News & Updates

Dogs on Parade

Volunteers from the shelter walked the dogs in the annual Bell Tower Parade on Saturday, June 13th. A shelter Open House was held from 1 - 4 and many people came to meet the animals. We are hopeful that this added exposure will result in great new families for all of the dogs and cats that are currently at the shelter. Thanks to all those that helped.

PAWS Annual Garage Sale

The PAWS Annual Garage Sale was held May 28 - May 30. We would like to thank all of the people who donated items for us to sell, all of the people that came and purchased items, and the many volunteers that made it all possible. Because of you, we are able to continue helping the many pets that depend on us. Thank you.

P.A.W.S -- THEN AND NOW

Why We Began

The main reason is that many people felt that conditions at the pound were awful. Animals were suffering. We also had a number of war stories about mistreatment of pets by owners. So in May 1990 we had our first meeting.

How We Got Started

We elected pro tem officers, decided to start a humane society, and I I months later, after many decisions and much research, we were a state and federal nonprofit corporation. Ta da! P.A.W.S., Inc. (People for Animal Welfare Society) had its first meeting on the fourth Thursday of April 1991 with 21 members present,

What We Do

We do pet adoptions, take care of the shelter, investigate cruelty and neglect reports, work with the schools on animal education, work on publicity, assist low income people with spay/neuter, and RAISE $$$$$$.

How Things Were Then

The pound was ONLY for Jefferson dogs. Every other Thursday a truck from Ames Animal Labs came and took all of the animals that had been there for at least three days. Animals were fed and watered once a day, runs and cages were cleaned whenever. There was a leaky hydrant which kept the dogs' feet wet year round. No bedding. No heat. Two rusty cat cages, small and dark, no lights for cats, One very small cupboard.

Dogs could be chained out 24/7. Animals were a very low priority for the town, almost zero for the county. Sheriff? They would go shoot a dog, nothing else. The City Council and Board of Supervisors were negative--PETA coming in?

How Things Are Now

The pound is now the Greene County Animal Shelter with running water, heat, washer and dryer, lots of bedding and toys. The dogs have a big play area and are walked and played with daily. The cats have a cat room and a big screened patio and they live free with many beds and perches. All males are neutered before being out, cats are tested for feline leukemia and FIV, animals are wormed, vaccinated, and treated for flea control. Cupboards and counters in both the dog and cats sides and a storage shed. When Mar quit doing the morning chores (82 is time to retire!), the City and County and PAWS hired Marty Carlson to take over, and he and his wife, Barb, are excellent!

The Ames truck comes no more. The only time we cut population is when we're out of room. Hasn't happened for awhile. Adoptions have been great.

The City and County have been willing to listen and have worked with us on the pound improvements. With the Council, we wrote a new animal code which, even though not all we wanted, is a huge improvement. Dogs may not be tied out before 6:00 A.M. or after 10:00 P.M. and they must have shelter, shade, and water. All cats and dogs must be licensed annually. (The code is on the City's website.) THINGS ARE BETTER!

AND-we're looking into the feasibility of building a new shelter!! The City and County are listening.

Mar Smith is no longer very active, but the PAWS Board has several new younger people who have lots of ideas and are doing great new things. We're good friends and we have fun. We invite you to come to a meeting and take a look-4th Thursday, 7:30 P.M. at City Hall. WE NEED MORE BOARD MEMBERS.

We're proud of what we've done, BUT we're not complacent. There's lots more to do. Come on and help out.

Join Us!

P.A.W.S. IN THE COMMUNITY

We at PAWS strive to help the people in our community live in peace and harmony with the animals that reside alongside us. Many people know of the proper care an animal needs, such as food and water, exercise, love, etc. But many do not know how to protect themselves from dog bites. So we decided to change that! Our volunteers worked together to come up with some ideas for educating the youngest of our townspeople how to stay safe with their own pets and any animals they may encounter out in the world. We visited with Sandy Day's morning and afternoon Head Start classes and with some of the students at the Greene County Early Learning Center . The children were taught the correct way to approach a dog, to always ask the dog's owner for permission to pet the dog, what to do if a dog looks like it might bite, and safe ways to avoid being bitten. A volunteer brought her dog along to demonstrate to the children signs to look for in a dog that is happy and signs that a dog wants to be left alone. The children had a great time learning how to be safe and they also got to pet and feed treats to the doggy helper of the day, Rascal. We hope that by educating the public on safety around dogs, we can help avoid injuries by dogs.

	*THE ANIMALS AT THE GREENE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER NEED YOUR HELP* PAWS is always looking for more volunteers, and I wanted to let the animal lovers know that it is fun to help out at the shelter! When I first thought about volunteering, I thought two things: "I will want to take them all home" and "I just don't have the time." Well, let me tell you that these animals are great, but to see them find good homes and know YOU HELPED is even greater. I also know that it takes people to keep this operation going. So far in 2009 we may as well have been a no kill shelter because we have been completing adoptions like crazy. If we can get more of the community involved, we can continue this wonderful trend. Some different ways to volunteer are helping at adoption events, doing evening chores for one week at a time, transporting animals, collecting donations, working at the garage sale, walking dogs, and lots of ideas of your own. If you would be interested in volunteering, please contact our voice mail at 386-9814 or email pawsofgreenecounty@hotmail.com. We can provide information and answers to questions to help you decide to volunteer. Individuals and families are welcome. *SHELTER CHORES* For anyone out there who wonders, ^"What do the volunteers do at the shelter?" or may be considering becoming a volunteer, here is a basic overview of our daily chores. We currently work one week out of every six-Monday through Sunday in the evenings. Marty does the morning chores every day! In the dog runs we make sure they have food and fresh water daily, sweep out the inside runs under the dog beds, change blankets if needed and clean the outdoor runs-hosing them down except during the months when our hose is frozen. We also rearrange the dogs - shutting in the dogs who have been out all day and letting the ones out who have been shut in all day. In the cat room and on the cat patio, we make sure that they have food and fresh water daily and scoop out litter boxes daily (sometimes more than once on a shift-HA!) and wash the boxes as needed. In the cat room we clean the cages and change any blankets that are wet or soiled, sweep the floor daily and mop as needed. On the patio, we sweep as needed and hose down the floor (once again, weather permitting). And we always do any laundry that needs to be done daily, or as needed. Some other chores we do when we have extra time are moving out cat cages and cleaning the floor and wall behind them, cleaning up the outside dog play/exercise area, as well as checking for any freshly dug holes near the fences. We also wipe off countertops and cupboards, do dishes, take out the trash, refill food and litter bins, and any general tidying up. Finally, but most importantly, we give a good dose of TLC to the animals that are awaiting their forever homes! If you feel you'd like to do this, please contact our voice mail at 386-9814. Thank you!