It has been another busy year for Point Roberts Animal Wellbeing Society (PAWS), and the fundraising arm of our society, the Point-Interface e-mail community bulletin board.

 The generous donations, both monetary and “in kind,” received from the people of Point Roberts are very much appreciated. These contributions comprise our major source of funding, and have helped us feed many animals in need and pay for veterinary care and medicines for many others.

All of our volunteers are treasured, and our sincerest thanks go to them for all the help provided. In particular, I must single out Tracy Aiken because of the sheer number of hours she has dedicated to making life better for cats in the care of PAWS. Once again, in 2011 we had the use of the Clarkes’ home as a refuge for cats needing short term shelter and care. We are extremely grateful to the Clarke family for their continuing support.

Cats – feral, abandoned or lost – make up the majority of our calls. Most dogs that are brought or reported to us are either lost or are roaming free. PAWS finds homes for some dogs and also works with other agencies to re-home dogs. Point-Interface has proved to be an excellent way to reunite dogs and cats with their owners. Sadly, this year a number of the lost cats were not found, with coyotes likely the cause of their demise. Thankfully, there were also plenty of happy endings. Three abandoned lop-eared rabbits were caught and a home was found for them.

Each year we help with several species of wildlife; this year’s tally included an injured fawn and two incidents with injured bald eagles. Eagles and other raptors are transported to OWL in Ladner for rehabilitation; other species are transported to specialized wildlife rescue organizations in Whatcom County and Metro Vancouver. We work closely with the Whatcom Humane Society, Tsawwassen Animal Hospital and the Huff Animal Hospital.

PAWS encourages everyone to have their animals neutered or spayed. If you cannot afford to do this, please contact us, as we have access to a variety of resources to assist with this cost and with other expenses. Please continue to tell us about the locations of feral cats as well as dogs and other cats that need assistance.

Your annual donations to PAWS are greatly appreciated. As well, regular monthly donations received from organizations and individuals help greatly with ongoing year-round expenses. We encourage more people to consider monthly donations.
The positive feedback we regularly receive from community members regarding our fundraising efforts and assistance to animals is encouraging, and your enthusiasm in this regard is heartwarming. A donation to PAWS includes access to our email community bulletin board.

For more information, contact us at paws@pointroberts.net or 360/945-2338.