need. Dogs that have been shown the very worst of humanity deserve a “Second Chance.”

PAWS has the infrastructure, the experience, the resources, and the willingness to take on double the number of abuse cases in 2012. What we lack, is a fund specifically designated to assist these animals. Trauma cases typically involve rescue groups spending large sums of money to stabilize the survivors when they first arrive. Typically, rescues can cover these vast expenses with long term fundraising appeals to donors, but such asset building takes time. Time that the dog does not have. However, a $10,000 fund specifically allocated to these dogs would give PAWS the means to address the immediate health concerns of the animal without putting the organization in financial jeopardy. The fund could be replenished with donations over time and ready to assist the next dog in need.

We estimate that the difference between what PAWS ultimately spends in veterinary bills, food costs, and trainers versus what donations are raised for these neglect cases in a mere one hundred dollar net loss. At the end of the day, one hundred dollars can give a dog who has been tortured, beaten, shot, fought, starved, and defeated a chance at a life where they never feel pain or suffering again. We cannot imagine a more worthy recipient of one hundred dollars.

Interesting in donating to this fund? Please consider making a donation here… Thank you for your support!

During 2011:

• 474 dogs found their loving forever home through our organization.
• 612 lives were saved from high kill shelters.
• PAWS spayed/neutered 531 dogs. SpayUSA estimates that this has prevented 3,914,957 unwanted animals from being born over the next five years.
• 2,085 new facebook users joined the PAWS New England page. 784 new people subscribed to our newsletter.
• 588 people made 702 donations. The average donation was $68.73.

It’s hard to articulate our immense gratitude to all of you who made this possible. To experience this level of success in a year plagued with recession, a record breaking number of trauma cases, a heartworm medication shortage, and significant financial hardship- we are simply speechless that we were able to rescue so many dogs and end our year in the black. So please accept an enthusiastic “thank you!” for your incredible support, and know that every single volunteer at PAWS will strive for even greater success in 2012.

On Wednesday, Tipton County Animal Control received a phone call that a dog managed to get into a private home to escape the brutal cold. When the ACO arrived on the scene, he was horrified to see small Red Heeler was in agony from one of the most gruesome injuries he had witnessed in his career. The property owners claimed that the dog had “just showed up” at the property two days before and they had not noticed her gaping wounds.

Note, images of Winnie’s wounds are graphic and can only be access by following the links below.

Image 1 / Image 2

The ACO called PAWS knowing that the pup needed immediate medical attention and the shelter’s budget did not allot for veterinary bills. In a mere 20 minutes, the dog was named Winnie and volunteers had organized a ride for her to get to an emergency animal hospital.

Immediately after her amputation surgery..

Winnie’s condition was touch and go the first night. She was in shock from the significant blood loss and developing a life threatening infection because there was bone and muscle exposure at the wound site. The vets quickly assessed that there was no chance Winnie would be able to keep her leg- but they were also concerned that her pulse was very high and her blood levels were very low. She was started on high potency antibiotics, and given IV fluids and supportive care.

Winnie was transferred first thing in the morning to the Shelby Center in Memphis, TN where Dr. Morris cleared his morning schedule to see her. He quickly agreed that she needed an emergency amputation and was operating on her within the hour. Thankfully, the procedure went well and Winnie has an unbelievable will to survive.

The piece of this story is what really churns our stomach is how Winnie was injured. When we first posted about Winnie on our facebook site, a woman made multiple posts stating that she was the person who first sighted Winnie on her property and called Tipton County to have her removed from her home. She started weaving a web of lies about not noticing Winnie’s wounds and then gushing about how concerned she was and how she wanted to adopt her when she recovered. One of our volunteers happened to click the woman’s profile and was shocked to see that this same woman had posted three days earlier that a dog outside was “running its mouth” (ie barking) and so her husband “shot at it… LOL.” Never, in all our investigations of animal cruelty have we had a suspect freely admit on a public forum to the crime.

Winnie is getting around just great!

The case is under investigation and the facebook postings as well as the fragments of the shotgun recovered from Winnie’s wound will be used as evidence to prosecute. We remain flabbergasted that someone could “LOL” (laugh out loud) about such a disgusting act of violence and then proceed to offer to adopt the animal. This is a sad reminder that we have a lot of work left to do to educate the public about the appropriate treatment of animals.

In order to not loose heart, we remain focused on Winnie right now and ensuring that she does not hurt another day in her life. She has already amassed over a thousand dollars in veterinary bills and has a long road of rehab ahead of her. Please consider making a donation towards her care by clicking on the link below:

Donate to Winnie

Sadly, we also discovered the Winnie is heartworm positive and had multiple GI parasites. The abuse and neglect of this special creature occurred long before her gunshot wound. Amazingly, she holds absolutely no grudges against humanity and loves nothing more than snuggling with her foster Mom. Winnie has a long road ahead for her recovery, but PAWS will be with her every step of the way!