Insider Report­ September 2015 ­

Board Reportby Sharon Sherman, Chairman of the Board

We here in Coronado are so blessed. We live in one of the most beautiful towns in theworld, just across the bay from America's Finest City. Our kids attend an excellentschool system and we all share one of the finest libraries of its size in the state. Swimming pools, tennis courts, a skateboard park, rock climbing wall, lawn bowling court,and an 18 hole golf course are just a few of the leisure resources maintained by the cityfor each of us to enjoy.

As a community, Coronado has more than adequate resources to care for our lost, strayand relinquished animals and both the City Council and we, as citizens, have made thecommitment to do just that. Come down any time to the Coronado Animal Care Facility(ACF) and you will see a beautiful building with decorated cat rooms, outside exerciseareas for the dogs, toys galore, and food enough for many, many weeks for all of theanimals who are awaiting their forever homes.

This isn't the case at some other animal shelters in Southern California. Most municipalshelters do not have organizations such as PAWS of Coronado whose volunteers anddonors are dedicated to enriching the lives of our animals. And, as unbelievable as itmay sound, some shelters do not even have enough food for the hundreds of animalswho come in through their doors needing help.

Such is the situation in El Centro, the largest city with the largest animal shelter inImperial County. The need there is great. Their shelter is impacted heavily by its closeproximity to the Mexican border. Not only are animals brought across the border and leftat the shelter, many stray dogs actually find their way the few miles from their life on thestreets in Mexico to what they hope will be safety at the El Centro shelter. The area isstruggling economically as well. For a time, it had the highest unemployment rate in thenation. Its economy is based on agriculture, and with the current drought, farmers andworkers alike have been greatly impacted.

Bob and Ramey Murphy are no strangers to animal welfare. Bob served on our Board of

Rich Giglio and his dog, Byron

Directors for a time; Ramey was a kennel attendant at our own ACF. Now they bothvolunteer time at The Rescued Dog, a foster­home based rescue organization, here inSan Diego County. Its mission is "to save at­risk dogs from high­kill shelters and placethem in loving, forever homes for the benefit of the dogs and humans alike." TheRescued Dog often pulls dogs from the El Centro shelter. When The Rescued Dog discovered the need for basic food supplies at this shelter, they launched a food driveand Bob and Ramey remembered their friends at PAWS, telling us about the situation. Your Board of Directors unanimously voted at the last meeting to join this food drive forthe El Centro shelter and we are now asking you to stand shoulder to shoulder with us tosupport the animals in need in Imperial County. You have always been so generous. Many of you bring dog and cat food to the ACF to share with our animals. We are nowasking you to bring in even more food to share with animals even more in need.

Brands are not important: anything will do, even open bags of dry food your pet might nothave liked. Any size contribution will be so appreciated and will go toward feedinganimals who just don't have the advantages of those who are being cared for in the ACFin Coronado.

Please let's share our blessings with those who are not as fortunate as we are. A helpinghand is all these El Centro dogs and cats need right now and at PAWS I just know thereare many hands wiling to reach out.

Earthology Techby PAWS Staff Writer

Earthology Tech: What in the world is that? Well,it is a business here in town, owned and operatedby Rich Giglio, which specializes in the installationof artificial turf. Rich is no stranger to PAWS. His adorable dog,Byron, participated in the last Canine Mayoralelection. While he didn't win the coveted position ofMayor, he was a crowd favorite, leading the pack inthe most single votes for any dog. Byron came outto meet his fans again at this year's 4th of Julyparade, charming the entire crowd.

So, when we decided to replace the turf at the ACF,who did we call? Rich and Byron of course! They did a fantastic job for us, and at a verycompetitive price. The product chosen by Rich forthe project is designed especially for heavy use by dogs in airports, shelters and the like. The construction is new, with "V" shaped groups of the blades of grass, making it lookmore like the real stuff and making it more durable too. Rich also extended a servicecontract so he and Byron will be paying us a visit every three or four months to deepclean the turf and fluff it up to look like new. That's on top of their visits just to say "hi."

PAWS is committed to supporting local businesses. How could we not be when so manyof them are so committed to supporting the animals of Coronado? Want to replace yourwater guzzling lawn with drought friendly, beautiful turf? Rich Giglio of Eartholog Techis your man. Visit his website at earthologytech.com or he can be reached bytelephone at 619­435­5296. And Byron is the wonderful bonus workman on the job!

Adoption Process at PAWS of Coronado by Sarah Luken

It could be the emerald eyes of Adora, or Prim's creamy coat, but you've made aconnection with a PAWS dog or cat. You're ready to make the commitment toprovide a forever home for a deserving animal. Now that you've made this decision, what's next? To make sure a PAWS dog or cat will thrive in his/her new forever home, there area few steps to complete the adoption. Meet the PAWS Dog or Cat

The first step is actually meeting the adorable canine or kitty. The Coronado AnimalCare Facility (ACF) is open daily 9am to 4pm and closed on major holidays. A wordof advice if you're looking at the dogs for adoption: the dogs are walked daily at9am and 2:30pm for one hour. Therefore, it's best to visit your potential buddybetween 10am and 2pm. Complete an Application

Once you've met and fallen in love with your future best friend, you shouldcomplete an adoption application. You can do so at the ACF or online. Someanimals are very popular and may have several applications, so it's best to submitthe application quickly. Applications are considered in the order in which they arereceived.

