Paws Here

Welcome Surrendering Adopting Boarding Animals Fun Volunteer Donate Contact

A reply to an anonymous email
We recently received an anonymous email that, rather hurtfully, called into question our ability to care for the animals at Paws Here. I'd like to assure anyone reading that the volunteers at Paws Here have an enormous wealth of small animal husbandry knowledge, that vet students come to our shelter to learn about small animal care, and that Paws Here takes excellent care of the animals we have. It should be pointed out that Paws Here is an animal rescue, we often have pets brought to us that have been neglected or mistreated, that are old, sick, injured, emaciated, obese etc. They don't look like the "perfect" pet store pets that you see in pet shops that have been torn away from their mothers too young and shipped across the country, usually in mixed sex groups, with the sick or dead ones removed like so much rubbish from the "batch". Each of our pets, though, receives vet treatment as needed, paid for by Paws Here out of our meagre income and by fundraising, and much love, attention and specialist help. Sadly, not all of them make it. Sometimes it seems like a losing battle, paying out thousands of pounds to save a pet and spending weeks or months hand feeding them and warming them only to have them pass away at the end of it all. You might wonder why we do it - after all, we make no money from it, it is difficult, soul destroying work, and people are rude and unsupportive almost daily. Well we do it because if we don't, who will? Will you, reader? Will you, emailer? Where else would these animals go, with all shelters in our area currently full of small pets to the point they are having to turn down new cases? Are you going to take them, could you give them the care they need?

To coin a phrase, it's a difficult job but someone's gotta do it. And that someone is us. So please, if you want to help the animals at Paws Here, try coming in and volunteering. Make a real difference instead of sending a snarky email. I'm sure you'll feel better about yourself.

I'd like to finish by thanking our very many supporters and well wishers who make this job bearable. Thank you so much!