“Hide your wallets, she’s coming over!” – Donations, animal welfare, and how it helps YOU
“Paws” Perspective
If you know any of the Paws Board Members, you may be familiar with the first part of this headline. Maybe you’ve actually uttered it before. Maybe when you see a message from one of us, you take a while to open it, or you try not to make eye contact when you see us in public. We’ve turned ourselves into very repetitive company. We talk about (and to!) our animals like they’re real people.
It’s okay. We often have a laugh about it, because people who feel this way aren’t wrong! We are hustlers. We sometimes feel shame, but open any of our phones and scroll through our photos – you’ll see endless photos of dogs, cats, bills, reminder screenshots and ideas. This author can tell you that if you looked through her photo gallery right now, there is a good chance you’ll end up feeling uncomfortable with the amount of photos of dog & cat poop that you discover.
Shame isn’t a major factor for us, because we know what we’re about and what we’re working for. We’re working for the animals who are abused, who are neglected, who are strayed. For the dog that is beaten with a cutlass, for the horse that was knocked down and left to die, for the dog with severe mange due to neglect, whose photo went viral on Facebook because its “owner” said the dog had COVID-19. We work for the cats whose eyes have to be removed because their environment led them to develop an eye infection and their owners ignored it. For the dogs who were left tied in their yard as their owners migrated, for the pups that don’t actually know what to do when given a treat, or how to play with a toy.
We want to work even more and help more animals and build a shelter. We want to help the monkeys in horrendous cages and the limping horses and the bound iguanas, but we have seen the saying “out of sight, out of mind” in action so many times that we literally can’t afford to stay quiet. We need to be as vocal as we can to even make a dent in the daily and immediate needs that we are confronted with. Fundraising is one of the most exhausting parts of animal welfare, and we don’t have a designated committee for this purpose. We all ask all the time.
What keeps us going is the visible miracle that a little money, food or equipment can create. Look at what happens when something as simple as an injection can change the course of an animal’s life – both for the better and, tragically, for the worse. Look at the photos we share on our social media accounts. Look at the before and the after videos, the photos from our rescues, and the gruesome images of the animals that we couldn’t save. The trembling, terrified animals, their ribs poking through their dry, brittle skins. The fear in their eyes. The uncertainty and trepidation as they approach the food you put out for them because, although they are starving, they’ve been tricked and abused too many times to blindly run and eat. Their abuse and neglect has been so traumatic that when they see a meal that can save them, they think twice.
Can you imagine an existence like that?
We pour our creativity into activities and fundraising and trying to keep the public engaged, because we have taken on the responsibility of rescuing, nursing, fostering, finding homes, and working to educate the public and overall improving animal welfare in Guyana. The list is long and exhausting, but we share a joint belief – it is worth it. We try not to burden the same people, nor do we try to ask for too much without providing something in return. A member’s monthly contribution costs roughly a quarter of the total cost for a pup’s required basic 3 vaccines, deworming, and its spay/neuter surgery. This doesn’t consider any costs for additional care or ongoing medication the animal may need. It’s workable, but can quickly spiral out – we might think we’re in a good position until we get a call about a pregnant mother, or a mama with 8 puppies. That cost is immediately multiplied.
When Vets provide us with low cost or free work, it is immensely significant, because the money saved never sits in the bank for very long – it is usually already spent on another animal before the ink is dry on the receipt. Sometimes, we commit to large expenses, such as spay & neuter campaigns or the building of a shelter, with the faith that the funds will find their way to us; and after two years, thousands of surgeries, rescues and adoptions, we have never had a reason to doubt this faith.
There is always a way to support our work. Monthly contributions go a far way, and there are multiple ways that you can make this contribution. You can also sponsor an animal in our care, make a one-time donation, purchase promotional items, buy tickets and support our fundraising events. If you’re interested in promoting your business, we have multiple sponsorship opportunities. If you have a birthday wish or want to honour a loved one, we are willing to work with you.
Apart from funds, we gratefully accept all kinds of donations. We always need items such as food, formula, nursing bottles, toys, bowls, blankets, medicine, towels, leashes, collars, and pet shampoo. We use all sorts of items, such as disinfectants, buckets and hoses for washing out kennels, cooking gas to help with making food for our fosters, construction materials for shelters, and even old newspapers for lining areas when our fosters have wounds. We even accept donations of your time – safe foster homes are critical for an animal’s recovery; we always need help to transport animals to and from the Vet; we need people who are willing to follow up with animals who have been adopted, to ensure that they are living their best lives. We always welcome those who genuinely want to help.
How does donating to
animal welfare help YOU?
Apart from the gratification of saving a life and knowing that you’re doing good and putting kindness out in the world, improving the lives of animals improves yours. Consider the things that you want in life. We’d assume that you want a good home, friends, positive physical and mental health, safe roadways, a good community. A good home has love in it, and a pet’s love is deep, endless, and unconditional. As for making friends, we can tell you from personal experience that it is very easy to forge a bond with someone new over a discussion about our pets!
Studies have long proven the benefits that caring for a pet can produce – lowered blood pressure, better heart health, better mental health, better emotional health, encouragement to exercise, all leading to an improved quality of life, both mentally and physically. If you have children, consider all of the positive impacts to them as well. Bringing a pet into your family can cultivate empathy, kindness and compassion in your children. Cultivating the ability to empathise and process emotions is a significant factor in the reduction of violent and disturbing crimes. The amount of horrific crimes in Guyana is staggering, and all of these are a result of poor emotional and mental health.
Keeping animals off the streets reduces the probability of accidents, and improves road safety. How many lives have been lost because a driver swerved or didn’t swerve to avoid an animal? How many times has an animal lost its life because it was in unfamiliar surroundings, was looking for food, was dazzled by lights, or simply just panicked with the noise and activity?
Having animals off the street keeps the environment & community in a better state as well. How many times have you driven past the decomposing, rotting corpse of a poor animal who met its fate because it was wandering where it wasn’t meant to be?
We understand that COVID-19 has changed a lot of priorities, and because of that, we are even more aware of our gratitude when we receive donations. So, when we ask you for a donation, yes, our priority is to make the animal’s life better, but it also makes YOUR lives better. We want to improve animal welfare in Guyana, and make our country a better place to live; so, don’t hide your wallet, we’re coming over.
If you’d like to offer comments, support or follow our work, find us on Facebook.com/Pawsforacause.gy, on Instagram @pawsforacause.guyana, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, drop us a line at [email protected], or visit our website at https://www.pawsforacausegy.com.
Animal welfare is everyone’s business. You don’t have to be an animal person – you just have to be a kind person.
