PAWS

Homeless not Worthless

Every day we pass them by. They dodge cars, look for food in the garbage, battle malnutrition and sickness in silence.

Perhaps you can say that their story is the same as any indigent on the street.

But for this set of indigents, there is no government agency dedicated to their welfare (to give them low-cost medical care or provide them with a halfway home) .

They don't vote, they can't speak and their "rights" are still not recognized by most members of society.

And yet their pain and suffering is as real as yours and mine.

Homeless animals.

They are domesticated animals, once family pets, thrown out into the streets when owners can no longer afford to feed them or when they get sick.

People who are unfamiliar with Spay and Neuter (safe, surgical procedures done by veterinarians to keep animals from reproducing) think that the only way they can get rid of their unwanted pets is by giving them to neighbors, who may or may not be prepared for the responsibilities of pet ownership, or by "pagligaw" – the cruel practice of dumping animals in far away places where they won't be able to find their way back home.

PAWS is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about kindness to animals and responsible pet ownership. Its small Animal Shelter cares for homeless animals who are victims of cruelty.

PAWS does NOT take in all strays and does not propose to solve the problem of pet homelessness solely through its animal shelter but through a combination of sheltering, education, spay & neuter campaign and lobbying for stronger animal welfare laws.

PURINA, in cooperation with PAWS, recently launched the “HOMELESS NOT WORTHLESS” campaign to make people aware of the plight of animals on the streets. The eye-opening TV Ad and supporting posters focused on the typical experience of a street cat and a street dog.

The urban jungle is a dangerous and unwelcoming place for domesticated animals that have been raised to be completely dependent on human care. This is apparent in the confusion in a cat's eyes as she calculates whether it is safe to come out of the drain hole she is hiding in. Or in a stray dog's rude 'awakening' as the car he is resting under pulls away and he has to wearily run towards another parked vehicle just to seek shelter.

To view the ads, go to the following links :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWCSlAfqEJc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VexUzglGJ-U&feature=channel_page

Through its shelter, PAWS aims to showcase its adoption program by focusing on stories of animals once deemed as ugly, hopeless and "worthless", who have now been fully rehabilitated and in need of a good home.

The campaign calls on everyone to help PAWS in whatever little way he can because its life-saving work is important for the community and for the animals that are in its care.

No life is indeed worthless.

paws

CAMPAIGNS

Click here to see our "A Pet is a LIfetime Commitment" Campaign