Student-Led Nonprofit, Pawse, Hosts Dog Adoption Showcase

Pawse is a student-led nonprofit organization with a main branch at The Quarry Lane School in Dublin, CA. Pawse's mission is to advocate pet adoption by hosting events in partnership with local animal shelters and rescue organizations to educate our communities about the importance of animal rescue.

Pleasanton resident and Quarry Lane School student, Hannah Yu, said that she started Pawse because "every year, so many animals that are perfectly healthy and have the sweetest personalities are euthanized because shelters and rescues do not have the resources to save them. So, it is extremely important to bring more attention to animal rescue organizations and amplify their efforts to help save more lives that deserve a second chance at life and happiness."

In November, the club organized and hosted an adoption showcase event in partnership with dog rescue, Love and Second Chances, and the San Ramon City Center store, George. Pawse featured two of the rescue’s adoptable puppies: Donnie and Dexter. At their booth, Pawse had educational flyers on the importance of pet adoption and a Spin-the-Wheel activity to encourage more of their community to learn about animal rescue. The event was a great success as the club raised over $250 for the rescue through their fundraising project (selling hand-crafted stickers and pins). Both puppies also received several adoption applications.

Pawse is currently hosting a Holidays Donation Drive and Fundraiser for local shelters (East County Animal Shelter and Hayward Animal Shelter). Hannah says that they want to give back to the community by "fundraising for our wonderful local animal shelters that take in homeless animals and provide them with a second chance at life, happiness, and love." All of the money raised will go directly towards purchasing supplies requested from the shelters, such as fleece blankets, pet (dog, cat, bunny) food, treats, etc. All donations are greatly appreciated! If you are interested in donating, please click on the following link: www.tinyurl.com/pawsedonation.

When asked about what have been the greatest challenges to accomplishing their mission, Hannah said that "one of the main challenges that the animal rescue community faces is combating the misconceptions about rescue animals. Many people, when they think about shelter pets, believe them to be damaged, traumatized animals that are incapable of forming meaningful bonds with people." Hannah, who has been fostering for local animal rescues for the past several years, explains that the reality is that animals come into shelters and rescues for a variety of different reasons. For instance, they may be surrendered because their owners have unfortunately passed away or they could have just been rescued as a stray. Hannah says, "the majority of animals in shelters are the sweetest animals you will ever meet. And, for those that are more timid, all they need is a loving foster or adoptive home to decompress and learn that they are safe to really come out of their shell. All animals deserve to live, and it is absolutely devastating that because of the stigma around rescue animals, so many of them have to be put down because shelters simply don't have the resources or space to continue to take care of them."

Encapsulating the essence of Pawse's mission is their motto, "Together we can save lives, one paw at a time."

For more information on Pawse, visit www.pawse.org or follow them on Instagram @pawseclub.