We recently spoke with Debbie Valdez of North Beach PAWS...
When was your organization started, and how has it grown over time?
North Beach PAWS (NB PAWS) started in April 2002 with an informal meeting at the home of co-founders Mike and Lorna Valdez. This meeting was called to determine community interest in creating a rescue group that would serve homeless and needy domestic animals in the North Beach area of Grays Harbor. At a subsequent community meeting it was decided that we would move forward with the rescue group and that it would be called North Beach PAWS. Operating funds were initially raised by offering memberships and by holding garage sales. To this day a large portion of our operating funds are raised by holding Saturday garage sales at our shelter. We also hold an annual Dinner, Dance, and auction and are constantly raising funds through various venues in order to keep our shelter going. We started with caring for cats and dogs in local foster homes. Later we rented a small kennel building on the site where our current shelter exists at Hogan’s Corner. We signed a purchase contract for the entire property in August 2006. As funds allow, we make improvements to the property in order to provide as good of an environment as possible for our shelter animals. While our official service area remains the North Beach, we have, as space allows, brought in animals in need from areas beyond our service boundaries. We have found homes for hundreds of homeless cats and dogs and some bunny’s and birds since our inception.
What makes your organization unique in our community in terms of helping needy animals?
We are the only no-kill shelter in the North Beach area of Grays Harbor County. It is costly to run a no-kill shelter. We have a cat that has been at our shelter for over 5 years and we have had dogs for years, too, before they found permanent homes. Our cats are not caged and have freedom of movement and cozy places to curl up in their rooms at our shelter. Some have indoor/outdoor access. Our dogs have a large fenced area to frolic in called the Freedom Fence and comfy beds in their kennels. We assist low-income individuals to get their cats and dogs altered through a year round cost share voucher program. For many years we have held 4 full days of free spay/neuter clinics for pets of very low income individuals. Our clinics are always full.
How will funds from the Woof-a-Thon help you accomplish your goals?
Spay/Neuter is a major part of our mission statement. 100% of the funds that we receive from the Woof-a-Thon will be used to support our spay/neuter clinics. The pets in these clinics would never see a vet or be altered if we didn’t hold these very important clinics.
Final words to the participants and sponsors of the Woof-A-Thon?
We are very thankful to be chosen as a Woof-a-Thon charity. Participants and sponsors of the Woof-a-Thon can rest assured that every penny donated to North Beach PAWS is used in some way to help the animals, in this case specifically to provide free spay/neuter for pets of low-income individuals. We are a 100% volunteer shelter.
North Beach PAWS (NB PAWS) started in April 2002 with an informal meeting at the home of co-founders Mike and Lorna Valdez. This meeting was called to determine community interest in creating a rescue group that would serve homeless and needy domestic animals in the North Beach area of Grays Harbor. At a subsequent community meeting it was decided that we would move forward with the rescue group and that it would be called North Beach PAWS. Operating funds were initially raised by offering memberships and by holding garage sales. To this day a large portion of our operating funds are raised by holding Saturday garage sales at our shelter. We also hold an annual Dinner, Dance, and auction and are constantly raising funds through various venues in order to keep our shelter going. We started with caring for cats and dogs in local foster homes. Later we rented a small kennel building on the site where our current shelter exists at Hogan’s Corner. We signed a purchase contract for the entire property in August 2006. As funds allow, we make improvements to the property in order to provide as good of an environment as possible for our shelter animals. While our official service area remains the North Beach, we have, as space allows, brought in animals in need from areas beyond our service boundaries. We have found homes for hundreds of homeless cats and dogs and some bunny’s and birds since our inception.
What makes your organization unique in our community in terms of helping needy animals?
We are the only no-kill shelter in the North Beach area of Grays Harbor County. It is costly to run a no-kill shelter. We have a cat that has been at our shelter for over 5 years and we have had dogs for years, too, before they found permanent homes. Our cats are not caged and have freedom of movement and cozy places to curl up in their rooms at our shelter. Some have indoor/outdoor access. Our dogs have a large fenced area to frolic in called the Freedom Fence and comfy beds in their kennels. We assist low-income individuals to get their cats and dogs altered through a year round cost share voucher program. For many years we have held 4 full days of free spay/neuter clinics for pets of very low income individuals. Our clinics are always full.
How will funds from the Woof-a-Thon help you accomplish your goals?
Spay/Neuter is a major part of our mission statement. 100% of the funds that we receive from the Woof-a-Thon will be used to support our spay/neuter clinics. The pets in these clinics would never see a vet or be altered if we didn’t hold these very important clinics.
Final words to the participants and sponsors of the Woof-A-Thon?
We are very thankful to be chosen as a Woof-a-Thon charity. Participants and sponsors of the Woof-a-Thon can rest assured that every penny donated to North Beach PAWS is used in some way to help the animals, in this case specifically to provide free spay/neuter for pets of low-income individuals. We are a 100% volunteer shelter.
RSS Feed