Adoption Interview

After submitting your application it's time to talk with a dog or cat adoptioncounselor. The counselor will review your application and talk with you to makesure the adoption is a good fit for you and the animal. At PAWS we make sure ourdogs and cats find their forever homes, where both the animal and owner arehappy.

For dog adoptions, a home visit is also required to make sure your home, and yardif you have one, is a suitable and safe environment for the dog. For larger dogswe'll also discuss your plans for exercising the dog.

Complete the Adoption

You're almost there! Once the adoption counselor approves your application, it istime to officially adopt the cat or dog. At this time, you will pay the adoption feeand we will complete a Transfer Agreement, giving ownership of the animal to you.For a complete list of adoption fees, please goto: http://www.pawsofcoronado.org/adoption­information/. The adoption fee coversthe cost of the all required immunizations, spay or neuter, microchip (for animalidentification) and a starter packet of food. Now you're all set to bring home yourfurry companion and start a new journey together!

Here are some of our current adorable adoptables:

Snowy

Gilbert Slater Cash

Ken

Calvin

Jaylo

Photos by Kim Johnson

To view all our animals for adoption, click here: http://www.pawsofcoronado.org/

Successful Adoption Stats for this Summer

July AugustCats 5 6Dogs 3 5

Click to view our2015 Successful Adoptions.

What's this "Tortitude" All About?by PAWS Staff Writer

I have a cat named "Tea" and she is a Tortie...that'sa Tortoiseshell coated cat. Torties are not a breed. They are named for their distinctive coloring ­ acombination of patches of black, brown, amber, red,cinnamon and chocolate, often with brindled furbetween the patches. A true Tortie has no white furat all. And, a classic Tortie has a face which isdivided in two: one side with the distinguishingpatches of color, the other side brindled. As youcan see, Tea is a classic Tortoiseshell cat. Genetics creates the Torties' color combination. The vast majority of Tortoiseshell cats are female

Tea, the Tortie cat

because two X chromosomes are required toproduce black, gold and orange coloring. Male catsonly have one X and one Y chromosome, so it isgenetically impossible for a male to inherit thetortoiseshell coloring, unless he is the 1 in 3000tortoiseshell cats which are male, having been bornwith an extra X chromosome.

Is there any truth to the commonly held belief thatTorties have unique personalities? Many will tellyou that Torties are talkative, hyper energetic, highstrung, pushy and often times "in your face." Butthe professional jury is out on just how distinctiveTortie personalities are.

Dr. Fern Crist of the Just Cats Clinic of Reston, VAcalls Torties the "redheads of the cat world:beautiful, but short­tempered and quick to wrath." She makes it a practice to treat Torties with a "tadmore circumspection than cats of any other coat." Says Dr. Elizabeth Colleran, a former president ofthe American Association of Feline Practitioners,though, "There is no evidence of a link between color genes and personality. But it istrue that almost all tortoiseshell cats are females, and some people perceive females asbeing more headstrong than male cats." Somewhere in the middle of the debate is catbehavioralist, Jackson Galaxy, who tries not to speak of cats in generalities but doesoffer his belief that Torties are "more energetically sensitive with their individualpersonalities always on full display."

For me, "Tortitude" is very real...at least my girl Tea has it in spades. Chatty,unpredictable, sweet one minute and swatting me the next. And while the Tortie I knowseems at times to have a split personality, going from purring away in my lap to knockingover both her water and food dishes and meowing at the mess she has made, I wouldn'thave it any other way. There is never a dull moment with Tea. There are several Tortiesat the Coronado Animal Care Facility waiting for their forever homes...one we call "CrazyPants" for his Tortie traits. Come meet these interesting cats and decide about Tortiesfor yourself. You might just take one home.

Upcoming Events:

­ Sept. 10, 8:00am ­ PAWS Open Meeting ­ Coronado Golf Course Clubhouse­ Sept. 30, 5:00pm ­ Yappy Hour ­ McP's Irish Pub­ Sept. 27, 11:30am­3:00pm ­ 4th Annual Coronado Pet Parade & Chili Cook­off

Promenade Park (1845 Strand Way) ­ Details below

Tribute to Blade, Our Vice CanineMayor to PAWS of Coronadoby PAWS Staff Writer

Blade answered the call of duty when his mom,Julie Brightwell, asked him. In step with herwherever they went, he was that sidekick that everygirl needs, and the Vice Canine Mayor that everytown hopes for.

Photo credit: Kim Johnson

But now, it is Blade's memory to which we mustcling. The remembrance of a dog so special, wordscannot always describe his uniqueness. Blade set astandard for how a gentleman dog should presenthimself. With his ever­present poise, good looks andstyle, Blade shared many moments with his PAWSof Coronado friends. He and Julie never wavered intheir support of the activities we offered our furryfriends in need of homes. This kind boy only knewhow good it felt to have a mom who loved him andfriends at every corner. So goodbye, good friend, and please say a howdyto those whom you will join on your journey acrossthe Rainbow Bridge. Those left behind will neverforget you.

Two alumni from PAWS of Coronado making an appearance at Yappy Hour:

Ollie on Karen's lapPhotos by Kim Johnson

Winsty, formerly Nado, with his mom,Marilyn.

Interested in being a sponsor? Please contact Caroline Hainesat tel. 619­6435­5200 or email Caroline@leemather.com.

PAWS of CORONADO ­ pawsofcoronado.org ­ Tel. 619­435­8247Insider Report Editor: Beth Good

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