Adopt A Pet? PAWS for Thought …

People who relinquish pets to shelters get a bad rap, and a lot of them deserve it – say, people who don’t spay or neuter their animals and wind up with a bunch of puppies or kittens they can’t care for, people who change their minds when they realize how much work is involved in raising a dog or cat, people who mistreat animals, people who … you get the picture. There are a lot of irresponsible, uninformed or, to put it kindly, naive people out there.

And then there are those humans who loved an animal but could no longer care for it due to an unexpected or unavoidable reason. My family is grateful for the humans who left a one-year-old poodle mix at a shelter earlier this year. We adopted the little dog through a rescue network, and right away we could tell she had been loved. She knew basic commands, slept quietly in a crate, pooped in the bushes, and gratefully lounged on our laps with such adoration in her eyes that we would have cloned her on the spot if such technology existed so that we could all have a turn holding her at the same time.

To put it mildly, we are besotted with our new family member, and she with us. Here’s a photo of Midge, showing off her impressive underbite:

Is such a companion animal out there waiting for you? Perhaps you’ll find it at the pet adoption day that PAWS Chicago is hosting in Winnetka on Saturday, July 7. This is PAWS’ third annual Angels With Tails event in Winnetka. I went to the first one in 2016 with my daughter Teresa and niece Margot, and we swooned over just about every puppy, dog, kitten and cat that we saw.

Here is what you need to know about Angels With Tails:

WHAT: PAWS Chicago, the city’s largest no kill humane organization, along with six local rescue and shelter organizations, will bring several dozen of Chicago’s homeless animals to 38 beautiful storefronts and sidewalks in the heart of Winnetka along Lincoln Avenue, Elm Street and Chestnut Street.

WHAT ELSE: Angels with Tails Winnetka, sponsored by Merrick Pet Care, is an opportunity for people to stroll the sidewalks and meet dozens of wonderful homeless animals available for adoption. PAWS Chicago will be joined by As Good as Gold Golden Retriever Rescue of IL, Evanston Animal Shelter, Greater Chicago Cavalier Rescue, Heartland Animal Shelter, St. Sophia’s Forgotten Felines, and Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue to showcase adoptable puppies, dogs, kittens and cats.

WHY: PAWS Chicago launched its inaugural Angels with Tails adoption evet in 1998 to help end the tragic euthanasia epidemic in the city of Chicago by showcasing the wonderful shelter animals in need of a loving home. Its goal is to both save lives through adoption and raise awareness around the issue of pet overpopulation and the needless killing of homeless animals.

With so many litters being born during the spring season, in addition to the abundance of homeless pets in need of a loving home, more animals are at risk of euthanasia in overcrowded animal control and traditional “open door” shelters. By promoting adoption, fostering, and spay/neuter, PAWS Chicago is working to build a No Kill community where all healthy and treatable pets are given a second chance to find a loving home.

By rallying the community and generating more adoptions, PAWS is able to take in and save more dogs and cats from high-risk shelters. When you adopt a pet from a No Kill animal shelter or rescue organization, you are saving two lives–the pet you adopt and another pet who can take his place.

WHERE: 38 retailers along Lincoln Avenue, Elm Street and Chestnut Street in Winnetka will offer their storefronts and windows to PAWS Chicago and several other rescue partners.

WHEN: Saturday, July 7, 2018 from 12 – 4 p.m.

If now’s a good time for you to adopt a lifelong companion animal, stop by Angels With Tails and see what PAWS and the other rescue organizations have available. For more information, visit www.pawschicago.org/angelswithtails.

 

 

And here are some photos of last year’s Winnetka Angels With Tails: