5 yr anniversary: Rescued puppies galore at Paws Throughout Pittsburgh on Saturday in Tarentum
There is nothing like a parking lot for homeless puppies on a Saturday in Tarentum.
But it’s a typical event at Paws Across Pittsburgh, which is celebrating its fifth year of animal rescue and now surpasses more than 2,000 dogs and 740 cats.
Paws Across Pittsburgh is a non-profit organization that brings animals directly to foster homes. There is no protection. However, some cats are kept at the organization’s Tarentum headquarters before being cared for.
On Saturday, the rescue received about 27 animals, including 20 puppies, seven older dogs and four cats. They came from animal shelters in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, said Jackie Armor, president of Paws Over Pittsburgh.
Many are puppies whose mothers were unlucky, such as being hit by a car. The older dogs may have been strays, kept outside, or have a medical problem.
“Every Saturday when we do it, it’s emotional,” said Armor. The rescue develops plans and programs to help the animals with special needs.
Buffalo Township’s Marcie Metnick was on site Saturday with one of the special cases of the rescue, Hoxie, a bulldog that was thrown out of a car last year. Fortunately, he was not injured in the incident; However, he was infested with fleas, which led to health complications.
Metnick nursed Hoxie, took the dog to the vet and rehabilitated him.
“He’s the love of my life,” said Metnick of the dog she has now taken in permanently. “Hoxie is the most lovable and grateful dog.”
There are a lot more hoxie stories out there.
In the past five years, grassroots organization has gone from picking up a few dogs in a couple of cars to owning a large van to rendezvous with ambulances from other states.
Paws Across Pittsburgh fills an important niche: some of the animals, like puppies, elderly and disabled dogs, don’t always get along well in large animal shelters.
For example, some of the puppies rescued on Saturday need to be bottle-fed every two hours, said Yvonne McAvoy of Cheswick, a longtime volunteer who works on the charity’s website and fundraiser in addition to caring for animals.
Such a daunting feeding chore can best be done by a care owner in their home.
It’s the cadre of roughly 80 volunteers who care for dogs, take them to the vet, and learn about what makes the precision and success of keeping the pets in permanent homes, Armor said.
The nonprofit tries to make it easy for a foster pet owner by providing supplies, food, paying veterinary bills, and other assistance, McAvoy said.
“All you have to do is take in the animal and love it,” she said.
In addition, Paws Across Pittsburgh offers other programs to help pets find and live the best possible home, such as: B. Paying for older dogs after they have been adopted by their new owners. There is also another program for pet owners who can give away their pet temporarily while volunteers care for the pet for free while the pet owner deals with a home or health issue.
“We have sent approximately 60 pets through our Dolly’s Dogs program for disabled and handicapped dogs,” added Armor.
The non-profit organization is known for its special casework for dogs and cats.
On Friday evening, they were informed of a dog that was hit by a car without identification tags or a chip. They plan to work with this animal in the near future, she said.
Mary Ann Thomas is a contributor to Tribune Review. You can contact Mary at 724-226-4691, mthomas@triblive.com, or on Twitter.
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Local | Regional | Valley News Dispatch
To learn more
To learn more about Paws Across Pittsburgh, visit their website, pawsacrosspittsburgh.com, or the Facebook page.
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