ISSUE 72 SPRING 2009

He’s Home at Lastand Other New Beginnings

Issue 85: Summer 2013

Hungry Baby Birds

Wild Goose Chase

what’s inside:

In May and June, the seven Black Bear cubs who overwintered at PAWS were released back into their natural habitats in Washington and Oregon. Every spring, as we celebrate the release of our latest batch of bears to the wild, we can count on hundreds of other animals arriving on our doorstep—all in need of second chances of their own.

In a single day recently, we accepted 35 wild animals into care, including baby mallards, geese, hummingbirds, and a rabbit, among several others. We’ve also taken in our first bear cub of the year (see page 5 for his story).

While the arrivals are not quite as varied on the shelter side, our companion animal staff and volunteers are just as inundated with young ones at this time of year. Spring kitten Dolce, who arrived at PAWS in March as a stray (see page 4), was an early sign of things to come. By early June, PAWS had taken in over 100 other kittens just like him, with our busiest months yet to come.

With all of the adorable babies flooding through our doors this time of year, it would be easy to overlook the senior animals, but we, of course, would never let that happen.

In fact, PAWS’ expert matchmakers recently found a loving home for a wonderful 18-year-old cat named Gandalf!

If you’d like a fun way to help PAWS continue saving the lives of animals like Gandalf, please consider joining us at PAWSwalk on September 7 in Marymoor Park. Until then, as you enjoy the summer, thank you for giving a wide berth to any baby wild animals you may encounter. Whether it’s a fledgling bird learning to fly or a Harbor Seal pup waiting for mom on the beach, human intervention is seldom required. If you’re ever unsure if an animal needs help, simply give us a call!

All of PAWS’ educational efforts and lifesaving care for animals of so many different species, ages, and backgrounds is only possible because of your support. Thank you, and we hope to see you in September at PAWSwalk!

With gratitude,

Annette LaicoExecutive Director

From the heart

Dear Friends,

PAWS Executive Director Annette Laico gives a dose of love to Domino, a sweet six-year-old kitty who was transferred to PAWS from another shelter. Thanks to our supporters, this handsome boy will receive expert care at PAWS, for as long as it takes to find him a new home.

MissionPAWS is a champion for animals — rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, sheltering and adopt-ing homeless cats and dogs, and educating people to make a better world for animals and people.

Board of DirectorsMark Gross, President, Lisa Grimm, Vice President, Jan Hurley, Secretary, Janet Straus, Treasurer, Tonjia Borland, Jason Brotman, Robert Cundall, Karen Davis Smith, Brian DeFoe, Doug Dorton, Joanna Glickler, Dora Leung, Nancy Pasternack, Cindy Spodek Dickey

Executive DirectorAnnette Laico

PAWS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organizaion and relies on community support to carry out our work to help animals.

Privacy Policy: PAWS respects our donors’ and friends’ confidentiality. Although on rare occasion we may send you materials from another organization, we never release our mailing list. We know that, like unaltered animals, junk mail multiplies rapidly!

PAWS magazineIssue 85, Summer 2013

Editor in Chief: Mark Coleman

Copy Editor: Rachel Bishop

Graphic Designer: Edwina Cusolito

Photographers: Rachel Bishop, Blue Sapota Photography, Merina Burda, Scott Englehardt, Kara Gerhart, Kevin Mack, Vicki Nelson, PAWS Companion Animal Shelter Staff, Monica Valenzuela, Bruce Weber

Writers: Amanda Garberich, Valerie Leonard, Kevin Mack, Amy Webster

PAWSPO Box 1037, Lynnwood, WA 98046 | paws.orgfacebook.com/paws | youtube.com/pawsvideo

Contact PAWS 425.787.2500

Adoption Information x435Animal Cruelty x861Cat Behavior Help x605Dog Behavior Help x852Donations x255Foster Care Program x822Hours and Directions x410Lost and Found Pets x565Wildlife Center x817Volunteer Info Line x838

PAWS Cat City 206.782.1700PAWS is a member magazine. Membership is available with a donation of $35 or more. For reprint requests, additional copies, change of address notification, etc., write to: PAWS Magazine, PO Box 1037, Lynnwood, WA 98046.

Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks. PAWS, PAWS Cat City, Bark in the Park and PAWSwalk are service marks owned by Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). ©2013 Progressive Animal Welfare Society

PAWSmagazine

4 Happy New HomesA trio of companion animals settle into life with their new families

6 Slow but SteadyAn endangered species makes a pit-stop at PAWS

6 Summer Veg OutAnimal-friendly fare for the summer season

Do Baby Birds Need Your Help?Injured or inexperienced? What you need to know to (perhaps) lend a hand

off the top I-5 Goose Rescue

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When a Washington State Patrol officer called for help on May 8, PAWS Wildlife Center answered. Naturalist Kevin Mack and Wildlife Admissions Specialist Cindy Kirkendall were dispatched to

rescue a family of Canada Geese who had run into trouble on Interstate 5 in Seattle. Arriving at the scene, Kevin and Cindy discovered that one gosling had perished, and the adult male goose had been struck and badly injured by a car. The state patrol officer on the scene coordinated with other officers to institute a “rolling slowdown”, allowing Kevin and Cindy a brief window of safety during which they successfully captured both adult geese and their six remaining goslings.

