PAWS needs your help–come to the 1st Annual Casino Night Saturday, October 24

Most of you know that the fine folks at the Pacific Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS have been working hard on behalf of our Coronado animals for a number of years. They’ve long championed a new animal shelter as well as a number of other great programs. They rely completely on volunteers and on your donations to keep their efforts going and fund their programs. Their efforts helped the Coronado Firefighters save a cat at a house fire just two days ago (see the story below) and now they need your help! They are having their first (annual?) Casino Night on Saturday, October 24th to raise money for a new program: the Veterinary Fee Assistance Program, which fronts or loans money to help defray the cost to treat an animal at a vet for those who cannot pay up front out of pocket. It sounds like a LOAD of fun and here are the details they sent me: Have a good time while saving a pet! Our PAWS “Casino Night” fundraiser will open its doors at 6 pm on Saturday, October 24 at the gorgeous Community Center “Nautilus Room”. The glittery event, hosted by TV personality Darlene White, promises to be the hottest ticket in town that night for everyone from game lovers to animal supporters. There will be a gourmet buffet donated by Rhinoceros Grill and Southern Hospitality, a popular local band for dancing, lots of prizes, and a good time at the game tables. Tickets are $50 and we’ll start you off with a bucket of chips and good food; please call Jay 619-435 3909 or Gloria at 619-437-6502. The Pacific Animal Welfare Society of Coronado is holding this fundraiser to raise seed money for the new Veterinary Fee Assistance Program in Coronado and Imperial Beach. Originated by Dr. Mike McCoy, the innovative program helps people who need emergency financial help for pet medical care. It contains a continuing payback program for recipients in order to generate ongoing income, and is carefully regulated by the veterinarians. So many loved pets can be treated if we have a fund to help out when people are forced to make agonizing decisions simply because of their economic situation. If you are interested in more information about PAWS of Coronado, call 619-435-8247 or go to www.pawsofcoronado.org Particulars: There will be a cash bar. Costumes, glamour, or fancy masks will add extra fun and may win you a prize. You winnings can earn you great prizes such as accommodations in Hawaii or Palm Springs, 2 nights in Laughlin NV, the Glorietta Bay Inn, Coronado Beach Resort, event tickets, gift baskets and much more. We’re hoping to earn lots of money to save our best friends, so bring along a stash of cash. They are also currently working with the Coronado Firefighters on producing “Save my pet” emergency window stickers to let the firefighters know how many “fur people” we should be looking for in your home in the event of an emergency. A few months ago someone came into the fire station inquiring where they could get those window stickers they’d seen elsewhere. I felt bad that I didn’t know what to tell them, but I gave them PAWS contact info as I knew they would know. I followed up with PAWS later and broached the idea of putting together our own sticker for Coronado. One of the problems that was brought up is that these stickers are frequently not kept up to date, which is almost worse than not having one. One of the proposed solutions was to have one visible sticker with a smaller sticker that can be updated annually (like the registration sticker on your car’s license plate) for changes in your household’s animal members. The preliminary design that their designer came up with is pretty slick and we’re now looking for funding options to have the first batch made up. Once they’re printed, the Firefighters can distribute them at the Fire Stations and you can come by to pick one up for you and your friends. ** The rest of the story: a few years ago, the PAWS folks also donated a set of oxygen administration masks to the Firefighters for resuscitating animals. So far we’ve had least three successful saves that I know of using them! We’ve saved dogs from smoke inhalation, another dog that got rolled in the surf and nearly drowned, and just two days ago we had a structure fire at the north end of town and we used them to treat a cat which nearly succumbed to smoke and Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Upon our arrival we were told by a neighbor that he had seen a cat run back into the house when he showed up to help. The house was fairly small, so despite the interior being well involved in fire, we were able to “knock down” the fire in short order. I did a quick “primary search” as the crew on the hose line were extinguishing the rest of the flames and found a cat box in a closet. I looked closer and found the owner’s cat completely unconscious and barely breathing lying in the corner partially covered by burned clothes that had fallen from the upper shelves. I carried the limp cat outside and quickly fetched our medical equipment and the oxygen masks. After about 5-7 minutes of 100% oxygen administration the cat started to breathe more regularly and eventually began moving her paws a bit. She did not appear too badly burned but her nose and tongue were sooty and she was drooling. One of our wonderful Police Officers called for an Animal Control Officer who offered to drive the cat to the vet. The VCA animal hospital in Mission Valley is one of the best choices for a veterinary emergency which strikes on a Sunday and is where the San Diego Police Department would take one of their K-9 officers if they had an emergency outside of normal business hours. I secured the oxygen tank in the truck and hooked up a hose to the regulator to flow into the carrier en route. Even before the Officer left the scene, the cat was sitting up and moving around in the carrier. When he returned our equipment later that day he told us the cat was doing fine and was expected to make a full recovery. Losing most or all of your personal belongings to a fire in your home is enough of a tragedy. Losing a beloved pet as well could be far more devastating. The Coronado Firefighters would like to again thank the fine folks at PAWS for all their efforts and we strongly encourage all of you to join us in supporting their good works.