The Cause Is About PAWS

By Timothy Cama
Bristol Herald Courier

Sometime early last month, a dog and her four newborn puppies were dumped at a garbage site on Radio Road in Castlewood, Va.

There, the mother struggled to keep her still-nursing pups alive, even at the expense of her own health, said Lynda Emmel, president of the newly formed Peoples’ Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) in Castlewood.

The dog, which Emmel estimates to be less than 2 years old, did the best she could by eating garbage, plastic bags and other items found at the dump.

“She was emaciated,” Emmel said.

On June 14, the dogs got lucky. After Emmel received multiple calls from folks who had seen the pups, Shanon Collins, adoption coordinator with PAWS, picked up the dogs and placed them in foster homes, where they were fed, cared for and eventually taken to a veterinarian for medical treatment. Emmel hopes to have all five dogs in good, permanent homes soon.

Throughout the region, people often leave their unwanted pets at such dumps, Emmel said.

Owners also set their animals free or leave them in abandoned houses or along roadsides, forgoing options like shelters, adoption networks or animal rescues, she said.

Pet owners who abandon their animals usually expect someone to rescue them within a day or two, said Emmel, but it rarely happens. Instead, the animals often starve, are run over or catch a disease – then die before human intervention.

“People think [pets] have a better chance of survival” by being abandoned than if taken to shelters, humane societies, breed rescues or other services, said Ginny Mowell, president of the Sullivan County Humane Society in Kingsport, Tenn.

Shelters have a bad reputation, said Mowell, but they actually provide food, warmth and a home for animals.

Emmel saw a need and started PAWS in January. The organization, with its 17 or so members, meets monthly to discuss animal welfare issues in Russell and Wise counties and the surrounding area.

As an immediate response to the recent surge of abandoned animals, PAWS has used its network of animal lovers to find foster homes and, at times, permanent homes for unwanted dogs and cats.
When it comes to dumping and abandonment, the most important part of PAWS’ mission is awareness, Emmel said.

“If you can’t take care of your animal, get in touch with us,” she said.

Adoption is what PAWS has been spending most of its resources on since its founding in January. Lisa Collins, a PAWS member who now is fostering about 25 cats, says the organization has helped find permanent homes for 42 cats and dogs since it started.

PAWS finds out about the animals in a number of ways. For example, when folks began to notice the dog and her pups last month at the Russell County dump site, the community’s awareness of PAWS paid off: Emmel and other organization members were telephoned.

Occasionally, pet owners actually call PAWS when they cannot take care of their own animals.

But when PAWS can’t immediately find a foster home, they often feed an animal and provide water. Collins does so on a regular basis when she sees animals at dumps or roadsides.

In addition to promoting awareness of PAWS, the organization is focusing on other animal welfare issues.

The organization meets monthly in St. Paul and sets up booths and tables at events such as the July 4 celebration in Lebanon. In the near future, Emmel hopes to set up programs at local schools to educate students about animal welfare.

Spaying and neutering are also major efforts of PAWS’ awareness campaign.

“There’s no excuse for not spaying or neutering your animal,” Emmel said.

PAWS has worked to spread the word about veterinarians who offer affordable, discounted spaying and neutering.

Abandoning an animal is illegal and can carry a hefty fine or even jail time.

In Virginia, abandoning an animal is a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine.

In Tennessee, abandonment is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

“Please don’t do it,” said Mary Randolph, co-founder of Journey’s End, a no-kill animal society in Kingsport. “Please don’t abandon your animals.”

The first step to avoiding animal abandonment is often spaying or neutering a pet, said Emmel. At the very least, this keeps a pet owner from also having to deal with an unwanted litter of kittens or puppies.

Numerous veterinary clinics offer “severely discounted” spaying and neutering, Emmel said.

The Margaret B. Mitchell Clinic in Bristol, Va., offers spaying, neutering and vaccinations. The cost is $55 for all dogs, $50 for female cats and $35 for male cats.

These prices are cheaper than most clinics, said Emmel, and much less expensive than raising a litter of kittens or puppies.

Holly Help Spay Neuter Fund, also in Bristol, Va., can help those in need pay for spaying and neutering procedures. Veterinarians also are willing to negotiate with low-income pet owners to pay for the procedures.

In addition, the Mitchell clinic offers a monthly transport van so pet owners can arrange to have their pets picked up so they can be spayed or neutered and returned the next day.

Owners who can’t take care of pets are urged to give PAWS a few weeks to try to find new homes. The organization does not have a shelter, so their services are limited to foster care and trying to set up adoptions.

Journey’s End also can help find homes for animals, said Randolph, by posting information on their PetFinder.com page, which advertises the animal nationally.

Journey’s End also has no shelter, and its foster homes are full.

For purebred dogs, almost every breed in the United States has a national breed rescue. As a last resort, Emmel said owners should take their animals to a shelter.

“There are at least 13 humane societies and shelters between [Castlewood] and Kingsport,” she said.

TIMOTHY CAMA is an intern with the Bristol Herald Courier and can be reached at tcama@bristolnews.com or (276) 669-2181, ext. 3385.