Back at PAWS, the entire goose family was examined by the rehabili-tator on duty. The female goose and her six goslings were given a clean bill of health. Sadly, the male goose had been mortally wounded and was humanely euthanized.

The mother goose and her brood were released on a large pond with abundant food sources. There she will be able to safely raise her young to adulthood. Three additional goslings, who had been brought to PAWS as orphans, were also released with her. They quickly joined their new foster family, and the mother goose readily accepted them as her own.

T heir eyes met his big blue ones across a crowded

room, and the rest, as they say, is history. Rick and Kathy May fell instantly in love with Dolce at the PAWS Wild Night gala. A few days later, the long-haired white kitten joined their family, which already included the equally fluffy Momo and Sienna. “Dolce has brought so much, in his own unique way, to our family,” says Rick, “every day is filled with purrs, smiles and laughter.”

W hen Oceana Seer read Kestrel’s bio on-line, she

dropped everything and imme-diately set out for PAWS from her home in Portland, Oregon to meet the big-eyed Border Collie mix. Her initial instincts were spot on; upon meeting Kestrel, Oceana knew that she was the dog for her family. Kestrel had been transferred to PAWS from another animal shelter, and she was battling kennel cough when

Kestrel

Oceana and her husband Paul first brought her home. Kestrel quickly settled into her new abode, and her health has now improved.

“It feels like she’s been with us forever,” Oceana says. “She already has a fan club with the neighbors, our veterinarian, friends, and of course, us.” It took Kestrel less than a week to befriend the couple’s resi-dent cats, and she’ll soon be starting doggy daycare for more canine play-time. She loves to fetch Frisbees, play ball, and go for long walks. An occasionally vocal girl, Kestrel howls when readying for a walk or upon seeing Oceana and Paul, a trademark greeting they’ve come to love as much as the dog herself.

Buddy

B uddy, a playful boy with big ears and a brindle coat, found

an impossibly sweet setup with Canadian couple Iris and Dale Kisch this past spring. The retired couple adopted him in early April and fell fast in love with the furry new addition to their family. Buddy

has quickly made himself at home, claiming a corner of the couch for his evening naps and enjoying late-night snacks of peanut butter on toast.

Over the past few months, Buddy has made his vora-cious, occasionally discerning, appe-tite known. His recent culinary coups include a pound of butter and a clamshell of

blueberries. “Buddy will eat almost everything except for oysters,” Iris says. “He tried one but was not really sure about it.” A handsome, high-energy guy, Buddy actually likes easy listening music. The three of them — Iris, Dale and Buddy — enjoy a nightly spell of relaxing tunes before hitting the hay. The music “seems to calm Buddy down,” Iris says, “and then he sleeps like a baby.”

Dolce

Happy New Homes (and happy returns)

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O n May 15, we watched silently as a stunningly beautiful

Bobcat made her way across a clear-cut toward the woods. Her nose twitched. Her muscles rippled. Her tufted ears turned left, right, forward, and back, taking in the sounds of birds, the wind, and running water. This could not be the same cat who we had met last August. She could not be the frightened three-and-a-half pound orphan who had cowered at the back of her kennel in the PAWS Wildlife Center exam room. She couldn’t be… except, she was.

The cat stalking across the clear-cut was the end result of a miraculous transformation nine months in the making. As a starving kitten, she became desperate and tried to break into a Redmond chicken coop—a

stunt that landed her at PAWS. From the day she arrived, we committed ourselves to helping the kitten reach her full potential. Thanks to PAWS’ donors and supporters, staff and volunteers had the resources needed to achieve that goal.

The result? A healthy, confident, wild Bobcat striding to the edge of the forest. She took one look back and then turned to embrace her newfound freedom.

Bobcat (#12-2278)

I n some areas of the Pacific Northwest, a bear on the beach

would not be considered unusual. Bears are found throughout our coastal forests, and where these

forests stretch down to the ocean, the bears naturally follow. For a 10-pound bear cub in Charleston, Oregon, however, the beach was a frightening place. Separated from his mother for reasons unknown, the cub wandered up and down the beach bawling at the top of his lungs. Fortunately, his plight did not go unnoticed. The cub was captured by the Oregon Department of Fish and Game, who brought him to PAWS for care in May.

He was still nursing when he arrived, so PAWS’ staff trained him to drink from a bottle rack in order to minimize his contact with humans. This is the 87th bear to be received by PAWS Wildlife Center, so the cub is in experienced hands. He will spend the next year with us, and next spring when he has grown big and strong, he’ll return to the wild life he was born to live.

Black Bear Cub (#13-0422)

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Summer is here, and that means it’s time for picnics, parties, and barbecues! Enjoying food that is vegetarian (meatless) or vegan (meatless and containing no dairy or eggs) is delicious, easy, and is good for you and the animals.

You may have noticed that vegetarian and vegan fare is quickly growing in popularity. Restaurants, grocery stores, cooking shows, and even airlines are offering savory, meat-free cuisine; it seems no matter where you go, you’re sure to find healthy, delicious, vegetarian options. Eating less meat and animal products is good for us, the environment, and the animals. Vegetarians are typically slimmer,

Turtles don’t do anything quickly, and that includes healing. So when we were asked by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to provide treatment to a Western Pond Turtle with a severe shell infection, we knew she would be under our care for quite some time.

The turtle arrived at our door on November 1, 2012. For the 186 days that followed, we regularly cleaned and disinfected her numerous shell lesions, provided her with a healthy diet and ample enrichment, and periodically took her to a veterinary specialist for check-ups. Slowly but surely, her shell healed and her overall health improved. She was returned to the wild on May 6. On that same day, another Western Pond Turtle was brought to us for care.

Western Pond Turtles are a state endan-gered species. Although they were once common throughout the Puget Sound

Summer Veg Out!healthier, and live longer lives free of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Vegetarian choices also make a big differ-ence for the animals. Reducing animal products in your diet, even one day a week, can not only slim your waistline but also helps to save hundreds of animals. So next time you join friends and family for a summer celebration, try your culinary skills with a scrumptious animal-friendly dish to share—such as vegetable kabobs, garden burgers, silky chocolate tofu cream pie, Field Roast sausages, or sizzling tempeh tacos. Your body, the planet, and the animals will thank you!

lowlands, by the early 1990’s their numbers had declined to only about 150 individuals. For such a rare animal, every individual is important to the recovery effort. We here at PAWS are very proud to be able to assist with this effort, and through the generosity of supporters like you, we will continue to do so for years to come.

Slow but Steady

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There was a frantic rustling in the leafy under-growth. Wildly flailing two tiny wings in a desperate attempt to lift himself off the ground, a fledgling baby bird looked to be in serious trouble. In reality, says PAWS Naturalist Kevin Mack, a floundering baby bird isn’t necessarily cause for alarm.

The ungainly, furious flapping of small wings is a common sight during “baby bird season,” the early spring months when eggs begin to hatch and the sound of tiny chirping fills the air. As these baby birds begin to fly, they often wind up on the ground. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re injured or in need of help.

“Baby birds always look awkward when they fly,” says Mack. “They might spend several hours, or even an entire day, flapping on the ground testing out their wings!”

Do Baby Birds Need Your Help?Sometimes, however, a baby bird might be in

real trouble. This is where the staff and volunteers at PAWS step in to help.

“We have an entire baby bird nursery dedicated to helping injured or orphaned nestlings and fledg-lings,” says Mack, and it’s no small task to care for them all. “We might have 50 to 100 baby birds at one time, each needing to be hand-fed a specially formulated diet once every hour, 12 hours-a-day.”

PAWS relies on a small army of volunteers and interns who care for these tiny baby birds.

“It’s a lot of mouths to feed,” admits Mack. “They’re cute, but they’re a lot of work.”

If you find a baby bird you think may be injured or sick, please call the PAWS Wildlife Center at 425.412.4040. A trained staff member will help you determine if the animal needs help.

Are these two baby birds in trouble, or are they just struggling to take their first flight?

The kitchen never closes for hungry little songbirds, who are hand-fed by an army of dedicated volunteers.

Please deliver to a friend of animals at this address.

Non-profit OrgU.S. Postage Paid PAWS15305 44th Ave W

PO Box 1037 Lynnwood, WA 98046paws.org

Come Bark in the Park!Lace up your walking shoes and grab your favorite leash, because PAWSwalk is on its way! The 22nd annual PAWSwalk promises to be more fun than ever before. Bring your friends, family, co-workers, and of course—your canine companions, to the doggy event of the summer. After enjoying a beautiful walk in the park, soak up the sun and explore the vendor plaza, where you’re sure to score some

great free samples. Stop by the Kids Zone for interactive activities for all ages, grab a snack at one of the local food trucks, and round off the afternoon with a beer or mimosa at Pours for PAWS. And don’t forget, your participation in PAWSwalk helps PAWS save lives! What could be more perfect than that? The fun begins at PAWSwalk.net, where you can register or set up a team.

A benefit to help the animals at PAWS

Saturday, September 7Marymoor Park in Redmond

Presented by

Register at

PAWSwalk.net